Secret Ingredient

by Pastel Pony

Part 4: Thirty-Five

35 ponies.

That’s how many Pinkie killed.

17 mares, 11 stallions, and 7 fillies exactly.

I stared at the list of names, and a lump formed in my throat. These were ponies that had had families and friends, and now they were gone forever, leaving their loved ones to cry themselves to sleep. Even I, one of the more unsocial ponies in town, vaguely recognized the majority of the names.

35 ponies dead because of Pinkie Pie.

I pushed the sheet of paper away from me, feeling queasy to my stomach.

“You were right, I shouldn’t have looked.” I mumbled dimly. Rarity simply sighed and picked up the list, putting it on the small table in the corner of the room.

I had woken to find Rarity reading over the list. I had asked to see it. I had wanted to know.

“I warned you it probably wasn’t a very good idea.” said Rarity. “You’ve been through a terrible ordeal, and the last thing you need to do is torment yourself with this.”

I shook my head numbly, “I needed to know Rarity. I needed to know…it’s not like I can pretend this never happened. It’s something that’s changed me forever, inside…and out.” I glanced down at my left flank, covered in bandages. The doctor’s had saved my cutie mark, but there would be scars all around my butterflies for the rest of my life.

Rarity frowned slightly, “Of course you can’t, darling. I just…oh, never mind, it’s not like I can truly understand what your going through.” She sniffled slightly, “I’m such a horrible friend, I was sitting there while you were asleep thinking how awful this will make my life, and here you’ve gone through hell and don’t even complain.”

I sighed, “Rarity, believe me, I want to complain, but what can I say? ‘Oh curse the world that Pinkie turned out to be a psycho!’ It’s not going to change what happened.” I looked down at Angel, sound asleep on my pillow. “It’s not going to make it go away…” I turned my attention back to her. “And don’t you ever call yourself a horrible friend. A lot of friends wouldn’t have stuck it out here at the hospital with me, now would they? Besides, I’m sure everypony who was connected to this is wondering how its going to effect their lives.”

Rarity shook her head and sighed. “Fluttershy, can I…can I do something for you?...You don’t have to say yes…”

I hesitated slightly. ”W…What?”

She sighed, “Can I fix your mane? I…I know it’s silly, but for some reason I feel like it would help me.”

I stared at her, ”Rarity.” I said solemnly, “You may do whatever you see fit to my mane if you think it is going to help you cope.”

She gave a small smile, and dove for a bag sitting underneath her chair. For the next half hour, we sat on the end of my bed while she brushed and styled my mane, working in silence, our problems temporarily lost in the smell of hairspray and the soft sound of the brush moving up and down.

When she was done, I walked slowly to the mirror in the corner of the room. I stared at my reflection…the short choppy strands of hair had been brushed soft and neat, and the small bits and pieces that were a bit longer had been expertly curled.

“Wow…” I whispered, “You did an amazing job.”

Rarity grinned, “Now I know it may seem a different from what you used to have, but short manes are definitely in style this season…”

I made a face at her, “No, they’re not.” I turned back to the mirror, “But…this looks nice. Thank you.” I turned my head and watched the little curls twist and bounce. I giggled, “I look like I’ve got springs in my hair.”

“Do not!” But she started to giggle too. I whipped my head back and forth, back and forth, and our giggle slowly grew until we were both leaning against each other, laughing hysterically. It felt good to laugh, it made the pain go away.

Applejack walked into the room, and stared at us as if we were crazy.

“What’n tarnation?!”

“Applejack!” sang Rarity, “Come join us, and I’ll fix your hair as well, maybe tease some elegance into that rat’s nest of a mane!” Applejack rolled her eyes, and focused on me.

“Flutters,” she said firmly, “I know you’ve had a rough day, but I need you to concentrate for a minute.” I stopped laughing and firmly shut my mouth.

