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Chapter 13,309 words
Chapter 24,313 words

Chapter 1

Fluttershy arrived on the scene to see a red mess of Pinkie Pie’s bakery. She quickly glanced about the room, her eyes finding their focus on one particularly disturbing sight; in the middle of the floor was Pinkie, not even recognizable with all the gashes and blood covering her limp form. She also noticed Rainbow Dash lying in the fetal position against a far wall of the shop, seemingly as far away as she could possibly be from the earth pony. Her fur was also stained dark red in color, but it was obviously not her own blood, it was Pinkie’s. But Fluttershy wasn’t concerned with Rainbow Dash at the moment. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew what had to be done right now. Her attention went to Pinkie, who was losing an enormous amount of blood at a nearly insuppressible rate. Fluttershy took immediate action and grabbed some towels out from under the kitchen sink and pressed them firmly against the four largest of Pinkie’s wounds. As she did this, she realized that Pinkie was still breathing, which was good.

“Rainbow Dash, would you please get help?” Fluttershy said in an atypically assertive voice, not looking up from her work. But all she got was a desperate and crazed mumble from the blue pegasus.

“Gi-giggle at the ghastly… Snortle at the sp-spooky.. He..Hehe!” Rainbow sang maniacally. This sounded oddly familiar to Fluttershy, as if she had heard that tune before. She realized that it was the song that Pinkie sang in the Everfree forest when they were on their way to find the Elements of Harmony.

However, Fluttershy had no idea what Dash was talking about or why she was singing that right now, and for the time being, she didn’t want to. She just wanted her to get up, stop being a fool and get help. “Dash, can you please get up and go get one of the other ponies?” Fluttershy pleaded. But all she got in return was more nonsense, and realizing that Rainbow wasn’t going to be of any help at all, she fixated back to Pinkie. She knew that she needed to stop her blood loss. NOW.

She tied the bloody rags about Pinkie’s body as best she could, and darted upstairs to find something she could use to sew her up, and keep her alive just a bit longer, long enough to get help. She went into Pinkie’s room, yanked open every dresser and closet and cabinet, then into Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s room and did the same, then into the bathroom, and the dining room and then back to the kitchen an-….

I'm in a bakery, She thought. There’s not going to be anything here that can help me...
No. NO. She wasn’t going to give up on saving Pinkie’s life. She opened the window of Pinkie Pie’s room on the top floor and shouted “HEY! Everyone! If you have ANYTHING that you can possibly sew with, bring it in here! NOW, Please!” Everypony looked up at her from the ground with confusion and surprise. “Do you need me to say it again? GO, Please!” She normally wasn’t this rude or blunt, but her friend’s life was in question. Nothing else mattered to her.

As all the ponies within earshot of her shouts went to grab something to assist her, Fluttershy dashed back to Pinkie’s miserable body, horribly disfigured and still oozing red life. The bleeding had slowed, but it wasn’t going to stop entirely until she could stitch Pinkie’s lacerations. She had one very large one on her neck, running from her jaw and around the right side to the base, just above her collarbone. THAT’s the one I need to take care of first, she thought. As she was about to re-adjust the towel to better cover the whole gash, a familiar voice came from behind.

“Fluttershy? Someone told me you needed something to sew with, and I rushed over. What could possibly be so urgent th-… Oh my goodness.” Fluttershy turned and met Rarity’s look of shock with a look of seriousness. “Give them to me, and then go try to calm Dash down. Please, thank you.” Fluttershy said gravely.

