> Parasite Adam
>  by Fireflower
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Day One: Trigger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The state of dishabille was by far nothing short of humiliation, which was what Pinkie had felt ever since the unforgettable moment in history she had been a part of. So far, it has been about two months since the pink mare was freed from the brainwashing spell made by the invaders and collaborators alike; of course, it had came with a cost: in place of her happy dappy style coursing through her mane and tail now were a permanently flat texture with a darker coat. Even then, word of it all didn’t take long for itself to break out; ever since then, all sorts of stallions had tried to turn her back into the red collar mare that she used to be, each with results that made her rebel even more.

Recently, Pinkie had been handed over to some stallion to ‘teach her where her place is’, while she may had killed her previous masters in a matter of two to three days, this time she decided to wait longer for the right moment. After all, it was best for the pink mare to conserve any remaining energy within and just wait calmly while avoiding herself from giving those handlers the satisfaction that she had given in the past until the time is right to strike back. In what seemed to be some sort of a weird fashion, a widened yet small smile had formed upon her visage, something that became reminiscent of the old hyperactive persona, save for the malice of the now and future.

Now that this year’s games are taking place, it might be the chance that Pinkie has been looking for; besides, every single mare, known or unknown, was practically going to be there whether or not they wanted to. The next round has now rolled in and at that moment in time the pink mare and the stallion nearby her were currently sitting along with the surrounding public who most had at least a mare of their own on average. She simply exhaled quietly despite the conflicted atmosphere ready, willing, and able to create the perfect storm under the right or wrong conditions; needless to say, this simple action alone would barely scratch the surface of what was to happen next.

The big screen showed a row of bound mares and males of different species, the latter group which had started jumping on the respective former group in front of them, all except one though to say the very least. He looked a lot like a slim canine, standing upward on two paws with a glazed look all around his environs far away from her by a few meters in distance; unlike the males, he had stayed right where he is. The coat of fur which was worn was a white as a sheep that was trained to make some false teeth; however, he had only a dark green trench coat that covered up most of his body save for his very arms. Donned upon the canine’s face was a mask covering up his muzzle and a headband over his left eye, all splashed with a color of a deep dyed blue; speaking of eyes, a vigilant being would have noticed that his right would be painted in hazel. Above him was a flat black top hat resting on his two ears as they both poked through the very rim of the fabric he was wearing already; of course, the aesthetics were the least of his own concern anyway, let alone anyone else.

Pinkie had stared back in confusion at how the canine didn’t do anything to her at all but rather unmoving and silent; his visage locked onto the former’s teal eyes with ambiguity pooling out of them already. The overall audience around them had seem to be more focused on the others whom were using the very mares nearby at their leisure, swept up in a heat of passion that reeked about as they took a whiff of it all. The pink mare in question soon stood upwardly and began to squint her eyes, trying to make light of his presence and wondering how he began to catch the former’s attention without even bothering to try no less.

She quickly took notice of the canine, wondering already if he was just spacing out or something; after all, she would not even be the only individual in the crowd who did so under normal circumstances, especially under such as this event. Pinkie would had even marked him as her future slave if all he was gonna do is stand there like an idiot; besides, from the former’s perspective, everyone else around the two in question was acting on their desires, mutually or otherwise.

Just as the announcer was about to call out to the canine, the latter moved his head towards the former and the skin and fabric evaporated into a coat of fire and flames bursting with a vermillion visage, followed suit by the other males around them that jumped off the mares they were on earlier ago.

Among these was her master that had released the crimson leash and dropped to the ground twitching as he crumpled up in a smoldering piles of ashes and dust, reeking of a splattered brain and of infected flesh convulsing in the heat of the moment. At first, the pink mare just simply shuddered in surprise, wanting to know already how could this have happened so fast; yet, she took notice and had seen that the only ones getting burned are mostly caribou while the mares remained untouched. With a confident frown upon the muzzle, she now took this opportunity to run towards the stage nearby them where the male was found to be releasing the captive mares behind the metal bars where the others were confined to.

“Understood?” Pinkie heard the canine say to the mares, making their own escape while he had remained still, watching the burning males all around the stadium they were in so to speak with slender gaze from the hazel eye. 

The pink mare felt heartbeat increase slightly at once the moment he landed his eyes on her, successfully gaining attention before shouting, “would you mind telling me what the heck just happened?!”

“Hmm…” was all that she had heard in an instant, the canine’s voice being calm, deep and yet unnerving that sounded slightly like a diamond dog, “another awakened…”

“Awakened?” Pinkie replied with eyes spreading apart in confusion upon hearing him again.

A slight chuckle escaped from the canine’s muzzle before speaking again, “Those referred as ‘black collars’, the awakened.”

“What?” the mare spoke once more, “what are you talking about? We are already awake sir…!”

“The cells of the broken and fallen, they call out… for their freedom,” he had explained calmly.

Looking around the canine, she asked all at once, “you mean the red and purple collars?”

“Indeed, but this is not place for chat...” he answered, looking afar to find caribou guards entering the stadium, brandishing all sorts of weapons in their grasp, “you hold power similar to mine, meet me at the old castle if you wish for the liberation of this kingdom.” 

The canine turned away and walked off the stage, making his way towards one of the exits where the troops remained.

“Wait, who are you?” shouted Pinkie as she ran behind him and grabbed a shoulder.

Turning to face the pink mare behind him, he replied calmly, “if you mean by a name, then I have no name that just sticks to me; however, given the context of the situation, you can call me Adam.” 

As the canine continued to walk away, she stayed put, currently confused enough to not even come to a logical conclusion of what happened no matter how much she thought about it; as a matter of fact, this wasn’t the place to think about such things though but rather the time to get out of here. Making a way to the cages where the others were locked in, Pinkie was surprised to find that when she got there all of them were just unlocked and empty, devoid of any personnel whatsoever so to speak already; at that moment, a smile appeared once again upon herself. The pink mare hoped that her friends would be here in the very void, or at least the ones who were sane like herself, but it had seemed already that they had escaped too; therefore, so should she follow suit and avoid recapture for the time being no less.

