//------------------------------// // Continue? // Story: My Little Doubt // by Knackerman //------------------------------// Ponyville Hospital had never been so busy before. Royal Guards were everywhere, at every door and window of the building. There were even a few Crystal Guards on loan from the Crystal Empire, in their more fleshy forms this far from the Crystal Heart. The Night Guard, the eyes and ears of Princess Luna, seemed to peek out of every shadow. An attempt had been made on the life of the newest Princess, and while there was still some confusion on what exactly had happened, every possible precaution was being taken."And now an update on the tragic story coming out of Ponyville," a nearby radio droned, "It would appear that, in the case of the accident which reportedly occurred in the mines beneath Canterlot several days ago, the Royal Guard has confirmed foul play is suspected. While there has been no positive identification of the suspect as yet, we can confirm that she is a young mare. At present the suspect remains unconscious. Consequently she has been hospitalized where authorities are awaiting staff to revive her. That it has been revealed the deaths of four ponies, as yet unidentified, could be attributed to this unnamed assailant has shocked the kingdom at large. We'll be bringing you more information on this as the story develops." While some reporters, a few from as far away as Manehatten, had noticed the heightened security around Ponyville Hospital, none had been able to gain entry. For her part, Twilight was grateful and irritated at the same time. She was grateful to be spared from having to try to answer a dozen questions from the media that she wasn't sure she had a clear answer for. On the other hoof, she wished she could tell them to get their facts straight. "It wasn't four, it was three," she muttered to herself as she limped down the hospital corridor, "And it was definitely no accident." She wasn't supposed to be out of bed yet, which was clear from the I.V. stand she pushed along beside her. Twilight had been lucky to keep the operation of her limbs, but it was rough going with her head and forelimbs tightly bandaged, the later with stiff wooden planks to make sure she didn't bend them too far and re-open her wounds. She still had the use of her wings though, and while weak, they helped take some of the strain off her legs and allow her to move more quickly down the hallway. "Stop right there miss," came an authoritative male voice as two Royal Guards blocked her path. "This area is restricted, only authorized personal may proceed." Twilight looked up at the pair of unicorns. If this was the level of intelligence the Royal Guard had sunk to since her brother had moved on from his post as Captain of the Guard, it was no wonder they hadn't been able to find Fluttershy. "I realize I'm not wearing my tiara right now, but I kind of thought the wings and the horn would give it away. You do know who I am, don't you?" The other guard, who appeared slightly older than his partner couldn't help but crack a small smile. "Yes your majesty, we know full well who you are." In a stage whisper he continued, "Please excuse the boy, I'm afraid he's been rehearsing what he'd say if anypony tried to come this way for a little over half a day. No offense is intended my lady." Despite herself, Twilight found herself smiling as well. She whispered back,"And no offense is taken sir, but you still seem to be standing in my way." At that the old guard leaned back and with a look of true regret responded, "Ah, well, as it pertains to that we do have our orders your grace. I'm afraid even Princesses of the realm aren't allowed to be near the suspect without express permission. It's a necessary precaution, you understand. I'm afraid my hooves are tied." "There a problem here partner?"said a familiar voice. Applejack rolled around the corner in a wheelchair. Though her injuries hadn't initially seemed to be as severe as Twilight's, it had turned out the hunting knife to her back had managed to nick her spinal cord. The doctors were hopeful she would eventually recover the use of her hind legs, but for the time being she couldn't get around without the aid of the chair. For a mare who's livelihood depended greatly on the strength of her legs, she had taken her condition in stride. Truthfully, Twilight suspected that Applejack, like herself, was just happy to be alive. "Y'all gettin' in the Princess's way?" "Captain Applejack, we were just explaining to her majesty that no one is allowed to see the suspect by order of..." started the young stallion until Applejack cut him off. "Easy with this 'Captain' nonsense. Mah rank's supposed to be a secret, remember?" The former farm pony winked at the obvious new recruit and continued, "Ah'll take responsibility for her majesty. She'll be safe enough with me if you fella's will let it slide just this once." As the guards made a path for Twilight Applejack smiled brightly. "Thank ya kindly! Y'all keep up the good work, ya hear?" The two injured ponies continued down the hall. They came to a small waiting area that doubled as a commissary. Twilight needed to stop a moment to give her legs a rest. Applejack gave a little sigh and then went to get a couple of apples from a nearby cart. As she brought the fruit back to the table where Twilight sat, she said "Ya know movin' around and such ain't no good fer yer wounds Twilight. Ya really ought ta still be in bed. It ain't even been a week since the Royal Guard found us. Don'tcha think ya might be over doin' it?" "Pinkie Pie is a victim too," responded Twilight, out of the