Rarity looked about the room, becoming sick to her stomach almost instantly. She gagged and turned to the side, letting out her lunch onto the floor near the entrance of the shop. She was appalled, for she had never seen something so terrible. After convulsing a few times, she caught her breath and walked with a grimace over to an impatient yellow pegasus. “He-here you go...” She held out her sewing bag at arm’s length to Fluttershy like it was a poisonous animal, not wanting to touch her blood-stained fur. Fluttershy about snatched it out of her hand and pulled it open, digging for a needle and some thread, while Rarity walked about the outer edge of the room over to Dash, not wanting to step in the red mess that covered most of the floor. Fluttershy found what she needed quickly and wasted no time. She took the first needle she found and put it between her teeth, bending it into a hook shape. After threading the needle, she pulled away the bloody rags with a wet sound and plunged the needle into the pink flesh at the edge of the largest wound, the one on her neck, and began working her way down. She grimaced as she did so, for she hated this kind of work. It was revolting to watch the needle to go under somepony’s skin. It just looked disgusting. But, this is what she had to do.

Rarity approached Rainbow Dash slowly. She had no idea what was going on, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be near Dash at the moment. She was acting quite creepy, mumbling deranged phrases, and even more disturbing, all the while she had an unsettlingly wide smile on her face.

“Rainbow Dash, a - are you feeling alright? You look absolutely off your rocker, darling.” She extended a hoof to touch the blue pegasus on the shoulder.

Dash lashed out at Rarity and swung at her head with her hoof. “DON’T TOUCH ME!” Dash snarled, scurrying farther away from Rarity and pressing herself against the wall. “I DON’T WANT ANY CUPCAKES! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!.. Just… Just leave me alone.. PLE- NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!!” Rarity was absolutely stunned. She had no clue what could possibly have happened, to Dash OR Pinkie, and she really didn’t want to. She went to touch the crazed Rainbow Dash again, but she struck Rarity in the face and screamed at her to get away, and that she didn't want to hurt her, too. “Ch-chortle at the creepy… Guffaw at t-the ghostly… HahaHa!” Dash began singing again, and retreated further into the corner of where the wall met the floor.

She didn’t want to hurt her, too…

At that moment, Rarity realized that this was far from any accident. The culmination of what had happened here hit her like a ton of bricks; Rainbow Dash had nearly KILLED Pinkie Pie, for whatever reason. This meant Rainbow Dash was incredibly dangerous.

She was a murderer.

With that thought, Rarity turned and galloped past Fluttershy with an “I’m going to go get the others!” She paused briefly and looked at Pinkie Pie. “For the love of Celestia, I hope she’s going to be alright…”

Fluttershy barely acknowledged Rarity as she exited, as her full concentration was on Pinkie Pie. She had completely sewed up the slice on her neck, and had moved on to another, nearly as large one on her right side, just below her front leg. She was about half finished, when it happened.

Pinkie stopped breathing.

Oh no… Oh no no no no NO! This isn’t happening! Fluttershy didn’t know CPR, and she wasn’t sure if anypony did. She had made it this far, she thought maybe Pinkie would live, she thought that she had a chance to see her friend alive and well again. The future wasn’t looking so bright, though. Fluttershy gave up the fight. She put her face in her hooves and did the only thing she had left to do; cry. “It was lovely knowing you Pinkie Pie... You… Were the best friend a pony could have.” She laid her hoof on Pinkie chest and said with a sob, “Goodbye.” As the tears coursed down Fluttershy’s face and neck, a purple hoof came from behind and rested on her shoulder. “You should go, I’ll handle this. There’s not much more you can do” Twilight Sparkle said flatly. Fluttershy turned and met her eyes with a look of hope. Twilight… She’s the smartest pony around! I bet she knows what to do. Knowing that Pinkie Pie’s life was in good hands, she raced out the door of the shop and headed over as fast as she could fly to tell Applejack, the only one who still didn’t know about this whole ordeal.

***

“Rainbow Dash did WHAT now?” Applejack’s jaw dropped to the ground. She looked upon Fluttershy’s blood-stained coat and didn’t know how to react to this news. “Well gosh darnit, I knew ol’ Dashie wasn’t all there in the head lately, she been actin’ stranger than a rattlesnake in a pickle barrel, but THIS?! I just can’t wrap my head ‘round this. You SURE it was Rainbow?”