Holding onto that glimmer of hope she worked on her own escape, thinking about on where to go first off after this unusual turn of events which had ensued all around them far so recently ago. Adam said to meet him in the old castle: if Pinkie wanted answers, then her bits would go that he means the castle of the Two Sisters, a relic from the far distant past that entered her mind.

Then again, the pink mare had also heard that Big Mac has gotten quite a suspicious behavior amongst the caribou; for them to suspect him must mean something and this matter is something worth investigating.





A few hours later, she had hid herself in a cargo car of a train headed towards Ponyville, the location of her current residence already dancing her mind until the sound of a whistle blowing off steam so loudly snapped her back to reality; then again, the noise was not much of a problem at all. Once the train has stopped, Pinkie jumped out of the train’s back door unnoticed, wearing only a piece of clothing upon her body: a makeshift halter top that was almost too small for her bosoms; but, from where she was standing, it was by far better than nothing.

Surprisingly, the trek to the Dirt Pony Farm nearby was very quiet, even though that the news of hundreds of stallions burning to death and mares escaping in Canterlot would be already traveling fast. The pink mare had expected to be dozens of guards for her to kill already up in front, but this would be a task that was anything other than easy; then again, she had some big fish to fry so to speak.

Eventually reaching for the door of the house she gave it rapid knocks, hearing some rustle and hoofsteps in the process; eventually, the one who opens the door would be no other than the resident red stallion that she’s been looking for.

“Oh Pinkie, what brings ya here?” Big Mac asked quickly, not expecting Pinkie Pie of all ponies to be here, much less for her to be fully clothed anyway, "what happened…?”

“I heard some stuff, can I come in?” the pink mare answered, earning a suspicious shifting of eyes.

Taking a deep breath, the red stallion then spoke calmly to her, “what kind’a stuff?”

“Let’s talk this inside.” Pinkie said, “I don’t like to attract too much attention now...”

He nodded and opened the door for her to enter the house, making herself comfortable by sitting in a couch on the living room; soon, Big Mac entered and took a seat on another couch besides the one where the pink mare was sitting in.

“I assume you heard what happened,” Pinkie started, crossing her legs calmly but quietly.

Taking a sip from a glass, the red stallion replied, “about Canterlot? Yeah ah’ve have.”

“Well, if what I heard was true, then I need your help with something,” the mare spoke slowly, “you are my only hope so far...”

“What did ya hear?” a reply slipped out from Big Mac who raised an eyebrow.

The red stallion’s gaze locked onto her as she spoke, "something among the lines of purposely not training mares right, which if I’m right by putting two and two together, then you’re faking this. Don’t worry, I’m not like them. I’ve been free for a long time, no master at all.”

“So the rumors were true, wait here...” Big Mac said as he got up, making his way up the stairs whereas Pinkie stood by where she was all alone. A couple of minutes later the red stallion walked back down with two other mares that she was familiar with; then again, she was indeed familiar with all of Ponyville.

“Pinkie!” Applejack happily shouted running towards her, Pinkie got up doing the same eventually embracing each other in a hug, feeling a great happiness after so long and much that happened.

“It’s great to see you back together.” Cheerilee commented wrapping an arm around Big Mac smiling

“Say,” the orange mare started pulling her head back, “Ah don’t suppose you brought more clothes.”

“Nope, this is was only one and closest I got to my size,” the pink mare replied, already taking note of the current state that the other two were in, clothed in sweat and shamelessness.

Applejack sighed before releasing herself from Pinkie, “that’s alright, but what brings you here?”

“I want your help to figure something out over at the castle of the Two Sisters, but I don’t want to go alone.” the pink mare answered.

The purple mare gasped before speaking, “why? The elements don’t work anymore…”

“It’s not about the elements,” Pinkie looked down at her arm, “it’s about the Canterlot incident… and myself.”

“Well, we can’t go at this late of an hour,” Big Mac interjected, “if mah gut is right, then they’ll be mighty busy investigating the incident; Dainn wouldn’t let something that threatens his rule like this go easy.”

“Yeah, some rest would be good,” Pinkie yawned.

“Okay, ah’ll be making the beds,” the red stallion walked off, Cheerilee following suit.

Soon enough, they were sleeping in their respective beds, the red stallion underneath the comforter while the rest slept in the circular cots. Little did Pinkie know that the next days were going to be the most important days for her, and by extension, all of Equestria. The end of the nightmare has begun and even now the daydreams of the beginning ended up materialized into reality itself.
> Night One: Respiration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The skies over the lands were now painted with clusters of stars as night had fallen, guarded by a silver crescent as they all shone the way. It was the only aspect of beauty that, against all odds remained untouched by the series of unfortunate events that had ensued below them. Of course, only a few left below would be considering the sightseeing with a mixture of sorrow and sympathy unbecoming nevertheless.

Out of the many, Pinkie found herself sitting upon the porch of the farm as she looked upon the sky, with a teardrop falls from the corner of her eye. Despite the straight face that remained upon the mare’s muzzle, her snorts pierced the atmosphere in between intervals as the oxygen went inside her nostrils. Wearily, she outstretched a right hand towards the sky and obscured the crescent moon of Luna above her in an attempt to obtain what was perhaps reachable to say the very least.

“What are you doing awake at this hour…?” A stray voice was heard from behind Pinkie; it had belonged to Applejack who wore a glazed set of eyes spread far apart from the eyebrows.

Turning around, the pink pony faced the orange one and provided an answer a bit slowly, “oh hey, Applejack… I was just thinking about the past…”

“Couldn’t sleep a bit, Ah say…?” Applejack sighed as she rested her knees onto the floorboard, “ah would not have blamed you at all; this invasion has taken a lot out of us: everyday spent is a constant reminder of how we had been reduced to nothing.”

“Not even the night provides me any comfort: I still have these nightmare about what I had done ever since then; even worse, I don’t know what to think about myself now…” Pinkie sniffled as she looked upon the makeshift halter top upon the body.

Edging forward, the orange pony took a small breath in and said, “it’s nothing to be ashamed of at all; to be honest, Ah always tried to keep myself from crying every time mah services are called for: heck, you should be counting yourself lucky that you didn’t get to see me apologize one time ago.”

