My Little Doubt

by Knackerman

Warp

How had it come to this? The ropes biting into Twilight's body were cutting off her circulation. Her wings were already numb and her hooves were starting to fall asleep. Standing up in such an awkward position was also taking its own toll on her body, making her feel like she was going to tip forward any moment.

"Twi..." came a quiet, pained voice behind the alicorn.

"Applejack? Have you been awake this whole time?" Twilight asked, struggling to turn her head.

"Sorry, no, Ah only heard the last part of Pinkie's story," croaked the injured earth pony.

"Why isn't Pinkie Pie dead? I could have sworn I saw her body hanging in the room behind us, but it was too dark to make out any details. If that wasn't her corpse, then who's was it?"

"Ah can explain that. That was Rarity's corpse. Ah'm the one that set it up," said Applejack, a shade of disgust in her voice at what she had done.

Twilight was shocked. "Why would you do that? Why would you mess with Rarity's body like that? What could you possibly hope to accomplish?"

"Just listen, alright Twi? Ah ain't proud of what Ah dun," Applejack took a deep breath before she continued. "After Ah took care of Pinkie's shoulder and ya left the room, Ah used the scalpel Ah'd hidden in mah hat ta free myself from the straps ya'd tied me up with. Ah moved to a different room so ya wouldn't find me and the first room Ah picked to try and hide in Ah found Rarity's body. Now she'd already had her head cut off, but Ah had an idea 'bout how Ah could agitate whichever one of ya had killed her. So yeah, Ah messed her up and pushed some stakes Ah'd found in the other room inta her body pinning her ta the ceiling, so it'd be hard ta figure out who exactly she had been. As a Royal Guard Ah did it only ta expose whichever one a y'all was behind this here game."

"Wait, what? As a Royal Guard!?" exclaimed Twilight. "Applejack, you never had anything to do with the palace."

"Princess, please, just listen ta me! There ain't no tellin' when Pinkie will be back," the farm pony groaned. "After yer coronation Princess Celestia and Luna approached me with an offer. They knew what it was like to suddenly go from bein' a regular mare to bein' royalty, and they knew what that could do to a pony. Ya ain't the first filly ta get a mess of power and responsibility heaped on her all at once after all. Princess Celestia thought of me as one of your most reliable friends, so she asked me ta become a member of the Guard, in secret, ts keep an eye on you. She figured that Ah could protect ya in secret and at the same time make sure ya didn't start acting too different from how ya used ta be. Luna thought one of yer friends would know ya best and would know best if ya started actin' a bit funny." Applejack paused to let that sink in, "But ya see, that ain't all. Shortly after ya became a Princess, ponies started comin' up missin'. At first Ah didn't think it had anythin' ta do with us. That is, up until somepony figured out that there was a common thread linking almost every victim together. All of em, every last one, had known ya before ya had become an alicorn. That can't be a coincidence Twi."

"So then it's true you haven't been making the rodeo circuit?" asked Twilight. "And you haven't been neglecting Sweet Apple Acre's?"

"Of course not Twi," replied Applejack. "Ah'd never abandon mah family, but Ah've also got ta watch out for mah friends. That's why Ah locked Dashie up by herself and why Ah played along with Rarity's suspicions. Ah was tryin' to figure out which one of us might be an imposter, pretendin' ta be one of our friends but really plottin' to kill us off one by one. Ah'm convinced now that this wasn't the first game. All the other ones were just practice runs leadin' up ta this!" The earth pony gasped in pain, she'd let herself get too worked up and reopened the wound on her back. "In the end Ah guess Pinkie was just a little bit too clever fer me."

"How do you mean?" asked Twilight.

