Segment 3:1 Rebirth Through Fire
Segment 3: Chapter 1
Pain. Pain is a virtue, a necessary learning condition of all beings. Pain is the teacher, the lesson that guides our paths and enforces behaviors on the most base of intellect. It hurts—don’t do that again. Pain is beneficial to survival, a well-meaning reminder that certain acts are a detriment to the health of the being. Sometimes, however, pain can be overwhelming, far too cruel and sadistic. The merciless side of pain can warp a being, change it, twist it to a new, deranged, thing—an abomination where a compassionate being once stood.
Pain can come in various forms, physical, emotional, and mental. Physically it can subdue the senses and wreak its will upon a body, draw it up and throttle it. Emotionally it can deaden and make hollow a warm and caring heart. Mentally it rearranges priorities and unhinges the mind from reality. Each of these, by itself, can be debilitating and socially crippling, but when the three combine, it creates a thing much worse. It creates a venomous beast bent on revenge and absolved from social regulations. At least, in this case…
***
Ka-thump.
Ka-thump.
“Doctor, what happened to her?”
Ka-thump.
“I don’t know. The receptionist found her abandoned in front of the emergency room. I’m going to need help with this one. She’s really messed up. Severe abdominal trauma and third degree burns all across her body.”
Ka-thump.
Ka-thump.
“… don’t know who she is. Cutie mark is burned away.”
Ka-thump.
“… lost so much blood. Another bag of O-negative—hurry, Nurse! Vital signs …
Ka-…
…
…
Ka-thump.
“… she was gone there. I’m not losing her. We’re almost finished here.”
“Doctor, she … she’s got my leg! She’s hurting me!”
Ka-thump.
“She can’t possibly be waking up. Quick—sedate her. It has to be an autonomic response; she can’t be stirring on her own.”
Ka-thump.
Ka-thump.
Ka-thump.
“Sedated. How’s your leg, Shining Hope?”
“It’s fine … just scared me mostly.”
Ka-thump.
“It’s done. Everything we can do is done. She’s lost a lot of blood and had so much trauma. I don’t know if she will survive. I don’t know if I would want to wake up if I were her. Whatever happened must have been right out of a horror movie. Have the Royal Guard showed up? Maybe they can answer some questions.”
Ka-thump …
Ka-thump …
Ka-thump …
“Her signs are strong, but there is little brain activity.”
“She’s in a coma. Who knows when or if she’ll wake up. She must be dreaming. I hope they're pleasant dreams; her nightmares will start when she wakes up.”
Ka-thump.
Ka-thump.
Ka-thump …
***
Applejack’s grin was wide enough to show teeth; all and all it was almost a horrific expression. Her eyes darted across the papers she held in her hooves and more teeth joined the view as her lips pulled upward into a smile. Twilight looked away, disgusted and somewhat afraid of what could make Applejack so happy. Whatever it was, it meant more ponies were hurting and Twilight had had quite enough of that.
“Yeehaw, tha numbers are still movin’ up. Sales are higher than they have been in months. Seems like Pink Dreamz is finally used up an’ nopony else knows how to make it.” Applejack leaned back in her chair smugly, propping her hooves up on her desk.
“Great, Boss. Nopony can hold you back, not for long,” JackSlap stroked Applejack’s ego. With that pink bitch gone, ponies had been coming back to their old addictions—Sweets being the foremost one of them—and Applejack was acting more and more like the way she should. No more red eyes, no more half-assed punishments, and no more delays when it came to hard decisions. It was nice having the boss back.
“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh chimed in, much for the same reason. He was reinforcing his pleasure at A.J.’s return to sanity. He still had his doubts about what Rainbow Dash had confessed, but he let them go, not wanting to dwell on them. Applejack was back and that meant the Apple Family was whole again. As long as she kept her head on straight, Big Mac didn’t care what had gone on between his younger sister and the blue pegasus. Dash was worm chow now anyway; any indiscretions she knew about were buried.
Twilight looked out of the window of Applejack’s office. Great, she thought, an addictive, mind killing, substance is being consumed at a higher rate. She sighed inwardly. She needed to get back to work on the magic of friendship, but Applejack had made Twi her personal advisor. She assumed it was to keep an eye on her so she wouldn’t try and make a break for Canterlot. It wasn’t necessary. What would happen if she was to escape and go before Celestia with her story? “Princess Celestia, I helped create addictive, illegal, substances to feed to the economically downtrodden ponies of Ponyville. Oh, I also killed two of my best friends by burning them alive.” That would be great. Failing her assignment and admitting to manufacturing and distributing illicit substances and murder—Princess Celestia would have nothing but the highest opinion her after that.
Twilight saw Sweetie Belle through the window. The filly was looking up at one of the few living apple trees while Apple Bloom explained something to her. At one point, Twilight would have taken much pleasure from the scene, her heart warming softly from the friendship of the fillies. Instead, her heart sank. Twilight had a feeling that Scootaloo’s disappearance had something to do with Sweetie. The two had been having some kind of an argument and Sweetie had been pretty badly beaten up. Twi didn’t buy the “I fell down the stairs” excuse after the events at Sugar Cube Corner.
To tell the truth, Twilight had begun to question much of what had gone on around the farm. Rainbow Dash wasn’t sick; she was addicted to Sweets and had overdosed and died. Applejack had been lying to her and keeping her prisoner, unbeknownst to Twi, since she had been on the farm. At least Spike had escaped. Maybe he would tell the princess, but secretly Twilight hoped he didn’t. She didn’t know if she could straighten out Ponyville but it was her only hope of returning to Canterlot. Friendship would have to hold some very powerful secrets in order to rectify the horror of Ponyville, she thought, her minimal hopes fading. Worse yet, those she had thought of as her friends were proven liars, murderers, drug pushers, or were dead. A deep sigh escaped her as she closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the pane of glass, its cool temperature soothing to the touch.
Applejack caught Twilight’s body language and felt a pang of regret infiltrate her mirth. She talked for a few minutes more to her brother and her enforcer about business related functions and dismissed them. She leaned back in her chair and watched the lavender mare at the window. A.J. read Twilight like an open book with large print. Twilight was straining under the pressure of what she had done and the dawning of what Sweet Apple Acres truly was. A.J. was certain that Twilight hated her for what she had made her do, but it was the only way to bring her into the Apple Family. If Twilight wanted to live she would have to do her duty and belong to the Family. It was a gamble, but she didn’t want Twilight dead.
During her stay, Twi had become Applejack’s friend. Until Dash had fought her way back from the depths, she had been the only friend Applejack had. A.J. didn’t really like breaking the mare, but she had done so anyway. Now, Twilight would slowly give up her ridiculous task and take up the responsibility that Dash had abandoned with her death. In fact, A.J.’s eyes scanned the flank of the unicorn and a small, pleasing grin played on her lips. She just might fill more of Rainbow’s void than A.J. originally thought.