“What do you mean by that…?” Pinkie exclaimed suddenly, “it should be me that has everything to apologize for, not you silly…”

“Don’t be too sure about it, sugarcube; if anyone’s gonna be saying sorry around these parts, then it should be that bastard Dainn here…” Applejack snarled softly before striking a fist down onto the wood.

The pink pony watched the orange one cringed slightly from the sudden impact and said softly, “are you okay, Applejack? You should at least take it easy a bit; the floor never did anything to you.”

“Sugarcube, Ah am not mad at the floor here; nonetheless, Ah am mad...” Applejack answered Pinkie, “Ah am mad at that king for turning our lives into Tartarus, Ah am mad at Discord for betraying us, Ah am mad at people like Rarity and Twilight for giving up on us, Ah am mad at mahself for not being strong enough, Ah am mad at–––”

A flood of tears now escaped from the orange mare’s eyes as the floorboard below it absorbed them in an instant. The pink pony watched as they were being wiped away by a wayward hand while being soaked in the process no less. The silent voice from Applejack’s wail was quiet enough to not awaken the very premises but Pinkie was the only one nearby to hear it all go down.

“Don’t cry; I have a feeling that tomorrow will be even better than yesterday, let alone today…” the pink pony whispered as she helped clear away the orange one’s line of sight slowly and gently.

Applejack looked up to Pinkie’s visage slowly and stuttered a bit, “how can it all be better tomorrow when it will be just the same pattern over and over again like from before, sugarcube?”

“Remember that I used to be a red collar before and today I’m not anymore…” the pink pony chirped, “oh hey that even rhymes; I should try another one: now that I gotten to black, my senses are starting to come back…!”

“Glad to hear that, Pinkie…” the orange pony now sighed softly as a small smile formed across the way.

Pinkie slowly turned her gaze back onto the crystalline nighttime sky with Applejack joining in as well; before long the former spoke, “it’s kind of funny… whenever I had looked at the moon, I had always remembered how my mother had told me about why Princess Luna resided in there for so long and what made Princess Celestia move the moon the same way she moves the sun. We had all thought to ourselves how it would be a brand new age with the celebration of how the two sisters reconciled and made up to one another; now, it seems that this new year had came all I remember now is how we did it: we watched the land fall, we watched her become nothing, I even snapped in the process. It’s amazing that we are finding something that’s trying to hold it all together after what had happened with Equestria; the least we can do is put it back in place like a jigsaw puzzle.”

“Ah see what ya mean, sugarcube…” the orange mare replied as she sat onto the porch alongside the pink one carefully, “and from the looks of it, we need to do it soon; Ah just can’t go on and let apart of mahself die another day with the likes of him running the show as it were some pulpy vapid dross straight out of Big Mac’s magazines…”

“Got a point there… which is why I need you to come with me tomorrow,” Pinkie responded as the stars in the sky shone across her blue eyes brightly.

Applejack did nothing but only stared at her and said, “how come?”

“I saw who started the Canterlot incident; I gotten a chance to talk to him and he said to go to the Castle of the Two Sisters if I wanted answers and Equestria’s freedom…” the pink pony had answered calmly while now focusing on the light of the silvery moon above, “he seemed to have been making sense of the whole thing but I wanted to make sure.”

“Who are you talking about…?” the orange mare asked once more with a feeling of confusion.

Pinkie had slightly laughed to herself and said to Applejack slowly, “that dog, he calls himself Adam; I don’t know why but I think with names that we have been given since birth, it doesn’t seem a bit too strange if I do say so myself.”

“Ah don’t get where you are going with this, Pinkie…” the orange mare replied to the pink one as they took their eyes off of the sky, “one minute, you’re talking of what had happened long ago and now it’s about names…”

“Sorry about that; I guess this is the first time I get to engage in a conversation with you that isn’t centered about sex, especially about a purple collar…” Pinkie giggled a bit as Applejack looked on.

The orange mare started to look away from the pink one and said, “yeah, if you could even call it so like that; Ah just can’t believe that it would be now of all times for this, no strings attached…”

“Who would have thought of it being just like old times?” Pinkie sighed as she now watched Applejack standing up on both hooves and turn away, “where are you going, Applejack…?”

“To bed, sugarcube; whatever this Adam fella is planning over there, we better be needing our strength for tomorrow…” the orange mare yawned as she walked away from the pink one slowly.

Pinkie then rose up from the porch where she had sat and followed after Applejack while saying, “when you’re right, you’re right: nothing derails a good day like being a bunch of sleepyheads after staying up all night long; I just want to find a way to put an end to the nightmares already…”

“You and me both, Pinkie; Ah just hope Ah don’t get forced to ‘get someone off’ anytime soon…” the orange mare continued on as the wood creaked beneath them with each step of the way, “this constant rutting and sucking is already taking a toll on mah very body and Ah have just about reached mah limit.”

“Mine’s too; see ya in the morning…” the pink pony sputtered off before reaching her cot; afterwards, she found a nearby blanket and pulled it onto herself.

Applejack stopped in her tracks short of the doorframe and turned to face Pinkie steadily, saying, “same here…”

“Applejack, before I go heading off into sleep, there is something that I want to say to you now…” the pink pony said to the orange one while residing onto the very cot below and under the cover, “I’m sorry for what had happened back at the Sugarcube Corner long ago; you didn’t deserve any of it…”

“Don’t worry about it, Pinkie…” Applejack replied somberly as Pinkie in front soon started shut away the light blue eyes very slowly, “Ah have already gotten past that memory of what Ah had seen; it’s not yer fault at all: what they did to all of us, what they did to our neighbors, and what they did to this land. Dainn is gonna pay for all of his crimes one way or another, Ah tell ya what.”

“Yeah… he will pay alright…” the pink pony snored while snuggling within the cot; soon, the room fell silent once again leaving the orange one to stare with a sad look in the making.





Meanwhile, a large caribou had then bursted open the doors to the throne room in anger, recently giving off a rather large amount of steam from the nostrils in the process to accompany the booming footsteps. The heat that he had given off all throughout the way was by far nothing compared to the thousands of males who had been burning alive earlier today; nevertheless, he had calmed down a bit within a few moments. The persistent thought of females daring to escape whom the caribou had deemed their superior taunted him; there were indeed some poor attempts from of the rebellion to overthrow his rule but this was unlike anything he had seen.

