Dreams & Nightmares

by TheUnknownPerson

II: Sadness

Author's Note:

Ello once again. Before you read this, I have some bad news(or good news depending on who you ask) for you. I'm going to be unable to update this story from this Thursday to next Tuesday because of some things going on in my personal life that has no business being here. I'll try to squeeze another chapter before I leave, but I can't make any promises. With that said, I hope you enjoy this one.

"Did it work?"

Pinkamena slowly opened her eyes, looking downward to make sure nothing had happened to her lower extremities. Thankfully, everything was where it should have been. She raised her head, an innumerable amount of butterflies beginning to form in the pit of her stomach. With an anxious breath, she turned to look at her back. Her jaw dropped in disbelief.

"It worked...?" She opened her right wing, then her left. A small smile crept onto Pinkamena's face.

"It really worked!" Pinkamena called out as she turned to Pinkie and began to gallop to her. Tears of joy pooled in her eyes.

"It did..." Pinkie began to pull her head back inside the cell, fearful of what Pinkamena would do to her. However, before she could, Pinkamena grabbed her head, pulling her in for a tight hug. "I can fly again!" she laughed jovially.

"Uh... Pinkamena?" Pinkie question, sitting there with a confused frown. I never thought I'd see her like this...

"I've got my wings back!" Pinkamena squeezed her firmly.

"I'm really happy for you." Pinkie said. She was still confused, unfamiliar with what to do. "Could you let me go? I'm having a hard time breathing."

"Oh, right." She quickly released her, turning away from her. "I need someone to watch me fly anyways."

Pinkie's prison suddenly disappeared, causing her to fall snout first into the ground below. She groaned, lifting a hoof to rub her nose. "Coulda warned me."

"Whatever, get comfortable. Oh, and just to make sure you don't go anywhere..."

A ball and chain materialized around Pinkie's hoof. She tried to lift it, but the ball was too heavy. How much does this thing weigh?!

"Okay... let's see if I can remember..." Pinkamena said as she tried to remember how to fly. It had been years since she had flown last; almost a decade.

"I think I remember. Okay..." Pinkamena quietly said. Pinkie sat down behind her. Pinkamena extended her wings, before backing a few steps away. The excitement and tension in the air were palpable.

"Here we go!" Pinkamena began to sprint towards a small hill in the grassland. She jumped once she reached the peak of the hill, gliding in the air. A smile spread across her face for a moment, before it quickly melted into a frown. She dropped to the ground and shook her head.

"No. Please..." Pinkamena said, sounding almost disappointed. She took another sprint and opened her wings, causing her to rise again. Pinkamena flapped her wings before she passed through a cloud, getting pieces of the water vapor stuck in her mane. But, like last time, she dropped to the ground after a moment. She sighed sadly.

"What's the matter?" Pinkie called to Pinkamena, who was only a few yards away now.

"It doesn't feel the same..." Pinkamena said as she began to trot towards Pinkie, letting her head hang low, almost touching the ground.

"Uh.. well... I-I am sorry." She stumbled over her words.

Oh no...

"I knew it was too good to be true." Pinkamena said sadly as she came within close proximity to Pinkie. The grassland began to become darker; the clear sky above filled with dark storm clouds and the green grass below became wilted.

"Why does this always have to happen to me?!" Pinkamena said. Thunder rumbled in the background.

"Pinkamena, calm down!"

"You shut up! You have no idea what I've been through!" Pinkamena said, anger filling her voice. Pinkie swore she saw a bolt of lightning hit the tree behind them.

"I saw what they did to you. You just need to accept-" "Shut up!" Pinkamena interrupted. Pinkie began to back away, fearful of what she'd do. The ball and chain kept holding her back.

"How dare you tell me to accept it! As if I lost a small bit! I lost two wings! I'll be grounded for the rest of my life!" Pinkamena said as she angrily stomped towards Pinkie. Pinkie felt the ground rumble under her hooves. She tripped over the chain of the ball and chain as Pinkamena came ever closer to her. She reached down and grabbed her throat, holding her against the ground.

"I have felt so much physical and emotional pain because of me losing my wings, and you have the audacity to tell me to accept it?!" Pinkamena said as she squeezed Pinkie's windpipe. Pinkie's heart raced as she began to feel her windpipe closed.

"Pinkamena -ah- I'm sorry! I don't -uh- don't know what you've -ah- been through! You've -agh- been through so much pain, -ugh- I can't even imagine it!" Pinkie managed to squeeze out. PInkamena kept the tight grip on her throat.

"..."

"S-stop!" Pinkie said, nearly out of breath. Pinkamena slammed her head against the ground before she stood up, releasing her throat. Pinkie gasped and cough as she caught her breath.

"Don't you dare tell me that again."

"I-I won't..." Pinkie said as she rubbed her throat. She was surrounded by the same dark prison cell as before, in the same empty room.

===================

Fluttershy sat up in her bed. Today was her last day in the hospital. The nurses and doctors had disconnected all the tubes and wires from her and they had even taken the device off of her wings. She was both excited and scared at the same time. Excited because she'd be able to see her animals again. Scared because she'd be vulnerable to Pinkie again.