“Twilight, Ah wanna talk to ya,” Applejack’s accented voice broke Twilight’s concentration and the unicorn turned questioningly. She realized that JackSlap and Big Mac were no longer in the room and grimaced.
“I’m sorry, Applejack. I just got lost in thought. I’ll go.”
“Ah don’t want ya ta go, Twi. We need ta talk. We haven’t really spoken much since Sugar Cube Corner.”
Applejack’s voice was strong but tinted with concern. She broke a small smile and waved Twilight towards her.
The mention of Sugar Cube Corner brought memories back to the magical mare and she turned her head to the floor as she slowly walked to the front of Applejack’s desk. What did A.J. want to hurt her with now? What else could she do to her? Her long face tilted up as she brought her purple eyes to meet Applejack’s gaze.
“Listen Twilight, Ah know yer troubled with what we did out there in Ponyville. Ah know yer mad at me fer not tellin’ ya the truth about what was goin’ on at the farm. Ya got ta understand, sugar cube. Ah couldn’ tell ya and Ah couldn’t let ya go. Yer my friend. Ya probably don’t believe that, but it’s true. Ah care about ya and Ah don’t want ya ta be sore. It was this way or Ah would have had ta kill ya.” A.J.’s voice was soothing and mildly soft. She had let the silence go on too long, but she was leaving time for Twilight to adjust.
Twilight was a stronger pony than she seemed. A.J. had worried for quite a while that she might buckle from the pressure. During the first couple of weeks it wouldn’t have come as a surprise if Twilight had gone insane or killed herself, but she had not. She had dealt with her emotions and when A.J. told her that she would be her new advisor, she had appeared at meetings. She still hadn’t offered any advice or done any family business, but she was making some effort to move forward. That strength reminded A.J. of Dash. Queer thoughts played through her mind and some of those old urges emerged.
Twilight turned her head to the side. Was this supposed to be some sort of apology? Applejack was talking in niceties as if she had done Twilight some kind of favor, as if having her burn Pinkie and Fluttershy alive was such a nice thing. Twilight wished she had let Applejack shoot her instead of throwing that firebomb into her friends’ home. At least she wouldn’t feel so badly. It would have all been over in an instant and she would have been able to keep her sense of self. As it was, she was just as much of a monster as the orange mare before her. She tried not to think about what she had done, but it was difficult. There was no magic that could revive the dead, but she might be able to atone for her sins if she could just continue her studies. Her voice was sad and cynical, “You made me kill Pinkie and Fluttershy, Applejack. Is that what you do to your friends?”
A.J.’s brow furrowed and the smile on her lips fell away. “They asked for it, Twilight. Don’t ya get it? They were hurtin’ mah family.”
“How? By making a living for themselves? For wanting a better life?” Twilight suddenly felt angry and forgot herself.
Applejack fought the ire working inside of her and remained calm, “If they wanted a better life, they could have come ta me. They didn’t need ta compete with me. What they did was make me look weak. Ah can’t let that happen, Twi. Y’all just don’t understand. There ain’t no friends in this business.”
Twilight dripped tears down her cheeks and her voice snapped from the strong emotions eating through her mind like worms. “Good! I’m not your friend! I hate you, Applejack! I hate what you made me do!” The purple unicorn fled the room, her ears deaf to the calls of the orange mare as she escaped from the office. She needed to be alone. She needed to think; her life was ruined and she didn’t know how to escape the guilt that devoured her waking moments.
Applejack sighed and went back to her business. Twilight would need more time before she could become productive in the business. Goody horseshoes like her were hard to break. It would happen, though. Eventually she would see the desperate situation in which she was mired and her scruples would dissolve, just as Applejack’s had.
***
Sweetie’s wounds had almost healed completely. Her pale-coated face shone brilliantly in the midday sun and her curled mane bounced as if on a tender spring above her soft featured face. She had made a full recovery except for one detail; the white of her damaged eye still appeared to be full of blood. The blood vessels had not repaired themselves, leaving her with one crimson orb where the innocent white once dwelled. It suited her thoughts. The days of gentle Sweetie were waning, corrupted by the murder of Spike and thoughts of revenge against the pegasus, Scootaloo. Sweetie was losing control of her thoughts, becoming engorged with pain, death, and sadistic pleasure. She plodded beside the bouncing Apple Bloom on a routine tree check, her thoughts turning from the mundane task to the joy of Scootaloo’s horrific understanding of what happened to her parents. It made Sweetie tingle down through her hooves and she, unknowingly, let out a soft and mirthful chuckle.
Apple Bloom’s smile was gentle and friendly. She had been talking about the nitrogen level of the last few trees’ soil, prattling off information, more to herself than for the benefit of her friend, but turned happily to regard the smile splayed across Sweetie’s face. “Y’all like that the trees are doin’ so well, Sweetie? Ah do too. Twilight’s a smart pony and Ah’m glad she thought up that concoction to help the trees grow.”
Sweetie’s thought popped and she realized Apple Bloom was smiling at her, with that blissfully ignorant grin. What an idiot. She had no idea the deeds that occurred on her beloved farm. She really was stupid. “Yeah, sure, Apple Bloom.”
“Ah miss Scootaloo. Ah wish she wouldn’t have run off. She always liked checking on the trees. Ah guess it’s a good thing, though. Ah mean, she got adopted by them rich pegasi from Cloudsdale. She’ll be happy. Ah just hope she comes an’ visits us.” Applejack had told her the lie to make losing Scootaloo easier on Apple Bloom.
Sweetie made a face. “I don’t think she’ll come see us again. She wasn’t exactly fit for farm life.” She had chased that butch fool away from the farm and the last thing she wanted was to see her ugly face back on the farm. Then again, if she showed up again, Sweetie could do more than just scare her off. The thought of somehow ending Scootaloo’s miserable life made the filly shiver pleasurably.
Sadness crossed Apple Bloom’s features and she rebutted Sweetie’s words, “Sure, she may not be the best farmer, but she's still our friend. She’ll want ta see us again, Ah’m sure. And if she don’t, Applejack might let Twilight take us to Cloudsdale ta visit her. Wouldn’t that be great? She’d be so surprised when she sees us at her new house with her new family!” The thought of seeing her friend doing so well really brought joy to Apple Bloom. Her pure little heart swelled for Scootaloo’s good fortune.
Seeing Apple Bloom smile about Scootaloo shot thorns into Sweetie Belle’s mood. She had not been bullied and beaten by that idiotic filly for months to smile and think of good things about her. The pegasus had not been seen since she ran away and Sweetie Belle hoped she had been ponynapped or had gotten lost in the Everfree forest and eaten by the inhabitants. “She wasn’t really our friend. She just stayed here because she had nowhere else to go. As soon as she did, she left and didn’t even say goodbye. She also used to tell me what she really thought about this place.” Sweetie lied to her friend, wanting to destroy Apple Bloom’s warm feelings for Scootaloo.