Reaching the throne in front he sat down; at first, he was thinking of sending the guards to find and recapture those worthless mares but it still baffles him: this business concerning a strange individual setting stallions on fire without any liquids whatsoever made it a challenge. To add further more to this bout of misfortune, there was so far no other male who survived the fateful event in question to get the information of the one responsible for all this and neither was any female deemed worthless left from that place either ready, willing, and able. Speaking of which, it was already clear that the caribou was not alone except for his own thoughts: the company of two alicorns in their state of dishabille bound and gagged on each side were proof enough to say the very least; whatever differences they had were irrelevant.

The thought of having lost that many in attendance would mean that plans to recapture them would be challenging suffice to say; it would leave his guard nearly defenseless, open for a direct attack. The caribou sighed and looked at the stained glass that told of his rise to power with a stern gaze, a cluster of mosaic fragments serving as a constant reminder of his superiority thereof. Within his harden eyes, a clash of clans was taking place and he could see it all at once no less: memories of time long ago and of recently were struggling to gain momentum over one another.

Soon, a nearby sound had then snapped the caribou back out into reality; in the process, he had turned to find the source of it all: a guardpony in silver armor with a spear pointing upward kneeling, “Your Majesty, forgive me for bursting in unannounced…”

“Fair enough, but I must warn you: your next action will determine whether or not you stay the same; you may now rise…” the king said as he look at the knight with a glare, “what do you wish to inform me of?”

“Well, the good news is that the situation in Ponyville has been maintained as always: we had managed to regain control of some of the few stray mares that had fled from Canterlot; as of now, interrogations are currently taking place as we speak, sire…” the guardpony answered the caribou slowly with a free hand contorted into a salute.

The king’s brows furrowed a bit as he looked at knight very intently before asking once more, “and what is the bad news…?”

“So far, the squadron hasn’t been able to identify the ringleader of this attack; doctors are attempting to perform autopsy in finding the cause of their commander’s death right now…” the guardpony replied to the caribou calmly, “The remaining three on the other hand have survived with only a few serious injuries; what should be done from here, Your Majesty…?”

“Tell the others on your command that today’s attack is a declaration of war against the King, one in which they will definitely have: once those fools are dealt with, there will be absolutely nothing that will be able to defy us male or this rule ever again; plus, the spoils that will be reaped is gonna be glorious,” the king had stated onward.

The guardpony swallowed a lump in his throat and saluted again with a shout, “YES SIR!”

“You do already understand by now that any sign of weakness or cowardice thereof will be grounds for conversion; do I make myself clear at all…?” the caribou firmly asked, earning a fervent nod from the observer, “good, consider yourself dismissed for now; I rather you best hope that the next time we meet will be on rather pleasant circumstances…”

“Thanks, sire; consider it done…!” the knight said loudly before leaving the very room all at once; now, it had seemed that the king was now alone once again, just as he was much earlier ago. Suffice to say, this day’s course of events were now permeating more than before albeit in a smaller fraction in intensity; the caribou’s snorting was indeed all that could be said about it. Whatever was going on would prove to be a mystery as he watched the skies in the horizon intently, past the stained glass windows with only a glare within his very eyes notwithstanding.
> Day Two: Unleashed (Part One)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Cum one, cum all; the grand opening of the new Bitch Busters theme park has now officially arrived here deep inside the heart of the Crystal Empire…!” an upbeat voice was heard as Pinkie felt her eyelids open up in response to the very opening line nearby. Wiping away the weariness that gave the blue eyes the heavy particles once trapped inside earlier during what was no longer an infernal slumber, the pink mare had then emerged from the small circular cot where she'd just taken refuge in so long ago already. The skimpy halter top which she’d already made for herself was all that were remaining upon her very body, a not too distant memory of what had merely happened only yesterday and, of course last night; nonetheless, today is just going to be the beginning.

Climbing out of it, Pinkie started to stretch out a bit after what had seemed to be a good rest by the returning standards of how it was once defined, standing straight up upon the ligneous floor. The pink mare then began to spread her two arms further apart from the waistline and gave of a loud squeaky yawn soundly enough to end with a pair of lips smacking against each other silently. She then regained focus of what had been going on with but a neutral wonder, “wow, I can’t believe that it’s morning already; I wonder where are Applejack and Big Mac together at this hour…?”

Walking away from the small circular cot, Pinkie soon stepped about across the floorboards and heard the sounds of metal screeching so tersely within her vicinity. Accompanying them were a stream of water flooding against a flat surface; the pink mare then had learned that they were coming from outside prompting a simple change in its running speed thereof. When she had came to the unblocked doorway, she could barely believe what her blue eyes had seen: Big Mac was armed with a hose aiming at Applejack, the latter on palms and knees as the former sprayed liquids in a controlled flow.

“Pinkie, we’re surprised that you got up already; Ah was just about to finish up on Applejack…!” the red stallion replied so suddenly upon Pinkie now about to make her way out onto the porch and upon the very dirt path upon, “did you managed to sleep well so far?”

“A bit better than I had been doing before, for now of course...” the pink mare replied watching the orange one already become drenched with water with such little care overall.

It wasn’t long until Big Mac finally shut off the hose, stopping the water from coming out of the metal base itself; afterwards, Applejack then stood up from the puddle beneath and said, “well, now that you’re up and at ‘em I suppose that you’re just in time for a shower before we head on out to meet that fella you talked about; Ah suppose that it would be best that we be in top condition to do so and quickly. After what had happened yesterday, it’s a safe bet that Dainn’s going to be sending his goons out to be searching for you already; Ah can feel it in mah bones.”

“Yeah, Ah know, even my eyes are fluttering already...” Pinkie had stuttered slowly as she then felt her eyelids spazzing out of control here and there, “besides, I hadn’t had one since only days ago; too bad that I have to take off my top for this right now...”

“At least that’s nothing compared to the plugs that Ah had wear down on the farm during working hours…” the orange mare replied as the pink one discarded the halter top onto the former’s grasp.