blue. This wasn't the first time she had said this but she hoped that she was finally with a pony who would listen. Applejack's blank stare, however, wasn't encouraging. The frustration of being ignored for days welled up inside Twilight as she shouted, "Why won't anypony believe me!? Fluttershy used some kind of hypnotic suggestion to force her to kill everypony! The string of missing pony reports you told me about before were all her doing as well! So why is it only Pinkie taking the blame for all this!?" Applejack took a bite of her apple, chewed and swallowed before she responded. "The authorities don't think Fluttershy had any connection to this case." "What?!" asked Twilight in disbelief. "But she was there!" "That ain't what the evidence says I'm afraid," continued Applejack. "There is no proof that the pony known as Fluttershy was ever down in them mines with us. Accordin' to the forensics team there were no hoof prints, blood, or hair samples collected at the site belonging to anypony other than the six of us, including poor Derpy, who were there." Twilight's wings unfurled in agitation, "But you were there Applejack, you saw her? I mean we weren't imagining her!" "I know Twilight, I know. Trust me, even in all these horrors that's one image I ain't soon going to forget," said Applejack darkly, taking another bite from her apple. "But the last I saw Fluttershy she was a broken marionette hanging on the wall. It's mighty suspicious her body's gone though, Ah'll grant ya that, and even more so since there's no trace of it ever bein' there." "What are you trying to say?" questioned Twilight, hurt. "You don't believe that I saw her? That I talked to her?" Applejack sighed heavily, "Honestly, sugarcube, Ah ain't sure whut ta believe at the moment. We both got put through some serious torture down there, both physically and mentally. It ain't stretchin' things too far ta say ya might've had a little breakdown and started seein' things whut couldn't be. Lord knows a lesser pony would'a long since broke under the stress ya've been through." Applejack said this matter-of-factly, impressed by Twilight's resilience. "The fact is there's zero evidence, aside from our testimony, that Fluttershy was there. On the other hoof, there's plenty of proof that Pinkie Pie was the killer." "But...but she was compelled to do all of those horrible things by Fluttershy," Twilight said emphatically. "Ah hear ya Twi, but just listen to yerself fer a moment. 'A pegasus, with no magical powers, forced an earth pony through hypnotism an drugs ta become a ruthless murderer.' Do ya really think the authorities, do ya really think Princess Celestia, is gonna be able ta believe somethin' like that? Settin' aside the lack of evidence, we ain't got any way of verifyin' a word of it." The earth pony looked at her apple in disgust, it had started going brown and mushy they had been sitting and talking so long. Her appetite lost, Applejack threw the rest of it in the waste basket. " It won't be too long before they'll file charges against Pinkie Pie. But their only suspect is unconscious. Until she wakes up Celestia is just going to bide her time. Nopony has seen Fluttershy in days. She's just missin' fer now, but most folk connected to the case are presumin' her dead based on mah account of whut happened. But Ah'll tell ya the truth, the fact there ain't a shred of evidence of Fluttershy being down there, on top of her body goin' missin', don't sit well with me at all. At the very least Ah'll see if Ah can get another forensics team ta head down there. If there's so much as a hair outside of that room where she was hangin', that would corroborate yer story and we can go from there. Meantime, I suggest ya stay by Pinkie's side if yer worried about her. Nopony but doctors and nurses have been in her room since she got here. Who knows, maybe a familiar voice'll bring her around." "Applejack..." started Twilight before she threw her forelimbs awkwardly around her friend in a hug. "Thank you." "Don't get me wrong Twi, she was my friend too," said Applejack pulling out of Twilight's grasp. "But even if she was forced ta do it, she still killed our other friends and there ain't nothin' we can do ta get them back. She ain't gonna be like she was, one way or the other. Frankly, she might be better off stayin' asleep forever..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight Sparkle sat quietly for some time in Pinkie's room. It seemed like the rest of the floor had been cleared. There were still guards posted at each end of the hallway and the occasional nurse would trot by, but aside from that the ward was quiet save for the steady beep of the machines hooked up to monitor the unconscious pony. Twilight stared at her would be murderer, her friend, the pony who had killed so many of her other friends. She was filled with such a potent mix of emotions she wasn't sure she trusted herself to stand. At the core of it all, however, was that little ball of frustration, that knowledge that Pinkie was as much a victim as any of them. "Who would've ever thought your birthday would turn out this way, eh Pinkie?" Twilight asked with a sad smile. "Why did you hold it all in? Why did you let it come to this?" Pinkie Pie lay perfectly still in the hospital bed. Stripped of her robe and now dressed in a simple hospital gown, it was easy to see bloody gauze bandages wrapped around various parts of her body. As much as she'd hurt Twilight, the alicorn couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt every time she looked at the bandages around Pinkie's throat. The pink pony's breathing was steady but shallow. Twilight