Confused and dour, the young Apple mare stopped in her tracks and sadly looked upon the unicorn filly. “What d’ya mean, ‘what she really thought’?”
The urge to lie and corrupt surged through Sweetie and an impish grin fell across her features. “Well, she always said that Applejack was a bumpkin. The whole family was a bunch of hicks. She used to say she hated being on this redneck hovel. She said the incest really showed.” The lies rolled off her tongue and she enjoyed the dying happiness in Apple Bloom’s eyes.
“Ah … she really said them things?” Apple Bloom felt like crying. She couldn’t believe what Sweetie was telling her. She had spent such a long time with Scootaloo and had never suspected that her friend had felt that way about her family or her farm. It seems so … farfetched, but Sweetie didn’t just make up stories.
“She told me a lot of things. I didn’t want to tell anypony because if Applejack wanted to kick her off the farm she would have had no place to go. She was so rude. No respect at all.”
“She did lose her ma and pa, just like me. Ah know how that can make ya feel. It’s not really her fault. She probably didn’t mean what she said, Sweetie. Ah still have my brother and sister, she had nopony. Her closest friend was Rainbow Dash and she got sick and died. Ah still think she’ll come and see us. We’re her friends, Sweetie. She won’t ferget us like that … even if she said mean things.” Apple Bloom had grown up without her parents and had always felt a sort of kinship to Scootaloo because of it. She didn’t like what Scootaloo might have said, but she forgave her. Scootaloo had lost much more than Apple Bloom. The country filly was certain Scoots was still her friend and that they would see each other again. It was even possible Sweetie was making this up. She hadn’t been the same since she got hurt. She seemed distant sometimes and now and then said something a little snarky. Apple Bloom didn’t know what to think, but she was feeling more and more alone with the passing days, especially since Scoots had been adopted. Her thoughts were interrupted by Sweetie Belle’s scoffing.
“Rainbow Dash? Those losers were made for each other. Do you know what those two did together while they were 'practicing'? They would …
“Ah don’t care, Sweetie Belle! Just stop talkin’!”
Sweetie was stunned by the outburst from Apple Bloom. She had always been the sweetest pony imaginable and had never yelled about anything. A sudden urge to slug the country filly crept through Sweetie’s body.
“Scootaloo is my friend and yers too. Ah don’t want ta hear anythin’ else bad about her. If that’s all yer gonna talk about, Ah’ll just finish inspectin’ these trees by mahself. In fact, go on and leave me alone. Yer bein’ awfully mean lately. Ah don’t know what’s eatin’ ya, but ya need to figure it out. Ah know ya got hurt when ya fell down them stairs, but yer all healed up now. Y’all shouldn’t be so … so … negative all the time. It ain’t like you. Ah’ll see ya fer supper, but Ah want to be alone now.” Apple Bloom resumed her chores, walking from tree to tree and inspecting them.
Sweetie gritted her teeth and turned away, a tear slipped down her cheek. What had happened? That little bitch had just told her off? The world’s most clueless pony had just hurt her feelings? She’d teach that mule, that little do-gooder, that … Sweetie paused in her thoughts; the cruelty painting her mind sloughed down the canvas and disappeared as she thought. She had just turned on Apple Bloom, her closest and best friend. A pony for whom she would do anything. Something … something was wrong. She had known something was wrong for a while. Running Scootaloo away was one thing—she had been defending not only her position and herself, but also her future—but saying such hurtful things to Apple Bloom wasn’t all right. Thinking about how to hurt Apple Bloom definitely wasn’t right. She needed to be alone. She needed to think. Her thoughts had been of inflicting pain on others a lot lately. Also, she hadn’t had that queasy, frightened feeling that thinking of Spike’s murder brought to her in a long while. She was becoming Applejack, wasn’t she? The pony who made her accessory to Spike’s death. The one she had hated afterward. Not only had Sweetie forgiven her, but more alarmingly, she was becoming more like her. She needed to run. She needed to think. Was this her fate? Sweetie’s heart raced as panic set in and she bolted from the apple grove.
In the bright afternoon sun, a white unicorn filly ran from herself, seeking a place to be alone, a place to think, a place where her recently haunted mind might find shelter from its ghosts.
***
In the darkness sat a refrigerator and what lay inside was providence, salvation from the world as she knew it. Pinkie Pie was oppressed by the thick blackness that suffocated her, panicked her mind, and smothered her happiness. Instinctively she knew that the only exit from the darkness was inside of the refrigerator.
She knew what was on the other side, the cupcakes and their grand party. They would be belly flopping into a bowl of gelatin and beckoning her to join them. The party would be the best she had ever attended and it would last for eternity. She didn’t know what brought the smoke scented blackness, the scoring heat that pervaded her senses and frightened her terribly, but she knew how to end it.
For some reason the pink pony didn’t have the use of her hind legs and pulled herself along with her front hooves, digging into the solid inky darkness before her and tugging with all of her strength for a few extra feet closer to everlasting happiness. She could feel the pitch gripping at her hips and legs, attempting to draw her back but she was too strong. She could make it. One leg after another lurched forward and pulled her heavy frame towards the portal to peace. She suddenly became aware of the drowsiness affecting her form. Her mind felt exhausted and she looked up at the handle to the appliance with drooping eyes. All she needed was to yank the door open and find her rest on the other side.
The long pink leg stretched upward, hooking the handle, and, with the last of her life’s energy, pulled the metal door wide, bathing in its blinding light. The pink pony momentarily snapped her eyes closed from the brightness assaulting her. When she opened them again, everything would be as it should be. She would find eternal peace and play with her friends again. She opened her heart to this end and smiled softly, giving herself freely to the final rest that awaited her.
Her eyes opened, expecting eternity but finding … herself. Inside the appliance was the flat haired menace that she had recently struggled to conquer. Her coat shimmered with ice, but her eyes flared brilliantly like blue flames. Her slightly darker pink hair fell around her face, but not enough to hide the savage grin that tore a line across her features like the shredded maw of a paper doll. The lipless tear of frozen shards that was her mouth didn’t frighten Pinkie, but seemed natural, like the other side of a coin. Pinkie could see hatred and insanity in that face, the promise of untold terror burning inside those eyes.
Pinkie was so tired; she wouldn’t last long. It had taken everything to get here and she couldn’t shut the door. This was what she must have been searching for. Gingerly, she reached towards the icy version of herself. She needed rest and this cold creature granted it to her. She heard cracking as the thing broke its icy restraints and reached down to her. Its forelegs were warm despite the frozen layer around it and it pulled her in close, its breath savagely hot and inviting.
“Sleep … Pinkamena will make it better. Sleep, my dear.”
As Pinkie felt what little energy she had pour from her body, the darkness was forgotten and only the iciness of this strange version of herself could be felt. It was peaceful at last for Pinkie Pie. She felt herself dissolving into nothingness, blissful nothingness, where the parties lasted forever and all of her friends were good and whole again. She smiled softly and welcomed her eternal reward—the end to her tormented journey.