Settling down onto the ground, Pinkie heard the water restarted itself again in the red stallion’s grasp before making its way across her very skin; in the process, a patch of mud formed underneath. The pink mare did nothing but stayed where she was as Big Mac sprayed onto her body while Applejack held onto the halter top, already taking notice of its size and texture somewhat rather intently. Suddenly, the hose had been shut off so quickly by the red stallion nearby he started to speak, “I hope that you are okay now...”

“Say,” Pinkie started, “what was up with that noise from earlier?”

“What do you mean by that, Pinkie…?” the orange mare asked as she watched the pink one stand back up again.

Shaking the moisture off of the flesh and fur, Pinkie said, “I heard something about a theme park when I woke up; what is up with that?”

“It seems that Ah must had left the television on when I had started up the shower for the girls; you must be thinking of them showing off their newest contraption in a recent commercial...” answered Big Mac as he put away the tube instantly while the pink mare put her top back on, “but enough about that anyway, the news is probably going to be coming back on soon now.”

“Yeah, that would explain much; I was even wondering where you guys were at this hour…” Pinkie replied as the small group three then began to go back inside the big house up in front.

When they returned to the living room, a masculine voice spoke out as its source seems to be coming from the television that they were talking about a while earlier, “we interrupt this program to bring you shocking news: this year’s whore games had resulted in disaster yesterday as every male present there had the misfortune to be set on fire, many of whom were dead on the spot and some injured severely while about a thousand of slaves ran for their lives unharmed. These victims had sustained a variety of first-, second-, third-, and/or even fourth-degree burns all across their skin with only but a few remains just barely recognizable to the untrained eye. The cause of these sudden combustions are unknown even to the most knowledgeable and experienced mages of Equestria, much less is known if there was someone involved in causing this; nevertheless, it is still under investigation. It is believed by civilians and guards alike to be the work of suspected rebel factions still hiding about in Equestria although none of them had taken the time to claim responsibility for these horrific events as of yet. Since last night, only seventeen of the thousand have been recaptured for questioning and reassignment following the incident back at Canterlot; so far, King Dainn had been unavailable for comment on all this. All personnel are advised that in the event a confused and lost cunt of any colored collar is found within the vicinity, please give her over to the authorities; you may be saving a life.”

The pink mare looked at Applejack who was hearing the news and winced before the latter could even try to say anything. Pinkie suddenly felt her body reeking of perspiration as she was struggling against the sudden dizziness that was trying to overcome her; soon enough, some red colored orbs were found to be floating all around from head to hoof. This suddenly seem to have gained the attention of others as the pink mare quickly felt better once they were finally gone; but, she definitely felt something change inside of her.

“Whoa there, what just happened to you?” the orange mare had asked standing upward and got a bit closer towards her nearby friend, “one minute you’re sweating in the dark, now you’re as dry as a desert muskrat…”

“I… I don’t know, but I’m fine now…” Pinkie replied to Applejack.

At that point, Cheerilee had walked into the living room and started to talk to the red stallion, “Master, a guard has just arrived at the doorstep…”

“Horseapples… Ah am going to take a crack at that but it seems that Dainn has now given the command to his soldiers to go door to door and ask questions about yesterday…” Big Mac growled as the purple mare kneeled, “if they see you, then they’ll know that something is up…”

“What do we do about that…?” the pink mare had whispered to the orange one quickly.

Taking up a blanket nearby the cot where Pinkie had slept, Applejack wrapped it over her shoulders and answered, “oh it’s mighty simple, sugarcube: we go sneak out the back door and get the rut out of here fast.”

“Okie dokie lokie…!” the pink mare began as she watched the orange one preparing to leave the premises at once no less, “let’s make like a river and run away...”

“Wait, before any of you go take these: there’s too many vines out into the field and there is no telling what the forest may bring...” The red stallion had spoken up, providing only two belts for them.

Taking upon one of the two, Pinkie inspected the accessory with curiosity and disgust mixed in: the contraption was an amalgamation of a slim chastity belt on one side and a wide artificial appendage on the other; afterwards, she asked, “What is this…?”

“Just wear them already, Pinkie; Ah will explain later on while were walking to the castle…!” Applejack commanded while taking the other and wearing it into her waist while the knocking intensified at once, “We can’t wait any longer…!”

“Ah will take care of him soon enough; in the event he asks about either of you, Ah can tell him that you weren’t there and that you’d been sent off to go round up some stray runaway collars…” Big Mac said to the pink and orange mares respectively before walking off to confront the noise.

Cheerilee watched as both Pinkie and Applejack started to go into the opposite direction where the red stallion gone with a tender wave of the hand and a whisper, “don’t get caught and good luck girls…”

“Okay Cheerilee; goodbye…!” the two responded with equal attention as they departed from the living room altogether now at once, “we’ll be back when it’s safe at night…!”

“I know you will…” the purple mare simply spoke as she sat onto the very floorboards, now solitary as a small set of cards left strewn about not so strenuously than it had been potentially.





It wasn’t long until the pink and orange mares had finally gotten themselves out of the farms and into the forestry; under benign circumstances, this activity would have provided enough solitude to take in the view of the whole thing all around the premises. However, every piece of flora and fauna around the very two proved to be anything other than just that: snarling howls and snapping twigs were a reminder of such changes along with hives and vines; as such, it was best to exercise extreme caution. Despite the unrelenting and overall unfriendly atmosphere that they were currently in, comfort was found dwelling of deep thoughts in a dream drop distance, definitely downplaying the ever present possibility of failure to the lowest common denominator.

Applejack surveyed the woodland area carefully while following Pinkie, taking great measures available to avoid becoming part of it; within due time, the former muttered, “glad that Granny Smith isn’t around to see any of this at all; she would’ve had a heart attack and a stroke in one fellow swoop…”

“You’re telling me; I’m glad that Nana Pinkie isn’t even alive to see any of this…!” the pink mare chirped as she stomped over the grass and dirt beneath them, almost ignoring the brushes nearby her legs, “it’d have been all too soon had they seen any of those tough vines or cute bees...”