“Well, I’m not ENTIRELY sure, but, you see, Dash was the only pony around, and, well, she was covered in blood and was lying in the corner and acting very strange when I got there. And she was saying that she didn’t want to hurt Rarity too and to leave her alone. So I think it was, but... I don’t know for sure…” Fluttershy looked down at the ground sheepishly.

“Well consarnit! Is Pinkie Pie alright? I mean, who’d ya leave her with?”

“Oh, I think she’s going to be okay. She’s with Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie stopped breathing, and I was about to give up, then Twilight came in, and I knew that she cou-” Applejack put her hoof over Fluttershy’s mouth. “You’re tellin’ me you left Pinkie in the same room with the girl that about killed her?” Applejack said in surprise.

“Well, you see, uh, we didn’t really get Rainbow Dash out, because she wouldn’t let anypony touch her, because she was acting crazy and saying that she didn’t want us to get hurt so we kinda left her there…” Fluttershy once more looked down onto the ground.

“Alright that’s enough talk” Applejack said and started trotting in the direction of the bakery. “I gotta see this for myself…..”

***

Applejack regretted that statement the moment she arrived on the scene. There was red everywhere; on the floor, on the walls, on Twilight and Rarity and Rainbow Dash, but most of all, on Pinkie’s motionless figure. AJ became sick at the sight, and nearly had to step outside, but thankfully, the wave of nausea passed quickly. By this time, half of Ponyville was gathered around Pinkie’s store, all wanting to get inside, all wanting to ask questions, and all wanting to know if the pink pony everyone knew and loved was going to be okay.

Rarity did her best to keep everyone calm, whilst Twilight tried to reason with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy tended to Pinkie’s wounds and got her ready to be moved. The ponies had decided that it would be best if Pinkie stayed with Fluttershy overnight, since there were no hospitals that were close enough to Ponyville to get an ambulance there until morning (other than Ponyville Urgent Care, but this was little more than a clinic and wasn’t qualified to treat such extensive injuries). AJ had offered to take her, saying that she had plenty of room in her place, but she agreed to the fact that Fluttershy was better at taking care of hurt critters and Pinkie would be better off with her. Applejack didn’t really seem to have anything to do, so she settled on helping Rarity control the crowd.

She walked outside where the mob greeted her with a barrage of questions, most of which she couldn’t even distinguish due to the excessive noise. She tried to answer one or two of the ponies, but quickly realized that any attempt to do so was futile, and that everyone would be better off if the crowd wasn’t there. Rarity had also realized this, and was trying to shout over the crowd, but with little success. Applejack leaned back on her hind legs and yelled. “Alright, lis’n up!” She echoed throughout the block. This got their attention almost immediately, much more so then Rarity’s quiet and reserved voice. “Pinkie aint doin’ too well if y’all didn’t figure that out already, and you guys bein’ here makin’ a buncha noise ‘n’ crowdin’ our space and such aint helpin’! So if you could all just head your little behinds back home and carry on with yer business and let us carry on with ours, this whole thing would be a heckofalot easier for everypony, thankyou!” The ponies got the message; they weren’t doing anything but causing trouble by standing around. They all wanted Pinkie to be alright, and they didn’t want to get in the way of that. They began to dissipate, and once they were gone for the most part, Applejack and Rarity went back inside to see if they could do anything else to help.

Twilight and Fluttershy had switched places; Fluttershy was finally getting Rainbow Dash to calm down and speak coherently (or at least not speak incoherently), and Twilight had brought Pinkie’s mattress down and had her on it, ready to move her to Fluttershy’s. This, is going to be difficult Twilight thought. She wanted to move her as painlessly as possible, and she didn’t want Pinkie to wake up (although that was unlikely, she had lost too much blood to even stay conscious). “Alright, Applejack, stay here with Rainbow. We don’t want her to do anything else stupid. Fluttershy and Rarity, you’re with me. Help me move this.” She reached down and grabbed the front of the bed in her mouth, and nodded at Rarity and Fluttershy to do the same.