***
Pinkamena’s eyes snapped open, unable to focus on her surroundings as if they hadn’t been used in a long while. Her body hurt terribly, swathes of her form felt as if they were on fire and the whole right side of her face seemed to tear and split when she turned her head and grimaced. She coughed and gagged on something stuck down her throat. She immediately recalled that JackSlap was trying to rape her and swung her foreleg before her face, thinking her obstruction was his stallionhood. She would make him pay for knocking her unconscious and taking advantage of her. Her leg screamed as the needles feeding into her veins tore out of her body as she swung. The endotracheal tube was pulled from her airway as her hoof caught it, tearing the taped hose from her mouth, to send it crashing to the floor. Immediately the machines that kept tap on her vital signs began screaming as their associated functions disappeared.
The sound of blaring alarms poured into Pinkamena’s ears and she coughed in response to the soreness of her windpipe from where the automated breathing tube had rested. Her eyes seemed to regain functionality and she realized that she was in a hospital bed. Her body ached and spider webbed anguish from the terrible burns that marred her form. Many patches of melted, plastic-looking flesh cracked and bled where soft pink fur used to grow. She didn’t have time for that now; she realized that JackSlap was nowhere near her and the events of her last waking moments played through her brain.
Applejack had done this to her. Applejack had murdered Fluttershy and burned Sugar Cube Corner. They had tried to kill her as well, but failed. She should have gone for a gun, shot them all dead and then boarded the train to Canterlot with Fluttershy. Why did she try to be a friend to that evil drug lord? She had allowed them to hurt her. She had allowed them to … kill Fluttershy, the gentlest pony and best friend she had ever known. They had beaten her and burned her alive. The fate from which she had once saved Shy had come to pass, this time not at the hooves of a street gang, but ponies that they had once loved.
“It’s too late for me. You have to get out Pinkie! Please!” The last words Fluttershy would ever speak burrowed into Pinkamena’s brain. She let out a scream, tears flushing from her eyes in streaks. Fluttershy was gone, their lives together were gone, and all happiness was gone … Why was she alive? Why did she still draw breath in this mutilated body? Anypony should have died from what she went through. The massive breaking of skin, the sickening pain of the bullet wound, and the uncomfortable feel of the machines that were still stuck inside of her body racked her frame with agony. Every movement tore new lines across her barren and molten flesh, forming a tapestry of torment across the marred remains of Pinkamena’s body. The pink pony howled, pain and sorrow escaping through her throat, shredding the soft tissue as it tore from the prison of her body.
Her mind filled with unpleasant thoughts, anger, and the anguish of her ripping body. This was why she was alive—punishment. Instead of simply going to the next world, Pinkamena was trapped in her old life to experience the horror of her mangled body. For all of the evil deeds she had done, she would atone through searing flesh and eternal guilt.
No, it wasn’t. A hard expression suddenly silenced her aching moans as Pinkamena understood her purpose. She should have died. Nopony should have survived the fire. Something had kept her alive. Revenge. The sweet thought killed the pain that swept her body and allowed her to think clearly. Her life was over, but not finished. She still had something to do—kill Applejack and her family. Pinkamena had tried to have a normal life again, letting happiness and parties fill her mind. Fluttershy had brought her from the pit of her despair, but for what? For Applejack to kill her dreams and her friend? No, she couldn’t allow this to be the end. Applejack was the cause of all of Ponyville’s distress. She had single hoofedly destroyed the happiness of Ponyville—her and her stupid pride. She could have asked for help; her friends would have come to her rescue, but she had stubbornly sought out the seeds of destruction and sown them. Pinkamena could see the events that led Ponyville to corruption clearly and they began with Applejack. For her beloved home, her foster family, and all of her friends that had left, died, or become addicts, the blame lay on Applejack’s stern shoulders. Her best friend Flutters had been the only pony able to resist the new Ponyville and Applejack had come and extinguished the only light in the darkness. Pinkamena knew why she still drew breath, why her body had continued to live despite its massive injuries—to end the corruption, to bring some modicum of justice back to Ponyville, to kill Applejack.
The idea caught like wildfire in her imagination and images of the suffering she would inflict on Applejack flooded her mind, drowning the pain. Within the span of only a few seconds, she had witnessed hundreds of glorious visions of carnage and vengeance. The alarm’s high-pitched shriek snapped her from her reverie. Her expression contorted into disdain and she quickly snapped her foreleg out to crash the squawking machine to the floor. Its shriek fell silent and she paused for a moment, her ears perking and turning for the sounds of approaching hooves. Nothing. She didn’t know how long her thoughts had kept her occupied and deaf to the blaring alarm, but apparently, it hadn’t been long enough to attract any attention.
Feeling safe, she took a moment to look down her body and gauge her situation. She was skinnier than she had been, being fed through a tube in her foreleg probably didn’t compare to munching on the sweet confections she had been creating. Much of the fur on her legs, abdomen, and chest was missing, replaced with the plastic-like sheen of pink and brown third degree burns, many of which had split and dribbled crimson droplets down to the sterile sheets of her bed. From her lower legs stuck several tubes delivering medication, but the main thing she focused on was the fecal matter tube that ran from inside of her rump to a bag on the side of the bed. She could see the dark material inside of the semi opaque tube and scrunched her nose at it. Slight movements caused her stomach to turn from the discomfort of the device. It felt as if it were deep inside of her. Almost lost in the discolored flesh was the puckered scar from where Big Mac’s heavy bullet had entered her tummy. Most disconcerting was the burn scarring where her cutie mark should have been. For a moment, the pink pony mourned the loss of her balloons that symbolized her talent, but only for a moment. Pinkamena knew the party was over. Pain rotated through her body, but that was something she could grit her teeth through and endure. There was a lot to do before she could let herself rest again.
Pinkamena sat up, her weak body responding slowly to the call of her will. She fell back into the bed twice before forcing herself up to a sitting position while tears formed in her eyes from the painful injuries she had sustained. She breathed deeply, rapidly taking in air and preparing herself for the next step. She needed to escape the hospital and find some shelter so she could plan her course of action, but first she had to get out of this bed.
Pinkamena moved her hips and nearly wretched at the sickening feeling of the tube inside of her. A scowl crossed her face and she pulled herself towards the head of the bed, it felt as if her intestines were abandoning her abdomen as the tube slid partially out of her rectum. She coughed up a mouthful of bile, the only thing in her sadly deflated stomach, and shook violently from the strain. The feeling was disgusting and she wanted to be finished with it. Once again, she pulled with her forelegs, this time getting her back legs underneath her enough to push with them. She felt another wave of nausea take her as she freed herself from the despicable instrument. She felt sore and sick as she sat and gained her center. She didn’t have time to waste. She wasn’t sure how long she had been kept alive by the machines, but it must have been a good deal of time for her body to feel so pathetic and weak.