“You gotta be kidding me…!” The orange mare muttered in quiet bewilderment as she followed along nonetheless, still wary of the treacherous environment. To say that a lot was going through Applejack’s mind was by far a bit too little to say the very least; after all, it was safe for her to even guess that a lot was also going on outside of it as well too, out many points in time no less: from the yesterday where Pinkie had arrived onto the doorstep, through the trek they were making past the trees, to the meeting with the likes of Adam. One thing was clear to them both: the dawn of a new day had finally begun.

The orange mare took some time looking upon the firmament above ground and took notice of the lacking density that was obscuring the stationary sunlight and the stray clouds; soon enough, there were no longer any more leaves within her line of sight. In place of them however was but a singular bridge where the pink pony was found to be standing next to it motionlessly from the ligneous pathway thereof, materials already being arranged neatly and held up by large bits of strings and vines altogether at once. The only thing that was on the other side of where Pinkie and Applejack was a large collection of stones and slabs taking the shape of a big castle with a variety of mosses and ferns growing throughout the edges. Standing between them and the place all at once were more patches of bushes lined up and about in a series of parallel lines with a break going in between them and around to the point of creating a recognizable pattern. All of this was drenched with the sounds of commotion emanating from beyond the building in which they had made their way across, getting louder and louder with every step of the way towards the newfound location. The crisp calm cool air that travel all around them as winds through their hairs also gave them relief from the locations that they had just left behind only moments before their very discovery.

Pinkie then took a whiff of what she was exposed to and let out a deep sigh from her muzzle, “ahh, it feels great to go out walking again and return to where our own adventures had began; it’s a shame that our friends are not with us, but I have a feeling that we won’t be lonely.”

“Wait, Ah just noticed that your ears are flopping about; looks like we must be wary of the castle doors, am Ah right…?” Applejack said as noticing her friend’s body parts now fluttering about, “or maybe a rainbow’s going to show up; what do you think about it…?”

“Just a little bit of both; oh, look we’re here already…!” the pink pony answered as she had managed to cross the bridge with the orange one following suit; upon making their very way across the dirt path, they couldn’t guess what they had seen: a large crowd of people were now within their sights. The two were well aware of the fact that the gatherers were all completely devoid of some fabric save for a minority whom were fortunate to find something to cover a part of themselves; despite that, all of them had possessed the shameless desperation which was flowing out into this personified sea. One crucial detail that quickly stuck out from all the other obvious ones which they had experienced was how the vast air all around them gained a pungent aroma from some of the members in the audience, causing a pair of hands to cover up their muzzles quickly so as to not end up becoming affected by it.

For what it was worth, Applejack and Pinkie joined the crowd seamlessly the former of the those particularly taking the time to say, “phew, this smell is even worse than the fuck-bucking tournament just around last month...”

“To the people of this troubled soil, I must beg of you all at once: please lend me your ears so that a voice will speak out right now!” an all too familiar voice was heard by the sea of people, the sudden silence within seconds had deaden the rank and file air, “recently, I’ve come to to find that there’s poison in the air clouding the lands you’ve once called your own home; these invaders had taken away what you had been given to nurture what was all around you all and left you within virtually nothing whatsoever! For far too long, this way of life once had has been subverted by a face known already too well, turning such livelihoods into servitude to a cruel usurper who continues to think much less of your own sentience, let alone your own existence to say the least. As a result of these actions that had tormented your nerves, minds, and even your spirits, even the fertile ground beneath us stands out as a victim of his senseless rule; this will not go on any further than it should for it too also cries out for freedom from tyranny! From this day forth, the conqueror that you had all grown accustomed to this mismanagement and exploitation plaguing all of it shall answer for his transgressions along with those who have followed him into creating this nightmare since the very beginning! Those hunger and thirst for freedom and justice, rise from the ashes and strike back all at once; the heartless hind that hampered harmony will not hold out any much further as he done before while I say now: TAKE BACK YOUR HOMES, THE DAYS, AND NIGHTS!”

“I SAY WE KILL THE BASTARD KING DAINN ALREADY…!” one of the member of the audience had quickly shouted, earning a roaring wave of cheers from fellow peers almost instantaneously.

The recent additions that had made their way to merge with the crowd felt themselves drowned out by the noise; suddenly, the pink pony held her hands over the ears and said softly, “I believe that we have found our rainbow, Applejack…!”

“What… Ah can’t hear you over this commotions; can you please say that line again, Pinkie?” the orange mare had yelled as she flinched in response to the overlapping reverberation around.

Pinkie turned to face Applejack and said loudly, “I said ‘I believe that we have found our rainbow, Applejack…!’”

“How can you be sure about it; are you talking about–––” the orange mare started to increase in decibels before her friend tilted her head above the audience’s heads and then sighed, “oh, there she is; Ah can’t believe it: she’s alive already…!”
> Day Two: Unleashed (Part Two)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Perfect: the wheels are now in motion and our esteemed guests of honor have already arrived,” a low chuckle escaped out into the enormously raucous crowd of mares outside the castle ruins, the source being none other than Adam himself whom notice a scattering swarm of stallions and caribou starting to gather behind them in the distance.

Among one of them was the guardpony in silver armor, gathering many others about alongside a few caribou next to the bridge; in process, the ratio between them was four to three so to speak. The other guardponies varied in the color of the coats and armor upon their very bodies already, a trait not shared by the caribous in the group despite not showing any importance whatsoever. Each of the members in attendance were carrying weapons of every length and material possible, all of which that shared a purpose in striving for the common goal that their owners had in mind. Every single being had on a pair of eyebrows arching towards one another and a set of smiles like barbed wire not meant to keep out intruders but as traps to capture the unwary in the process. For what it was worth though, it had seemed that preparations were in order to carry out a series of actions only know to themselves but not the mares whom were so far away from the swarm.

Taking his time to exhale at once, he swallowed a lump in the throat then said to them all at once, “alright men, listen up and listen good: yesterday’s whore games had gotten off to an explosive start which would have been bitching if it weren’t for the fires and the escaping what have you; nevertheless, this is indeed a very serious issue that we’re expected to handle it as such at once. We have reason to believe the remaining escapees have been holed up past the Everfree Forest; thanks to that zebra cunt and her owner, we have mustered up supplies to recapture these twats. However, these deluded masses have lost their way and it is our duty as males to make them all see the light once more: our mission is to take back as many as we can but do not kill a single one for the time being. Also, there is a possibility that the rabble-rousing mare sympathizer heretic is among one of them so be on the lookout: if you can’t take him with you, then hit him with everything you got. To male superiority, to the new Equestria, and more importantly, to our King Dainn…!”