worried about permanent damage. It was funny, no one had mentioned the word 'coma' but that was exactly what it seemed like she was in. An untouched apple set on a plate in front of Pinkie. with a small knife and fork. was rendered laughable. How did anypony expect her to eat like this? "If only you'd talked with me about it sooner, I'm sure things could've turned out differently." Twilight reached out and placed her hoof over Pinkie Pie's. She was so cold, even under the blankets, and seemed so very fragile. Twilight felt her grief and the massive burden of guilt swell inside her heart. "No, that's not true! I should've realized! If I had I'm sure no one would've had to die..." Her tears gushed from her eyes, falling fast and free on the white linens. These tears were a long time coming. Twilight hadn't allowed herself to cry since they had been rescued, she hadn't allowed herself to feel the full weight of her emotions. Sitting here it was impossible not to let her mind play back over everything that had happened and find her own actions lacking. In many ways she had failed. She had certainly failed as a Princess, as a leader, and she couldn't help feeling she had failed as a friend as well. "I'm so sorry," Twilight whispered. "from now on I swear I will protect you!" After Twilight said this, the door to the hospital room opened. Twilight hurriedly backed away from the bed and did what she could to dry her eyes. She knew she must look like a mess, but more than appearances she was concerned that the nurse had come to send her back to her own room. "I'm sorry, I'm a friend of the patients, I have permission to be here!" blurted Twilight all in one stream of words. She almost immediately regretted saying all that, anypony could say they had permission to be here, now she'd given the nurse a reason to be suspicious. The nurse for her part, however, went about her business, checking Pinkie's charts and making some slight adjustments to the machines hooked up to her. She was dressed much like the other nurses Twilight had interacted with so far, a white uniform and a mask over her muzzle to prevent the spread of infection. After she added some medicine, probably an antibiotic, to Pinkies I.V. drip the nurse then moved to the other side of the bed where Twilight sat. She waited there expectancy until Twilight realized she was in the way. "Oh, I'm sorry!" The injured alicorn hurriedly stood and apologized. Twilight tried to shuffle past the nurse but suddenly she felt something snake around her throat and cover her mouth as a needle was rammed forcefully into her back. As the plunger jammed home Twilight's scream was muffled by the nurses hoof. "Shhh...hush now, quiet now, no need to worry your little head Twilight," said a familiar voice in her ear. "It's just a little Vecuronium. I have to say I wish I'd come to the hospital more often before. They have so many interesting things here." Twilight struggled and tried to shout, but the nurse only dug the needle deeper. Within seconds Twilight could feel her body stiffening and going numb. It started inside her hooves and traveled slowly up to her torso. She could feel the tip of her tongue stiffening, and when her jaw fell slack, the nurse finally moved her hoof away. As Twilight fell limp, her attacker took the brunt of her weight and dragged her back to the chair she had been sitting in previously. Losing control of her body wasn't the terrifying part for Twilight. It was the knowledge of who it must be that was holding her. With care and precision, the "nurse" arraigned Twilight in what looked like a comfortable position and propped up her head in such a way that Twilight could get a good look at her. Her coat had been dyed from pale yellow to white, and her mane from its usual pink to a pale blonde. She had found a way to change her cutie mark to a caduceus, a symbol of medicine. She probably had her wings hidden beneath her nurse uniform. Even so, even before she tugged down her mask there was no mistaking her, or her cold, merciless eyes. This was Fluttershy. Twilight's heart continued to thunder in her chest even though she couldn't so much as twitch a muscle. She was trapped in a way that was far more complete than mere confinement down in those dank caverns. "Comfy?" asked Fluttershy sweetly. "You know I was a little worried we wouldn't get to speak. All these big, strong guards were very intimidating. But then when they had me changing your bed pan I realized that nopony at this hospital really pays attention to interns. It's funny really. All that security and they didn't even know I was watching you sleep...giving you your medicine. It's a good thing too, or that shot I just gave you would've paralyzed your lungs. We simply couldn't have you suffocating after all this work." Twilight couldn't even blink now, it was a struggle just to keep breathing. She tried to concentrate on that, hoping in vane that somepony, anypony would check on her. "Oh don't give me that pained look. I'm the one that told the authorities where to find you. They didn't tell you about the anonymous tip they received about hearing screams from the mines below Canterlot, did they? I suppose it would make them look bad if they had to admit they had lost a Princess and had no idea what had happened to her." Fluttershy bent the needle on the syringe she had used to inject Twilight and replaced the cap on it before she dropped it into the pocket on her uniform. "Of course, planting a 'changeling' in the Royal Guard makes covering up that kind of thing a breeze. Why, he was able to scrub almost all the evidence from the cavern during the