A snarl crossed her lips, the right side of her face exploding in searing agony as the scar tissue ripped in erratic patterns. She had had enough of feeling weak. She growled and let her thoughts take hold in her body. Anger was filling her heart and images of Applejack’s grinning face clouded her mind. She would regret what she had done. Yes … yes she would. She had fucked up. She should have been sure to finish Pinkie off. Pinkie had been soft and tender, but underneath was Pinkamena, the dark heart where Pinkie hid her fears, pain, and shame. Pinkamena had come forth to help the gentler Pinkie survive in the cold version of Ponyville, but Fluttershy had softened her and pushed her back inside. Inside of Pinkie she still lived, feeding off the rage and sadness. Pinkie had died in the fire, but Pinkamena had stirred and taken the dying body back. She wouldn’t let herself die, not until she had her revenge. Pinkamena was back.
“I’ll kill you, Applejack … I fucking promise it. I will … kill you!” Her voice came out rough like a coffee can full of nails being shaken. Pinkamena swung her legs over the side of the bed and rolled off. Her hooves met the floor with a clack and her legs wobbled as if they could not bear the strain, but Pinkamena didn’t come back from the dead to fail in her quest this early. She forced her legs to stiffen and hold her weight. She took a small step and grimaced from the stiffness of her body. Her joints cracked and rebelled against the sudden use after such a long period of rest. Pinkamena was certain her body would quickly become used to movement again and she wasn’t about to go easy on it any longer.
The mauled pink and scarred pony examined the room. She didn’t have time for any questioning or rehabilitation the doctors would want her to undertake. She needed to leave and find Golden Harvest. Harvest would help her. If she knew what was good for her, she would definitely help. Pinkamena couldn’t take the chance of simply walking out the front door, however. In her state, it would be easy to spot her as a patient. She hauled herself to the lone window of the room and looked out, a grin playing across her lips. She was on the second floor with bushes directly underneath. It would be an easy landing. It was early into the night and that would give her plenty of darkness to cover her as she made her way from the hospital. Her hooves tried the window, but it would not budge. Cursing her weakness, she slammed her hoof down with a ferocious snap of her foreleg. She realized that it wasn’t her strength, but a lock that kept her from freedom. She grumbled and turned her back to the window, eyes searching for something that would shatter it.
Pinkamena found an object that would break the pane of glass and was moving to collect it when she heard the undeniable sound of hoofsteps at her door. Her eyes went wide and, as she looked from the bed to the door, knew she couldn’t be discovered awake. She grinned to herself as an idea came into her head, nuzzling gently into the images of hatred and suffering gathering therein.
***
Nurse Stable Heart enjoyed her job thoroughly. She helped sick and injured ponies become well again and seeing their bright smiles when they were released to return home made her heart swell with pride. She loved to see her patients walk out of the hospital and back into their lives. Her shift was only half finished but the pink mare was beaming with joy tonight, bouncing from room to room, her blonde mane surrounding her soft features in brilliant curls. She had released a colt who had come down with a severe case of pneighmonia. She thought about how he would be running with his friends again in a day or two and she couldn’t help but bounce happily. Most of her patients were recovering with almost unnatural speed and she felt so good.
Stable paused at the nurse’s desk to check some charts. She looked up at the nurse behind the desk with her large, bright eyes and beamed at her friend. “Good evening, Tickle Light. How are you tonight?”
Tickle was a teal pony with a sea blue mane. She smirked at Stable Heart and returned a smile, which was not nearly as perfect as Stable’s but nice enough. They were friends and Tickle was glad she was working tonight. Most of the nurses were pleasant, but Stable made everything so much better with her bubbly personality. “I’m fine, Stabes. Are we still set for the movie house this Saturday?”
“Miss a chance to see ‘Sleepless in Seaddle’ with my best friend? Not a chance in the world! We can go over to the Gingerbread House for a snack before we go to the movie and stay up late afterward. We’ll have so much fun!”
Tickle chuckled to herself, envisioning the fun they would have in only a few days. She had desperately wanted to see "Sleepless in Seaddle" but had been too busy the last few weeks to find the time. It was worth it, though, because now she would get to see it with Stable and they could really make an evening out of it. “I’ll make sure to save some calories for some of those marmalade cinnamon cookies they make. How’re the rounds going?”
If Stable’s smile wasn’t already stretched to the limit it would have grown until it separated her whole head. “Wonderful! Spin Shift went home today and old Mr. Wheat is doing so much better today.”
“Great. Seems like a pretty good evening to work. Let’s grab lunch soon. How does that sound? I hear the cafeteria has a new recipe for garden salad sandwiches.”
“Sure. I just need to check on Jane Mare first.” A sudden look came over Stable; much of the light left her large eyes and she seemed somewhat wistful. She dreaded checking on Jane Mare, the name they had given the poor mare that had been found outside of the emergency room a month before. Stable had been one of the nurses to find her and had since done much to keep the marred mare as comfortable as possible, but even Stable wasn’t sure if she wanted the pink pony to regain consciousness. She was a mess and couldn’t live a normal life again. She tried not to think about what the poor thing’s life would be like—stares, gawks, constant physical pain, and emotional distancing. Jane was in a deep coma and most likely wouldn’t recover and Stable, as much as she hated to think it, hoped it stayed that way.
Tickle grimaced and nodded gingerly. “Hey, I could check on her for you. You’re having such a good day, there’s no need to ruin it now. I’ve gotten used to how Jane looks and I don’t mind, really.” Tickle knew how Jane’s predicament always brought Stable Heart’s emotions down. She stood from her chair and reached to collect the files on Jane Mare.
Stable pulled the files close and shook her head softly, the beginnings of a new smile tugging at her lips. “I can do this. You don’t have to. I need to stop letting Jane bother me so much. It’s just so … horrible. That poor thing must have gone through a lot. I’m more afraid of seeing her awake than hearing the life support machines sound off.”
Tickle nodded somberly, agreeing with her friend but not wanting to vocalize it. “I’d keep that under your lid, Stable, but yeah … you’re sure you w ant to do it?”
“I’ve seen a lot, Tix. I’ve been here for six years now and I’ve lost patients before. This one is just … different, but I need to get over this. Thanks, though. Lunch in an hour.” Stable turned from her friend and walked towards the east wing, where Jane Mare occupied room 219, the last room in the wing.
Stable heart braced herself, reminding herself that if she had seen severed legs, the deathly ill, and more gallons of blood than she could count, she could face a comatose burned mare. Her hooves clacked loudly against the tiled floor of the east wing and she flipped through the files of Jane Mare out of habit, already knowing what they said from the last dozen or so times she had done it. She paused at the door, rifling through the files as a distraction, buying herself another moment or two to gather her thoughts and prepare the emotional wall to face the mangled mare.