“ALL HAIL THE NEWFOUND KING!” were all the very words that the swarm had shouted loudly as they raised up their weapons and items in such a furor, “DOWN WITH THE MARES!”

“CHARGE!” the guardpony spoke, leading the soldiers on to the bridge where the equines had gathered; little did they realize, there were already watched by the white canine from so far away.

Adam chuckled quietly at the approaching army behind the large audience before speaking to the crowd at once instantly, “to those looking for freedom, look behind you right now: see to this as a chance to take it back; show these oppressors that you are not beneath them!”

“DOWN WITH DAINN…!” the crowd shouted in anger as they started to face the oncoming horde at once, “UP WITH EQUESTRIA…!”

Almost immediately, the two opposing forces were on the move to strike each with all of their might and emotion guiding them as the commotion escalated. One of the caribou opposite of the mares had moved in front the lead guardpony, reaching for the nearest mare, a charred coat one armed with large stone in tow, with a big stick to smack it out of the way. Pinkie and Applejack watched as the mare bashed his teeth in the muzzle before being swallowed by those trailing behind. Thrashing shrieks joined the clash of materials carrying around the castle grounds as both equine and cervine masses rose to the conflict within due time, every single one of their defenses instantly forgotten. The males who were fighting off the advances had little to no time in admiring the opposition’s overall dishabille altogether, moving onward with only smooth efficiency as they engage them at once. The notable exceptions in question whom were lucky to cover up a part of themselves then joined the others once more, thanks to the determine regiment but refused to run away in terror of their lost modesty.

“Pinkie, where are you going…?” the orange pony whispered as she watched the pink counterpart walk into the opposite direction of where the rest were located at.

At this very moment, Pinkie managed to lock up her sights onto Adam so far away, ignoring Applejack whom followed as the two made their way further past where the people once were before. A cool breeze ran over their fur and skin as they took note of the lingering aroma now dissipating at once; nevertheless, its presence reminded them both of their current status of affairs whatsoever. The two walk on towards the ruins til a faint sound joined the commotion: what had started out as a rusty creak metamorphosed into a metal jerk as it had came from a falling wooden door.

While that they were definitely safe from the initial impact, they were nonetheless quick enough to cover themselves away from the miniscule debris that ensued from it all; afterwards, their ears now stood on endwise as the canine greeted, “picked a nice day for traveling, wouldn’t you say?”

“Don’t try and play it cool here; Ah am not sure about what you’re doing here at this time…!” the orange pony snarled as she pointed at Adam while the pink one looked onward as they were, “who are you and what have you done to my friend; are you working with the caribou…?!”

“Humph, I’m the one that your friend has been talking about; besides, it should be obvious…” the canine replied as he started to walk into the castle without a care in the whole wide world.

Applejack growled and started to follow him with Pinkie trailing behind her at once saying, “what do ya mean by that; how exactly do you expect me to understand all this, let alone believe it? You’re a diamond dog after all, aren’t ya: Ah read about how the mares trying to escape this nightmare being caught by them varmints ever since; what’s going to make us think you’re any different?  Are you even alone in this one: Ah bet that your team is probably hiding underground right this minute; why don’t you call your fellows to come up so y’all can throw us down and rape us when you have the chance? You’re just as bad as these rutting caribou, turning us mares like me into sex objects and fuck toys just to be passed around without a care; Ah had watched people being ruined by that rutting bastard who called himself king: Celestia, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Winona, EVEN A FEW MEMBERS OF MAH FAMILY GOT BLANKED BECAUSE OF HIM! What’s going on here, you mongrel freak; what and why in the green hill are you all doing this?! I just want to understand… why now… why…?”

“Applejack…” the pink pony slowly squeaked as she then heard the orange one started sniffling about suddenly, “please don’t cry…”

“Don’t…!” Applejack wept as she outstretched a hand in front of Pinkie with little warning, stopping the latter at a small distance from the former as some tears were being wiped away.

Adam watched as the orange pony’s tears fell from her eyes to the cover and soil before sighing, “okay then, it’s best that I show you…”

“Show me what: your cock…?” Applejack growled as the canine looked onward, “Ah see where this is going…”

“I meant the castle… come along…” he murmured before turning away and walking inside, prompting the two ponies to follow him; what they had found reflected the outside in quality. The stony lonesome walls inside the castle had showed signs of erosion and disrepair as equiangular holes of every shape and perimeter whatsoever surrounded out and about within.  Many parts of the ceiling were reeking of leaky dust and pebbles as if they were ready to stumble and fall under its own weight by the gravitational pull so that a fake skyline would take its place. The flooring had many patches of grass that even showed the darker and drab color shades with its own texture being not worth its attention despite its inherent problems reflecting of the area. The tapestries that were found hanging from above the ground once told of its very own history now told of the current state of affairs with little of the shadows that could be with wear and tear. The stairwells around the three had pointed upward from the ground with each possibility being almost endless but nonetheless limited by its dimensions as they still stood up on themselves.

Pinkie looked around at the environment that they were in with but a wide mouth and gasped, “wowie, I’m surprised that the place has managed to stand up on itself after all these years…!”

“Hmm… it seems that your friend here happens to be acting a bit off after all that went on…” Adam said to Applejack before stopping in place, “how often is she like this…?”

“All the time but before the whole mess; why should it concern you anyway…?” the orange pony wheezed as the canine faced her slowly.

At first, only silence was filling in the blanks brought on by the dead air but then he’d answered, “to be honest, I knew not much about the whole thing at all to begin with; but, let’s just say that I am nothing like them. However, what I had learned was from my constant travels throughout the land and how things had changed so suddenly all this time; you see where I am going with this. Under any other circumstances, I would have been just another target of the fallen’s unfulfilled revenge, succumbing to the aftereffects of lecherousness just like many of the others…”

“Others…?” Applejack interrupted as she wiped the last of the tears away completely, “what are you saying…?”