forensics investigation. Any new investigation would be problematic. They'd be bound to find something down there if they looked hard enough. Of course it's just so nice to have useful 'changelings' around, ready to 'take care' of those pesky loose ends." Fluttershy grinned. "I'm sorry Twilight, I hope you didn't have anything terribly important to say to Applejack. She's going to die in the dark, just as she was meant to....just as you were meant to. Don't worry though, it won't be too painful." Fluttershy brushed an errant strip of hair out of Twilight's eyes. "There, much better. I suppose that a Princess does deserve better than to die in the dark. So how about I 'enlighten' you?" The pegasus in disguise chuckled as she turned from Twilight and walked slowly across the room to Pinkie's bedside. "I'm afraid I told you a little lie the last time we parted. You see, this 'game' I set up for you? It won't be the last. Even if my life ends, it will keep repeating over and over forever. For the ones I love, for my mom and dad, who loved me." Fluttershy clasped her hooves over her heart and bowed her head sadly. "Just disappearing wouldn't be enough now. There would always be questions. So I didn't plan on surviving this last game. I wanted to die surrounded by my friends. But then you had to go and ruin it by taking out poor Pinkie Pie." At this she stroked Pinkie's sleeping cheek tenderly. "My perfect 'changeling'. She was always more to me than just another pawn. She is my heir, my replacement." As she said this Pinkie's eyes fluttered open. She slowly began to sit up, her movements slow and clumsy as if she were in a trance. "This last week I was able to perfect the drugs necessary to make her the ultimate 'changeling'. In her mind her life will be a never ending party with an endless stream of party guests, no two exactly the same." Pinkie's hoof moved slowly to the knife set beside the apple on the food tray beside her bed. It was a dull steak knife, not even really suitable for slicing fruit. "She'll never be alone...and she'll spread lots of smiles!" Pinkie Pie grinned dreamily, showing gums that were bleeding from how hard her teeth were grinding together. She giggled, a high, frightening noise that pierced Twilight's mind. Every fiber of her being just wanted to run, but Twilight still couldn't move. She couldn't even close her eyes as Pinkie Pie dug the knife into the side of Fluttershy's neck and ripped a horrible jagged gash across the serenely smiling pegasus' throat. The blade gouged rather than cut the flesh, sending a spray of crimson over the floor and bed. Fluttershy crumpled to the floor, still twitching, still smiling, as she wrote in her own blood 'The Liars Must Die'. Pinkie stepped shakily out of her bed. She moved jerkily, like a broken marionette, moving closer and closer. She knocked over the lamp that was the rooms sole source of illumination. As the lamp clattered to the floor, it threw their shadows in stark relief against the wall. Pinkie's shadow, smiling as madly as the pony who cast it, loomed over Twilight's own. Twilight wanted desperately to recoil from Pinkie's touch, but there was nothing she could do as her friend lay one gory hoof gentle on her shoulder. The knife bit deep into Twilight's stomach first, rising through her bowels and into her chest. She could feel it scraping across the inside of her ribs and her spine, prying under her skin and twisting around in her muscles. Twilight's heart pounded faster. Steady, rhythmic, wet noises rose and fell matching the metronome like motions of the knife as the shadows met and parted over and over. Twilight could feel it, she could feel everything as the blade punctured her flesh. As it went on her soft guts were being wound like spaghetti around the knife as it cut into her kidneys. Why didn't Pinkie bring the blade just a few inches higher? Why didn't she just bury the blade in her heart? Why wouldn't this end? The Royal Guards burst into the room, but immediately froze, unable to process the horror spread before them. Pinkie twirled about as if her blood slicked dressing gown were a party dress. She leapt to embrace the guards, dragging poor Twilight's guts out on the floor in a steaming slushy mess. Pinkie's knife flashed back and forth, it's blunt edge ripping the stallions apart in seconds. With a manic grin still on her face, and a song in her heart, Pinkie left nothing but bloody hoof-prints and bodies behind as she moved through the hospital. Everything was so clear now. It was time for a new party. It was time for a new game! And Pinkie Pie just knew that, win or lose, she was going to have fun! Fun! FUN! Twilight Sparkle sat gurgling gently as her life's blood spread in a puddle beneath her on the floor, obliterating Fluttershy's final message. If only eradicating the pegasi's legacy would be so easy. But those were not Twilight Sparkle's final thoughts. They were on a party she never made it to, with friends she dearly missed. They were on a sunny spring day full of potential. Her thoughts were on Rainbow Dash showing off, Rarity beaming over a new dress, and Applejack finally relaxing after a hard days work. Her thoughts were on Pinkie Pie managing to make even the grumpiest among them laugh until they were fit to burst. She even couldn't help but think of Fluttershy cooing over a pair of new born baby birds. She remembered her friends and all the good times they had shared. She didn't waste any thoughts on her own death or theirs, but rather watched as her life seemed to dance before her eyes. A life of love and friendship is what she thought of, and everything that could've been.