Stable opened the door slowly, eyes still searching the files as she walked inside the room. The door was on a mechanism that slowed its closing speed so that it didn’t make a loud slamming noise. She stepped towards the bed, her knowledge of the room’s layout guiding her steps when her foreleg skidded forward suddenly. She caught herself easily but the surprise pulled her eyes from the files. Blood … she gasped and realized that she had stepped into a small puddle of blood. She recognized several more tiny circular splotches scattered across the floor as blood as well. She didn’t know what to think for a moment, she didn’t know what could have caused it. Her mind quickly kicked into gear and she snapped her gaze up to the bed. It was empty and many more bright red splotches decorated the sheets and blanket. The fecal tube was lying at the bottom of the bed in a fetid black and brown pool that stank of old blood and filth. Her heart jumped and she nearly screamed. Someone had taken Jane Mare! A comatose patient had been pony-napped from her hospital room! Stable heart brought her hooves up to her mouth and shook her head at the sickening thought. She didn’t notice that behind her the closing door revealed a pink and toasted pony with a frightening slash where a grin should be.
Stable almost got the shriek out as Pinkamena’s hooves wrapped her throat from behind, cutting off the airflow and halting the impending cry for help. Her throat burned from the elbow choking off her oxygen. Stable kicked and thrashed at the attacker, her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she panicked. The weight of the pony forced Stable to stumble back and into the wall, hitting hard enough to shake a dry erase chart of caretakers to fall upon them. She heard the rough growl as her attacker tightened her grip around Stable’s neck. She had hoped the impact with the wall would have persuaded the pony to loosen her grip.
Tears began to form in the mare’s eyes and she frantically tried to suck air into her lungs, but the elbow crooked around her throat was too tight and she simply gaped her mouth futilely. Her field of vision began to gain a cloudy blackness around the edges and she understood that she would soon fall unconscious. She didn’t know what was going on but she couldn’t just allow herself to die. Taking as much energy as she could muster, Stable kicked with her back legs and fell forward in an attempt to flip her persecutor off of her back. She only made it easier for her.
Stable’s efforts to escape slowly quieted as Pinkamena lay on top of her victim, elbow locked tightly around her neck. A sick grin spread across Pinkamena’s tarnished visage like a disease. In her head were images of Applejack slowly choking to death beneath her, so much in fact that she could see the orange coat, the blonde mane, and the tell-tale Stetson hat lying off kilter on the tiled floor. “You … deserve this. How does … it feel, A.J.? How does it feel … to die?” Her voice dripped with enjoyment and sin, venomously dripping saliva onto the back of Applejack’s—Stable’s—head. Pinkamena held tightly onto her nemesis’ neck, her weak body bolstered with bloodlust and hate. She snarled at her victim and planted her hooves onto the tile, jerking her victim up by the neck. “Not yet … not yet, AJ. I won’t let you get off so easily.”
Stable Heart barely understood what her attacker was saying and very little of what she caught made sense. Her vision was nearly entirely black and her senses were failing, rendering her ability to struggle useless. The intense pressure finally retracted from her throat and a quick breath of air refreshed some of her receding awareness. She was dimly aware of being held up, she could see the window and the night sky outside, tiny silvery stars glittering like diamonds. She smiled weakly, always loving the night’s beauty and he way it danced and shimmered in an endless canvas of blues and black. Suddenly, the window appeared larger and she could hear the sound of hooves. Was she going outside to see the starry night? She could use the moment to calm herself. She felt uneasy for some reason that she couldn’t quite remember and, even though her neck ached and the night seemed to grow in her vision, she welcomed the gentle beauty of the darkness.
With a loud crash Pinkamena slammed her adversary through the window pane, sending many shards of glass skittering into the bushes below, but equally as many slashing into the flesh of Applejack. It wasn't enough; it would never be enough. Her fevered mind beckoned her forelegs to rake Applejack’s face across the razor-like shards of glass that remained in the window frame. She giggled madly as she did so, streams of hot red blood pouring down the wall to begin pooling on the ivory tile below. Pinkamena broke into full laughter and closed her eyes, raising her head up in victory. “Fucking … got you. I fucking got you! DIE! DIE APPLEJACK! I fucking …”
Pinkamena’s fever broke as she stared down at the unknown pink pony with a blonde mane in her hooves. Torn scraps of skin hung loosely from her lacerated skull and there was so much blood covering the floor, wall, and herself that she dropped the body of what must have been her nurse to land in a pile on the blood slick floor. She shook her head and ran her hooves through her mane, what mane still remained. It hadn’t been Applejack. Damn it! She didn’t recognize the nurse, which meant she must not be in Ponyville’s hospital. Quickly she flipped the body onto its back and saw a name badge that read "Stable Heart, Registered Nurse, Hoofington Community Hospital."
Hoofington. She was in Hoofington. Ponyville wouldn’t be terribly far from here. It would take her most of the night to get back. She looked at the gashed and shredded face of Stable Heart and smirked to herself. “Sorry. Thought you were somepony else. No hard feelings, right?” She knew the nurse would be dead within a few moments and that she couldn’t hear her words, but she didn’t care. Her road to Applejack was going to be strewn with corpses and this nurse was just the first of a very big pile.
The blood covered pink and burnt pony climbed through the window, falling to a rough landing in the bushes below her second story hospital room. She counted herself lucky that nothing had broken and trotted quickly away from the hospital and in the general direction of Ponyville, following a river she knew would lead her to the Everfree forest.
***
Sweetie Belle ran through the barren fields of Sweet Apple Acres, her thoughts cracking like a whip behind her. How could she have such sinister thoughts towards Apple Bloom, her closest friend? Had she really thought about what it would feel like to strike Apple Bloom? She knew she had. She had not only thought about it, but enjoyed thinking about it. She had wanted to do it. She wanted to see Apple Bloom’s cute little face bruised and bloody. She wanted to see the hurt in her orange eyes while Sweetie stood over her. Something was terribly wrong with Sweetie Belle and she knew it; tears fell down her white cheeks. She wasn’t really THAT bad was she? What was she becoming?
Sweetie breathed hard, her body taxed from the long run as she entered the field that separated her secret place from the forest around Sweet Apple Acres. Her lungs burned and her legs ached so bad that she slowed her pace, attempting to catch her breath while her little heart rapidly beat in her chest so hard that she thought she might pass out. After a few moments her filly body restored itself and she looked around the field, checking for unwanted visitors. She needed to be alone; she couldn’t risk giving away her secret place, her only location of hidden sanctity, her flowers hidden in the dead forest by the river.
She had discovered them after an incident with Scootaloo long ago. She had been amazed that anything was growing in the poisoned lands of Sweet Apple Acres and had taken great lengths to prevent their discovery by anypony else, afraid for their safety. To Sweetie, the flowers were a symbol of herself, a mirror into her soul. They were both beautiful things growing in a hostile environment, struggling to survive in the cold, dead soil of their homes. When she gazed upon them, she felt hope for the future and tranquility that nopony she knew could bestow. Mentally, she needed a break from the atrocities she had recently undertaken and emotionally she needed some sort of peace before she lost herself to the darkness that had nearly taken her heart.