"Ah wasn't lyin' when Ah told ya Ah got attacked after ya left. It never occurred ta me that the filly Ah'd just got done patchin' up would be mah attacker. Ah managed ta drive her off by stabbin' her in the chest with mah scalpel. That's what Ah was lookin' for when Ah checked under yer blouse earlier. Pinkie's really somethin' else to still be movin' around with wounds like those." Applejack coughed, blood dripping between her teeth, "then again maybe Ah was just easy ta fool." Twilight could hear her friend shuffling, trying to wriggle her way closer. It must have been hard going with the knife wound in her back, because she whimpered with each motion. Finally, Twilight felt something soft brush against one of her bound hooves. "Please Twilight...Ah'm beggin' ya, Ya have ta trust me! She didn't think to check mah hat anymore'n you did. Just feel along the brim and you'll find something sharp. That's our ticket out of here, but ya've gotta hurry, before she gets back!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm sorry Twilight. I'd really wanted to hang Applejack right beside you, but all the rope I could find was rotten. It'd just snap as soon as it took the weight of a full grown pony, even a little one. So I guess I'll just have to do it this way again," said Pinkie Pie with glee in her voice as she drug her axe along the cavern floor. "It's too bad. I really wanted you to see what was in store for you. Let you see the funny little dance a pony does as she's dangling in the air by her throat. That way at least you'd finally have some idea of how to dance and wouldn't look so awkward when it was your turn." She giggled as she started climbing the stairs, "Whats the matter Twilight? Giving me the silent treatment? It's no use pretending you can't hear me. Twilight?" As she made the top of the landing, Pinkie's voice suddenly rose in anger, "Where did you go!?" All that lay before her were severed lengths of rope and a trail of blood leading back the way she had come.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, I guess she's realized thought Twilight to herself as the murderous pony's scream echoed through the caverns. Pinkie hadn't noticed Twilight or Applejack in the darkness, hidden beneath the very stairs she had just ascended. Lucky for them, especially since the farm pony wouldn't have been much help, having collapsed again right after they had managed to break free. Twilight had half carried, half dragged her as far as she could before she had heard the terrible screech of Pinkie's axe being scraped along the floor. That had worked out much better for them than Twilight had feared it would. Regardless of whether what Applejack was saying is true or not, my next move is clear. I've got to find a way to force Pinkie to open the exit, one way or another. A loud thumping came from above. Good, she's checking the upstairs rooms. Now's my chance. Twilight hefted Applejack on her back as best she could, using her wings to make sure the farm pony didn't accidentally roll off. First things first, without my magic I need to find something to counter that axe of hers. Some kind of weapon or something to use as a shield. As Twilight reached one of the doors to the other rooms, she found it completely sealed. It was hard to tell in the darkness of the cavern, but from where she stood she couldn't see any open portals anywhere. Had Pinkie resealed all the rooms? This is bad, Twilight thought, panicking, All I've got right now is Applejack's scalpel. There's no way I can defend us both with just that!

A scream of mixed rage and frustration twisted and turned into a wail of anguish, quickly accompanied by the sound of an axe repeatedly smashing into metal and rock above. Pinkie was going crazy with her axe, swinging it this way and that as tears poured from her eyes. "I can't believe you Twilight! Even when I tie you up you still just have to run away from me! I trusted you Twilight! Didn't I tell you before!? Didn't I tell you that losing a friends trust is the fastest way to lose that friend forever!? Where did you go!? Where are you!!?" Pinkie stopped screaming and started to cry instead. "I hate this...I really hate this. Are you going to disappear from my side again? Are you just going to abandon me like everypony else?" Pinkie started pulling at her hair, ripping out bloody pink hanks. Thankful for the moment for Pinkie's distraction, Twilight turned to try searching for another door, any other door in the cavern that might be unlocked. She must have turned too quickly because Applejack gave a muffled groan. Pinkie stopped crying immediately, an excited, almost rapturous tone entering her voice, "Twilight, is that you?"

There was no time to lose, Pinkie would be on them any moment. What should I do? there's nowhere left to hide! Twilight's eyes fell to the end of Applejack's hoof dangling over her shoulder. That was it! She could use Applejack's sigil to open the door to the clinic! But that will be the first thing she'll expect me to do. Twilight could hear the pink party pony bounding down the stairs. What should I do? At that moment, Twilight remembered there was still the hunting knife inside the clinic. She also remembered what she had discovered earlier in Rainbow Dash's room. Hesitation melting away, she quickly used Applejack's sigil on the clinic door. With an almost blinding flare of green light, that she knew would attract Pinkie's attention, she quickly flung herself into the clinic.

For her part, Pinkie took her time, laughing as she bounced down the hall. "Come out, come out where ever you are!" She headed straight for the clinic and her smile brightened as she noticed the door was still ajar. She reached out to push it open, but it stuck. The hunting knife had been jammed beneath the edge of the door. "Little pigs, little pigs, won't you please let me in?" The party pony giggled as she pushed at the door crack, her hoof scrabbling and scratching at the inside of the door, slowly forcing it open inch by inch. "Come on Twilight, how about I make you a deal? If you open up right now, I'll save you. I'm telling the truth, believe me, I would never lie to you Twilight. So just hurry up and open...the...door!" Pinkie roared as she forced her muzzle through the door, tongue lolling wildly from her mouth. But the room was empty. "What!?"