“Whaaat?” Rarity exclaimed. “You want me to put my mouth on THAT? Oh, no no no no that’s simply not going to happen, I mean LOOK at this mattress, it’s covered in blood, EWWW! I can’t believe even YOU would do such a thing, Twilight. Absolutely disgusting!”
Twilight gave Rarity a stern glare, and said through the mattress, “Rarity... This isn’t about you, now get over here, help me and Fluttershy, and shut up.”

This surprised Rarity; she rarely heard Twilight be so stern. But, she understood the gravity of the situation, and with a grimace and a gag, she bit onto the corner of the mattress and began walking to the door of the shop in unison with Fluttershy and Twilight. She wondered how Fluttershy, the most gentle and sensitive of ponies, couldn’t be convulsing at this horror as well. However, Rarity had forgotten that Fluttershy has to deal with this kind of thing all the time, caring for sick and injured animals.

Applejack yelled after them as they walked out the door. “Hey! SURELY y’all aren’t gonna leave me alone with her? I mean, just a few hours ago she tried to kill a pony! Who says she aint gon’ try again?” She glanced back at Rainbow Dash, who was trembling softly on the other side of the room.

Twilight called back, her voice muffled by the fabric. “You’ll be fine, Applejack. I think Fluttershy got her calmed down for the most part. Grab one of those knives out of the kitchen and keep it handy, just in case.”

“Aww, fiddlesticks….” Applejack slowly turned to face the blue pony that had caused all this. She was lying on the ground with her hooves over her face and eyes, not wanting to meet Applejack’s. She approached the broken spirit slowly. “Uhh, hey Rainbow Dash… You feelin’ any better?” she said fearfully.

Dash sniffed. “No… No I’m not.” She pulled her hooves away from her face and slowly stood up. Applejack took a cautious step backwards as Dash slowly walked across the room, head hung low and the fur on her face stained dark blue from tears. “Do you have any idea how I feel? I tried to KILL another pony. I tried to kill Pinkie Pie, one of my best friends. That’s unheard of! I mean, I didn’t WANT to do it, but I just lost control, I couldn’t stop, the voice in my head, it was telling me to do it! Oh, if it wasn’t for those nightmares… NONE of this would have happened...” She dropped to the floor near where Pinkie lay moments ago and started crying again.

Applejack was confused. “Voices? Nightmares? Care to explain, hun’?” she asked sympathetically as she approached Rainbow carefully.

Rainbow sniffed again. “Well, I didn’t want to tell anyone, I thought the dreams would just go away on their own after awhile. Boy was I wrong; I guess I was just too proud to say anything about it… If I had known I was endangering anyone else, I would have told in a heartbeat!” She went on to explain the entire tale; her nightmares, how she stayed awake many a night because of them, how when she was offered the cupcake by Pinkie, she didn’t think, she reacted out of fear. How there was a voice from somewhere deep within telling her to kill Pinkie, and how she had no control over it whatsoever. It was almost as if the fear and anger inside her joined forces, and dethroned her good conscience. Applejack listened to her intently, absorbing it all and making sense of it.

When Rainbow was finished, Applejack could help but let out a few tears herself. “Well, shoot Dash, ya could’ve just told someone ‘bout all them nightmares you were havin’. That woulda been the right thing to do, instead of keepin’ it all inside and letting it mess with your head. What I think happened is all that sleeplessness and fear ya had built up weakened your ability to think straight, and before you knew it, you was outta your own control.”

“I know, that’s why I feel so terrible about everything. It shouldn’t have been like this, and I could have told someone about it and gotten help before THIS happened. I could have stopped it! But my pride got the best of me…” She stood up once more and began walking toward the kitchen counter. “I’m sorry, Applejack…”

“Aww, c’mon now, sugarcube, you aint got nothin’ to apologize to ME for.” Applejack gave a sympathetic smile.

AJ couldn’t see exactly what she was doing, but she saw Dash stand up on her two back legs and reached for the counter. “Yes, I do.”

“Dashie, what are y-”

Dash turned and revealed a large knife in her hooves. “I’m sorry, for this”.

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