The small unicorn stepped lightly across the dirt and scrub field. The last time she had come to see her flowers she had discovered Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo training to fly instead. She scowled unknowingly as she thought of that pair—Rainbow Dash, the addict wonder, taking Scootaloo under her wing and cleaning herself up. What a loser. Sweetie knew she couldn’t resist Sweets. What a pathetic mare. She deserved to be dead. A small smile opened across her lips as she thought about Scootaloo discovering her hero cold and dead on the floor. Scootaloo—tricking her had been so much fun. The fool, emotionally distraught from the loss of her mentor, had played right into Sweetie’s plan and had been shown her parents dismembered flesh adorning ponnequin heads in Applejack’s trophy room.
Sweetie Belle shivered from the sick enjoyment at the thought of Scootaloo’s twisted face. She had found it difficult to stop laughing and had basked in the moment for a long while. It had gone beautifully, but she found herself still wanting to hurt Scootaloo more. She probably wouldn’t get the chance now. Who knows where that ugly cretin had flown off to.
Sweetie caught herself thinking so vulgarly and looked down to the rotten soil beneath her; it was pale and dead in the morning sun and she sighed. Thoughts like that were what were causing her to feel and act so strangely. She chastised herself but, truthfully, felt no regret in what she had done to Scootaloo. All of her thoughts had come from real satisfaction and it scared her. Was she going to be like Applejack someday? Spike’s death had rattled her to the core and she had felt cracked and dismembered by her part in it, but now, she realized, she no longer felt the great weight that had dragged her conscience into the bowels of fear and sadness. The only pangs of guilt she could still feel were from the knowledge that she had aided in killing Twilight, her mentor’s, best friend. Twilight was a good pony and shouldn’t be at Sweet Apple Acres where Applejack had forced her to become an Apple and murder her friends. She definitely didn’t deserve to have her friend murdered by her apprentice. Sweetie sighed softly and supposed that it was better if Twilight thought Spike was back home in Canterlot. Still, looking Twilight in the eye had been difficult since then.
The filly’s thoughts distracted her as she began the first few steps out of the field and into the forest by the river where skeleton trees stood in grim imitations of living ones. She gently slid down a hill that obstructed her view of the field and made her way towards the small rock formation where her flowers lived.
Sweetie didn’t want to be like Applejack. Applejack had once been a sweet and caring pony, but she was a violent and heartless monster now. Sweetie felt a cold pit in her stomach as she saw her first steps down the road Applejack had trodden and she was hit by a sudden fit of sobs. She didn’t want to be an evil pony like Applejack. She wanted to be good. She wanted Rarity to be proud of her, Twilight to love her, and if her parents were looking down on her, for them to smile and be happy with her choices. If any of them knew the terrible things she had done they would hate her.
Sweetie’s blood-colored eye hurt and she paused to rub it with the soft fur behind her hoof. She breathed deeply and pushed her thoughts from her mind. Her flowers were just ahead and she would feel better soon. They would heal her broken spirit and repair the hate in her heart. They would assure her that she was still a good pony and that she wouldn’t become a monster like Applejack. Her tiny legs picked up the pace as the need to see her flowers swept her consciousness and she hurried to the only thing she felt could redeem her conflicted soul.
As Sweetie came upon the rock formation and looked into her secret place, her heart broke. The darkness that gnawed at the fringes of her innocence and warped her heart would continue to dissolve her sanity. Her hopes shattered as she looked into the circular hiding spot. All of her precious flowers lay brown, rotten, and dead.
Stats
Page generated in 0.047 seconds
Total duration
816 users online
850,954 hits today, 2,571,732 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnndddddddddddddddddddd we're BACK! After the long time between real chapters Pinkamenace has come back with a few new moves in it's repetoire. I hope you all enjoy the beginning to the new segment. We get to see how far gone some of the characters have become and to quote Demolition Man "send a maniac to catch one."
Thanks for reading everyone. I appreciate you all so much!
Oh, i totally had someone wanting to turn this into a Reading on Youtube but it fell through... I'm still keeping up conversations and maybe we wills ee this become a reading. A very long reading. If it happens I'll post it!
1. The bit with Pinkie awakening reminded me of this. Idk, I think it's pretty funny but I have a weird sense of humor.
2. Aj is long over due for an ass kicking, her and her "family" both.
They've messed with everyone in Ponyville for too long.
As long as they keep at it, there will always be more Pinkamena's (other ponies hell bent on revenge).
cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/23604504.jpg
SHE'S ALIVE <3333 Thanks for new update! Was looking forward to it. I've been going through a rough time and when I got the email alert for the last update, it really made me smile, really smile, for the first time in a while. Thank you again.
the text wall has RETURNED!!!!!!
you should probably take that down.
Whoa, I didn't expect Pinkie to survive, but this is a pretty awesome development. Congratulations, AJ and Jackie, you now have a single-minded pink ball of rage and hate that wants to see you personally eviscerated. Good luck with that.
1990346
Nope, sorry. Pinkie's return has been scripted since chapter 2. We're actually at a fun place now because everything that I had planned (except the ending) is now written. I'm trying to come up with some ideas for this last segment. I have a few, but we'll have to see what happens.
Also, I think the next long story I write is going to be about zombies. I have a few ideas but the type, infection, weak spots, sweet breads, and a few other ideas are swishing around. On one hand I think the traditional Romero zombies are perfect for a long story but I'd like to do something a little different, so how to do that and not make the story retarded? Also, like Romero films, the zombies are only going to be there to show how the characters interact with one another under crisis. Societal upheaval and all that fun stuff. I do have some ideas, but I'm not commited to any of them yet.
Awesome chapter.
I love distinct styles of narration for different characters.
I'm somewhat surprised that Twi decided to not cut losses and run to Canterlot screaming "I'm murderer, punish me." (ok, she's quite broken now to ).
However it's strange that Celestia is not yet worried about lack of letters from her student: they had no contact for more than month (time of Pinkie's coma + I-forgot-already-when-they-sent-letter-last-time-but-it-was-before-spike's-death-right?).
I really didn't expect appearance of Twijack and ability of Pinkamina to walk(let alone choke) after coma,
I am caught up now. I'm sad there's not more ready for me to read, but I can live with that.
Highlight so far for me was Spike's final scene. Gave me goosebumps. I love that feeling.
You asked me if I was rooting for anyone. Right now it's Pinkamina. Hope she burns Ponyville to the ground.
2205228
Lol. Your commentary is wonderful. Thank you for reading. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I like their weird little relationship. AJ is so afraid to admit what she wants and Dash is just confused. It's fun. There's plenty of good stuff ahead. I am going to start writing the next chapter soon. it's my next project. i've actually been skimming hthe chapters you have read and it's crazy how my writing has improved. At least in some ways. In others I think this much more blunt approach is better, althought it has some weird sentence structures and descriptions.