“Good…now, I just got back from meeting with some ponies about Pinkie Pie’s trial. Obviously, it’s a pretty big deal, so the princesses themselves have come down from Canterlot to see that she gets accurate justice, no more, no less. They will…they will be the ones to decide whether she lives, or whether she dies.” she took a deep breath. “They’re gonna start the trial tomorrow, but first they want witness statements from everypony that was there…Ah have already seen them, and the guards that were in the basement talked to them this morning…the only pony left is the most important witness, you.”

I sighed and nodded. I stepped away from Rarity and steadied myself, before following her out the door.

---

I sat in a cold metal chair, facing the princesses from across a metal table.

“Fluttershy, thank you for meeting with us, I know this must be difficult for you, but I was wondering if you could please give us an accurate description of what happened in the basement?” asked Princess Luna. I noted with surprise that for once she wasn’t using her royal Canterlot voice, in fact, her voice was barely above a whisper. I glanced over at Celestia, who simply gave a small nod, her face rather pale.

I sighed. “Well…I went to visit Pinkie Pie, because a talk with Applejack had left me feeling uneasy about Pinkie’s story about Rainbow Dash…” I told them of looking around, and finding the basement door, about the note, and the password. I told them how I walked down the basement steps, and fainted when I had seen the horrible things inside. That I woke up cuffed to the metal table, where Pinkie Pie told me about the true makings of her secret ingredient. I shivered as I remembered the dress, and the Dashie doll, and then explained how she promised to save me that way as well.

“Forever…” I whispered, “She said that way she’d have her friends with her forever. She cut off my mane and tail, to save them for the doll. Then…” I whimpered softly, my hoof pressed against my bandaged flank, “She cut around my cutie mark, she was about to skin it, for her dress probably, when Applejack found me.”

Princess Luna nodded, while Princess Celestia simply sat there, looking as if she was about to throw up. Realizing she was the more composed of the two at the moment, Luna focused on me again.

“Now…We are going to ask you a few questions…and you must answer them truthfully to the best of your ability.” she glanced down at the paper in front of me. “How did you know the password to the door?”

I shifted uncomfortably, “I’d heard her say it before…It’s a song she always sings when she’s baking…cupcakes.”

“Do you think the Cakes are involved in this?”

“No…” I whispered, “I don’t know how to say this…but everything down there…it’s very…Pinkie. I didn’t see or hear anything that suggested the Cakes were involved, Pinkie made it sound a lot like it was a one-pony show.”

Luna smiled. “Good…though we must still try them, we are fairly confident that they are innocent, and your words will no doubt help. So…were you aware that Pinkie had a secret ingredient?”

I sighed, “Yes, I knew she put something in her cupcakes, only she called it strawberry vanilla. I always just presumed it was some sort of vanilla and fruit mix.”

Luna wrote something on her paper and stood up. “That’s it, but Fluttershy, I’m afraid we must ask more of you. Pinkie’s trial is tomorrow, and to convict her we will need testimony against her…So, will you come and face Pinkie Pie, and see that her justice is served?”

I looked her firmly in the eye. She was asking me to convict my friend…and my would be killer. A pony who had destroyed so many lives.

“I will.”

Comments

[Inspiring]

This just gets better and better !

[Tidal]

ive been waiting for a story like this! finally some justice....

[Mist Shaker]

Wait, how could pinkie deceive her friends and kill them one by one? Justice must be served, I hate to say this, as pinkie was one of my faves, she must die.

[FeelingPinkie]

I'm dying for part 5.

[AppleJackLovesApples]

MOAR!

[AppleJackLovesApples]

EEYUP! GOOD STUFF!

[AppleJackLovesApples]

IM DIING FOR 5 PLZ MOAR

[EndlessHarmony]

I bet rarity would be upset about pinkies," dress"

[Apocryphal Frost]

Bullshit she needs to testify for them to convict Pinkie.

Either Celestia and Luna are being cruel to Fluttershy for kicks, or they've set up a legal system that ensures no smart criminal will ever leave witnesses.

[Commander Jenna Cipher]

I'm more interested in what isn't being addressed, the Elements of Harmony.

Loyalty is dead and laughter is an insane physcopath, Equestria would be completely helpless in the face of pretty much any kind of threat yet this has received no attention what-so-ever, in any cupcakes sequel.