A sudden slash from the darkness caught Pinkie across her leg, causing Pinkie Pie to drop her axe. Twilight was there beside her, the bloody scalpel she had used to slice Pinkie Pie clenched tightly in her teeth. The hunting knife jammed underneath the clinic door had served well as a distraction. Twilight tucked the surgical instrument to the side of her mouth, like a lolly-pop, as she took up the fallen axe with her own hooves. "I don't know what lie you think I told you. But Pinkie, no matter what your reasons were, I'll never be able to accept what you've done. Even if I have to hurt you in the process, I'll do whatever it takes to stop you!" Twilight hefted the axe, her eyes glowing with residual magic as her wings flared out behind her.

"Twilight Sparkle will stop me?" whispered Pinkie almost in disbelief. The smile drained from her face and her eyes grew wide. She stared at Twilight, her face blank, her voice monotone, "Twilight, you really don't remember what the lie you told me was right? Before you 'stop' me, don't you want to know what it was?"

Despite herself, Twilight hesitated. Whatever this wreck of a pony was now, she was her friend once. With her weapon taken from her, what threat did she pose now? It was clear she needed help. Maybe talking things through could help her heal the wounds that had so clearly stripped away her sanity. "Go on."

"It was just after that mess you made of our lives. You remember, right? Where you changed around our cutie marks by mistake and I was stuck on that horrible farm...just like my childhood all over again. No time for fun, no time for parties or games. Just an endless list of chores, chores, chores, without a shred of hope." Pinkie slowly moved forward, her eyes never leaving Twilight, yet staring off into the distance as if she were looking straight through her. "We were able to get everything switched back, but do you remember what happened next? Poof, just like that, you were gone. We didn't know what had happened to you. Nopony said it, but I think we all thought you had died. When I thought about it, thought about how we'd never be able to party together again, never share a slice of cake, or a dance, or anything like that at all, I felt something just...break inside." Tears spilled from Pinkie's eyes, though her face never so much as twitched as she spoke. "But then later that evening, you were back! Only, it wasn't you, but it was you. You were an alicorn. No, more than that, you were a Princess. We were so excited for you. It seemed like all your studies, all your hard work for Celestia, had culminated in that moment. Then came the coronation, all the pomp, all the well wishers. It all happened so fast, and you were officially a ruler of Equestria. It seemed like nothing could ever be better. It was the best party, the ultimate party." Twilight raised her axe defensively as Pinkie stopped in front of her.

"And then it happened. After your speech, after the cheers and streamers, that's when you told your lie. Not just to me, but to every single pony in Canterlot! You said everything was going to be just fine!" Pinkie roared as she whipped out a wrench she had hidden in the folds of her robe and smashed it against the side of Twilight's face. This knocked the scalpel out of her mouth and the axe out of Twilight's hooves. Pinkie didn't let her fall, however, instead she grabbed Twilight by the front of her dress and pulled her close so they were face to face. "But everything wasn't 'just fine' Twilight! My father killed himself! My mother and sisters were left struggling to run a farm they could barely manage while he was still alive! I had to quit my job with the Cake's to move back home to help them! I had to go back to the life I'd left behind working on that dank, joyless rock farm! And one by one my closest friends drifted away, so I didn't even have anypony to tell about it! Does that sound like things were 'just fine' to you Twilight!? Was everything 'just fine' when you abandoned your friends for your new life as a Princess!?"

Pinkie pulled back to smash Twilight's face with the wrench again when Twilight suddenly screamed, "It wasn't like that!" The crazed pony hesitated, the tension draining from her body as Twilight spoke. "I admit that I wasn't there for you. But you and the others were always in my thoughts. Yes, my responsibilities as a Princess meant I couldn't be all the time anymnore, but I swear on my crown you were all always in my heart." Twilight stared at her friend, pleading in her eyes, "Didn't you get the present I sent you for your birthday? Wasn't that proof I care?"

Without making a sound, Pinkie let go of the front of Twilight's dress, letting her fall to a kneeling position on the floor. "Oh Twilight. Of all the times to lie to me, now really was a bad one. I haven't gotten any mail from anypony in months." With that Pinkie picked up the axe and sent it slamming into Twilight's front legs. Twilight cried out in pain, the sharp wedge biting down to her bones. "There now, no more running away for you!" Twilight looked as if she were going to try to say something else, but the pink pony cut her of. "No! No more of your lies! Whether you wanted to be there for me or not, you weren't...but now you don't have a choice. We've got all the time in the world now. The rest of your life in fact." Twilight's wings fluttered madly as she tried to back away from Pinkie's grin. "Oh, now that's just cheating! I guess I'll have to clip your wings like I did with Dashie."