2205353
Scoots and Sweetie didn't get interrupted this time. I felt bad for Sweetie there. She may have deserved it, but she was sort of helpless.
I liek Spike's nature in this. Twi is naive, extremely naive and Spike is basically her guardian. He loves her so much and wants to protect her the best he can. You probably noticed that everything that Twi explains away Spike sees for what it really is. He just wants to get her back to Canterlot and out of this place that makes him feel strange.
JackSlap. I love him. He's so good at being terrible. I like how he spiked the punch and then planned on picking up one of AJ's cousins when she was drunk. What a cad. A real slimeball, but that's why I love him. He's such a good bad guy.
1987507>>1987663>>1987837>>1988064>>1990346>>1996285>>2056096
HEI GUISE!
Psychiatric Disorders Among Burn Patients
2208979
sup.
2208979 What's your point? That Pinkie got burned and is now a psycho? I think we gathered that already.
2209100 Nooo~
S'not that.
(I'm drunk and I sent this to jmj.
)
220910424.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lr4k6001Jn1r0z1wao1_400.gif
2209119
2211571>>2211571hope the next chapter hasn't frightened you off. Things are sort of looking dismal for them again. Bloom's birhday party has been the height of their friendship up to that point. Poor spike. I agree. He just wantted to help twilight and she didn't believe him. Now look what happened to him.
2316441
Lol. now you see why I thought you had dropped out. You were on the precipace of disaster and had no idea. As if you were standing on the edge of a cliff looking down, without knowing that the ground beneath was hollow. SO we know Rainbow Dash is dead. There are many possibilities for her demise. THe sweet were strange to her. They didn't feel right, were they stronger than normal? Did her months of being clean just remove the feeling sh had grown accustomed to? Were they laced with something diabolical? Who would have done it if they were? Did Applejack leave them for her, a final goodbye to her lover, did Big Mac, angere with the lesbimare, leave them for her? Did JackSlap decide to off her for his boss? Maybe Scootaloo did it? Maybe she just offed herself. (In the original concept, she actually hangs herself in the cellar but that was before I thought up the Scoots storyline with her) Would she kill herself now? With Scootaloo so ready to begin a new life together? Maybe someday we'll find out.
Your ideas are very good and I can easily see how that scenario would have went down with Dash turning on AJ to help Pinkie and Shy, or at least warn them, but then the story would have ended far too quickly. The next chapter really begins setting up the final segment of the story. There's stilla ways to go, but you will be coming into the final segment soon. Battle lines are being drawn and something major is going to have to go down.
And the whole RD/AJ getting together was a decoy. It was planned to give hope to the reader. The whole second segment is designed that way. The hope for a peaceful resolution dies with Spike. Maybe there will still be a happy ending. (I plan on writing one alternate ending as well) so keep reading and maybe something nice will happen.
As always, I appreciate your reading and I actually love the text wall.
2209119 How were you able to get that image onto your comment?
How many segments will this story have? It's nine, right?
Will this story have a happy ending?
...You should be careful. You don't want to create any Darkness Induced Audience Apathy. It will NEVER end well. EVER.
2568086
I doubt your going to run into that. Everything happens for a reason building up to a few key events.
There are 3 main segments. Each one has between 7-10 chapters, although the last may have more as I am discovering that it is necessary to break the chapters apart instead of having so much happen all at once and making the story feel rushed.
I am currently working on the newest chapter and I plan on finishing this story, but I must admit; I am growing tired of ponies and have begun looking elsewhere. There are stilla few i want to write, but the excitement is diminishing and the frivolous and pointless nature of these stories is becoming all to clear with each passing day. I expect to finish Pinkamenace and perhaps write a couple more stories (oneshots) before I am finished completely, but the fun of writing pony stories is fading and unless something comes back to rekindle that energy, I believe the end is coming.
Thank you for reading. I hope you continue to enjoy the story and I invite you to continue to comment. I don't care about favorites anymore, I care about what people think. I'm not sure which chapter you are in at the moment, but please feel free to explain everything you are thinking if you feel like it. And once again, I assure you, there is nothing going on in the story that is dark for dark's sake. Everything has a reason. Everything has a place. It's a matter of seeing ahead or behind. At some point you will realize why things are happening.
Once again, thank you for reading.
P.S.- As for happy endings. That's in the eye of the beholder, I believe. One character's happy ending is another's nightmare. I will write an ending and an alternate ending, but the alternate is not the official one. You'll just have to wait and see what happens. I will admit that there are two characters whose fates are intertwined and uncertain. Sometimes I believe they should end one way and others another. Until i get to that final confrontation, I don't know which way they will go.
This story is a roller-coaster to say the least. Just when you think there's light at the end of the tunnel, disaster strikes. It's vile, and I've loved every second of it. lol I hope the next chapter comes out soon.
2575600 Hello, good sir. I am glad to see you came across this story. I believe you had already devoured my shorter fiction and this is by far my favorite. I began with this one and I think it is the best of all of my own works. I regret the writing of some of the earlier chapters; I simply had no idea what I was doing and had eight years or so of rust to shake off. If you don't mind me asking, who are you rooting for? I've been told by some that they like this story because you can really pick who you want to win. All of the characters are flawed, but flawed to the point you still care about them despite the evils they have become. AJ is definitely the antagonist of the story. She's lost in her own pride and fear, but she's still a character I greatly enjoy. Nobody is on her side, however. Which is fair, she is supposed to be the bad guy. But, look at Pinkie; she's just as evil. She does the same things AJ does, to some extent.
Sweetie and Scoots is the main source of arguments. A few really like Sweetie Belle, but most are Scootaloo pro.
And JackSlap is one of my favorites. Expect a chapter about him sometime.
I amw orking on the next chapter, but it may take some time to finish it. I've been stuck on it because so much needs to happen in such a limited time. I've decided to let it unfold naturally however and said "screw the length". I had thought this last segment would be 7 chapters but I don't see that as a possibility.
2575985 I was on Applejack's side in like the first half of the story, but killing Spike and betraying Rainbow Dash made me hate her. She's just a bigot and a hypocrite; bad things in themselves, but horrible when combined. Pinkie Pie is practically angelic in comparison, and never back-stabbed anybody, so I'm rooting for her. I'm kind of mixed on Twilight. She's my favorite character on the show, since I have a similar personality to her, but I don't like how she refused to listen to Spike. Spike was definitely the least flawed character, and the only one able to see things for what they were, so he was probably my favorite. As for Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, I can understand both sides, so I don't really have a stake in how things turn out.
And here I hoped for a happy ending...
2847910
There's always a chance. Always. Is it likely? No. But then again, if it was going to happen, why would I tell you now and ruin it? Thanks for reading. I'm cooking up some new stories. I'm gonna get the 'You said you were gone for good." treatment, but sometimes you just need a little break.
2849175 Unless necromancy is involved, probably not...
I can't wait to see what you've thought up during your break and pull out a champagne to celebrate you're not gone forever!