I should see if I can still move my wings.

Fluttershy tried to open and close her wings. They were stiff and sore.

"How do they feel?"

"B-better. I'm probably not gonna be able to fly." She hated lying to Rarity, but she didn't want to worry her.

"Wonderful." Rarity smiled. "Now, are you absolutely certain that you don't need me to stay over with you for a few days?"

"No thank you." Fluttershy said as she carefully got up from the bed.

"Do you need me to assist you?" Rarity asked as she trotted over to Fluttershy.

"No... I-I can do it." Fluttershy said as she carefully trotted towards the door. Her hooves were slightly tense, but they didn't hurt as much as her previous attempt at trotting.

"Are you sure, dear? You know I don't mind at all." Rarity said as she trotted beside Fluttershy, making sure she didn't collapse.

"I'm okay, really." Fluttershy said. She didn't want to burden her friend.

"Well, all right... but I'm still going to keep my eye on you." Rarity said as they trotted out into the hallway. Fluttershy's hooves became less tense as she trotted towards the front desk.

I probably need to sign some papers so I can discharge.

Fluttershy trotted up to the counter.

"Um-- h-hello. M-may I leave now, please?" Fluttershy asked the nurse at the front desk timidly.

"Okay... what's your name?"

Fluttershy repeated her name to the nurse.

"Okay... Fluttershy." -The nurse began to look through a small file cabinet under the desk- "Ah! Here we are. Yes, you can discharge. Hold on for a moment. I'll go get the papers and there's some medicine you'll need to take." The nurse said as she went back into the actual office that was behind the front desk. After a few minutes, she came back with the discharge paper and a pen in one hoof and a pill-bottle in the other.

"Okay, sigh on the dotted line at the bottom, fill in the blanks in the paragraphs right there and there, and then bring the papers back here when you get finished. I'll give you the medicine when you come back with the papers." The nurse said as she handed Fluttershy the paper and the pen.

"T-thank you..." Fluttershy said as she went over to a small waiting room. After a few minutes, she and Rarity returned with the discharge paper.

"Here y-you go." Fluttershy said as she sat the paper down on the counter in front of the nurse.

"Thank you." The nurse said as she looked over the paper.

"That should do it. Okay, here's your medicine. You'll need to take it once a day after you have a meal. You're officially discharged. Have a great rest of the day." The nurse said as she put the discharge in a small file. Rarity magically grasped Fluttershy's medicine, holding it for her as they exited.

==================

Pinkamena sat down on the wilted grass. She had been thoroughly disappointed.

"I should have known..." She said as she began to pick out some of the grass. Pinkamena let out a sad sigh. She had been reminded of all those good memories, only to have her hopes of reliving them crushed.

THUMP

Pinkamena looked up at the prison cell.

"Let me out!" Pinkie said as she tried bucking against the bars.

"You aren't getting out Pinkie... I'm already angry, so please just leave me alone."

THUMP

"Pinkie... what did I just say?"

THUMP

Pinkamena let out an annoyed sigh as she got up and trotted towards the cell.

"I said stop." Pinkamena said as she looked at Pinkie through the bars.

"No!" Pinkie said as she bucked against the bars once more.

"Pinkie... I'm trying to keep my cool. I honestly don't even want to deal with you right now, so, stop before you force my hoof." Pinkamena said. Pinkie seemed hesitant for a moment, but bucked at the bars once more. That was the last straw.

"Pinkie!" Pinkamena said angrily. Pinkie stopped as Pinkamena opened up the cell.

"Come here..." Pinkamena said as Pinkie exited the cell. Pinkie didn't move. Pinkamena got up and went over to Pinkie.

A white straitjacket wrapped around Pinkie, restricting the movement in her fore-hooves and the ball and chain reappeared around her right hind-hoof.

"What the-?" A muzzle covered her mouth, keeping her from finishing her sentence.

"I think that this should be enough." Pinkamena said as she picked up Pinkie and flung her back into the cell. She trotted back to her prior spot again and sat down.

"Finally... some peace and quiet." Pinkamena said. Unfortunately, that peace and quiet would be interrupted.

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Pinkamena woke up to knocking on the guest bedroom door.

"Pinkie, ya in here?" Cheese Sandwich called out from behind the door.

Perfect. Now I have to deal with Pinkie two-point-o.

"Yeah! I was just resting in here!" Pinkamena called out with fake enthusiasm.

"Okay! Just checking! It's a bit late, by the way!" Cheese Sandwich called back. Hoofsteps could be heard heading away from the door. Pinkamena got up from the bed and stretched. She went over to the window and looked outside at Celestia's setting sun.

"I'll be out in a few minutes!"

Looks like I slept all day. Perfect. Another crappy addition to the pile of disappointment.

Pinkamena's mane had deflated down while he had slept. She wiped her fore-hooves through her mane, making it as messy as Pinkie's usually was, before trotting out.

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