As Pinkie raised the axe one last time, Twilight kicked out with her hind legs, purely on instinct. Her hoof connected with the injury she had given Pinkie before with the crowbar, sending the pink pony toppling forward. As she fell, she lost her grip on the axe. The blade was so sharp that, as it fell, it cut cleanly though the side of Pinkie's throat. A gush of blood stained the mares straight pink hair crimson as shock filled her face and the lights went out in her eyes. Pinkie Pie slumped lifelessly against Twilight, a second red grin on the side of her neck, right through her sigil. Twilight was speechless. She couldn't believe what had happened. The pink pony was still breathing, but only barely. "Pinkie, are you alright? Answer me if you can." Twilight held her friend tight. "There's no way I can just let you die with this misunderstanding still between us." As carefully as she could, she drug Pinkie over to the final room. Fortunately it seemed the door was already unsealed. "Don't die on me Pinkie. Just bear with it a little longer. We can get out of here with your sigil and we'll get you the help you need." But as Twilight pressed Pinkie's throat against the final door, nothing happened. The writhing mass of spells didn't even react. "But that doesn't make sense. This is the 'changelings' sigil. It should be able to unlock all of the doors! Unless..." The sound of hoof steps from behind her made Twilight turn. There was a light moving out there in the darkness, drawing ever closer. "Applejack..?"

As the light reached the door, something Twilight never expected peaked around the corner. It was Angel bunny, holding a flashlight beneath a furry face in a grimace of pure annoyance. "Rawr!" a familiar voice called cutely, followed by a demure little laugh. As Fluttershy set her pet down and stepped into the doorway, she smiled. "What's the matter Twilight? Why, you look as if you've seen a ghost."

Comments

[Ecstatic]

tril of blood leading back the way she had come.

Trail.

Well, I guess she's realized thought Twilight to herself as the murderous ponies scream echoed through the caverns.

Bad plural, bad. "pony's scream", possessive.

Regardless of whether what Applejack was saying is true or not, my next move is clear. I've got to find a way to force Pinkie to open the exit, one way or another. A loud thumping came from above. Good, she's checking the upstairs rooms. Now's my chance.

No you don't, her Sigil will work even if all you have is her corpse, remember?

"But that doesn't make sense. This is the 'changelings' sigil. It should be able to unlock all of the doors! Unless..."

You're right, that doesn't make sense.

As Fluttershy set her pet down and stepped into the doorway, she smiled. "What's the matter Twilight? Why, you look as if you've seen a ghost."

Well played, Fluttershy, well played. This was the first entry to my list of suspicions way back in chapter one, and I mentioned it a few chapters later, but I admit I thought it was Pinkie Pie until shortly after her Sigil failed for the last chapter or two.

What doesn't make sense is why Pinkie Pie went so dreadfully insane now, considering it's likely to be Fluttershy's doing that she had gone insane, but I'm sure a Villainous Monologue will clear that up, or maybe they just happen to be two psychotic mares that may have decided to work together, but probably not, or at least not together.

[PaulAsaran]

Gonna start theorizing things now instead of at the end of the chapter, because it's pretty clear we're nearing the conclusion and I want to voice my thoughts before I get there.

Okay, after hearing AJ's story, I'm lead to believe that the Pinkie we're seeing isn't the real Pinkie, because AJ's right; she's got too much damage to be able to do everything she has been. So what happened to the real Pinkie? As a matter of fact, there's something else very wrong abut all this: Pinkie's had a blade in her shoulder, another in her chest, and took a hit from Twilight in the leg. How the heck is she still moving? And there's been no mention of these wounds in Pinkie as Twilight spoke to her.

...

Yeah, something's off here.

---

That's one weird way for an axe to fall. I'm sitting here trying to figure out Exactly how Pinkie was holding it to pull something like that off.

What the hay? Fluttershy? Okay, the explanation for this should be interesting.

[WolfWatcher7]

It's always the quiet one

[lochbessie]

As the light reached the door, something Twilight never expected peaked around the corner. It was Angel bunny, holding a flashlight beneath a furry face in a grimace of pure annoyance. "Rawr!" a familiar voice called cutely, followed by a demure little laugh. As Fluttershy set her pet down and stepped into the doorway, she smiled. "What's the matter Twilight? Why, you look as if you've seen a ghost."

https://youtu.be/V5SPU9bzA2Q