“The usurpers only believe in might making right but what this world needs are wrongs being righted: this short term pursuit of happiness at the land’s expense will make everything worse off in the long run; it’s was only a matter of time…” Adam continued as he faced the orange pony.

Applejack stared on in confusion and said to the canine with suspicion, “Ah don’t get you…”

“This pointless destruction in the name of superiority is causing nothing but misery for many even as of now…” he replied with a dark tone, “the violence, the cruelty, the murder of this oh green world will be their own undoing; even without me, the death warrant would still be signed nonetheless but I do not desire the death of all beings. I would rather go for a tactical destruction rather than total annihilation; going after the big fish is just like cutting off the head: once that happens, the body will wither and die. Besides, your friend has a similar power just like mine but for the time being, it lays dormant; speaking of which, I believe you two had alright found another one joining in right now.”

“Rainbow…?” the pink pony spoke prompting her friend to turn around and come in contact with another individual: a cyan pony standing within the doorway; judging from the attire, it was safe to say that the being in question was a pegasus mare. The subject in question had on a jet black collar, just like Applejack, along with a set of matching sheaths that were set in place of these very wings. Rainbow had a short mane, though stained with a few patches of dirt possessed a color scheme reflecting its namesake, thin racing stripes and all no less compared to the orange pony. The cyan pegasus wore a dark blue turtleneck with a yellow lightning bolt to give much attention to the cleavage that was exposed to the elements. Oddly enough, there was also another article of clothing that was of more surprise to say the very least: across Rainbow’s waistline were a set of leaves arraigned to avoid the same condition. The cyan pegasus sported a series of cuts and bruises throughout her body from top to bottom, each of them possessing a significant variance in shape and size altogether; one of them even appear in between her magenta irises.

Rainbow started to enter the main hall, approaching Pinkie and Applejack steadily while asking, “Pinkie, Applejack, you’re alive; I can’t believe that it’s really you two guys. What are you doing here…?”

“We was going to ask you the same thing, Rainbow…” the orange pony answered the cyan pegasus as the former moved onward slowly, “what happened with everyone smelling so foul?”

“Beats me… but enough about that: we need to get out of here fast; there’s a good chance that more of these bastards will be after us soon enough…!” Rainbow replied as she grabbed ahold of Applejack’s shoulder.

The orange pony turned around and said, “Ah know a place where we can lay low for the time being: Ah can understand ya being all reluctant about the whole thing sugarcube but it’s at mah brother’s farm; we just need to stay out of trouble until we can come up with a different plan.”

“Applejack, why would we go here of all places; what if they decide to check here first soon…?” the cyan pegasus asked with the slightest bit of trepidation in her very tone for other traveler to hear, “even if they don’t, how can you be sure about it; what if these fuckers have turned him into one of them already…?”

“If they had done that sooner, then how else would Ah have been able to get this far, especially with Pinkie in tow no less…?” Applejack said as Rainbow glanced at Pinkie with suspicion.

The pink pony slowly moved forward to the two and said to them at once with little hesitation, “she’s got a point; even she trusts me…”

“How, Pinkie…?” the cyan pegasus growled as she moved in front of the orange pony without so much as a warning, “you’re just another red collar like Rarity and that traitor of a princess…!”

“Not since yesterday after what had happened; besides, with my owner dead, what choice do I even have especially considering the trouble going on and about…?” Pinkie explained as Rainbow glared at the former, leaving Applejack a bit unsettled by the fain animosity thereof.

Soon enough, the sounds of a sudden strong gust of wind surfed inside the stony ruins not so silently; then, Adam started to speak to the group of three, “you should go on ahead and hide already for the time being; your strength will serve as a purpose for the ongoing days to come.”

“What do you know about all this; aren’t you one of them anyway…?!” the cyan pegasus barked faintly at the canine, scaring the pink pony, “what makes you think I should listen to you…?!”

“Simply put, we are all in this together…” he answered calmly, shaking his head nonchalantly.

Rainbow turned her eyes away from Adam who stood there away from them and then onto Pinkie who was started to back away from her slowly; just as the former averted her sight from them, she said, “I don’t know what to think about it; all this talk about rebellion here reminds me of how the others failed especially concerning that dickhead of a king here.”

“Ah know that too sugarcube: we were all there on that bright sunny day, every one of us, except Rarity of course…” Applejack said, wiping a tear away from the eye with her blanket, “however, Ah would’ve been unable to believe that Pinkie had been freed from all this madness no less…”

“You’re right, what do you say that we leave this place before we all go to pieces once again…?” the cyan pegasus asked, causing the two other ponies around to crack a smile upon their faces.

Rainbow felt a pair of arms draped over her shoulders as she found herself brought closer to Applejack who said, “you’ve read mah mind sugarcube…”

“And mines too, Dashie; did I forget to tell you that we were expecting to see you again…?!” Pinkie shouted as she jumped towards the two, “I mean you were all ‘I SAY WE–––’”

“Let’s get something straight here: I don’t know how or what did happened that made you able to convince Applejack that you’re on her side or that weirdo’s side but we still have a long way to go before you go and earn mine trust back; after all, you’re still a red collar, understand…?!” the cyan pegasus snorted, intercepting the pink pony’s arm with a tightened grip instantaneously.

Pinkie stopped in midair as Rainbow glared fiercely while the canine looked on without a care; then, their orange friend interjected, “enough of this, Rainbow put Pinkie back down floor now!”

“Fine then; as you wish…” the cyan pegasus said before releasing the pink pony at once, sending the former tumbling onto the floor instantly with a trepid whimper, “so what now, old friend…?”

“We leave; at this rate, Dainn’s going to be stopping at nothing to regain control of the whole thing…” Applejack answered as she began to walk out of the main hall at once.

After Pinkie got back up, Rainbow still focused in on the blue eyes and said but only lowly, “don’t think that it’s over yet…”

The pink pony only whimpered before the cyan pegasus followed the orange one quietly; afterwards, the former joined alongside.
> Night Two: Perspiration (Part One)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I can’t believe that they had to be here of all places; Applejack, we should go set up camp somewhere else that these fuckers hadn’t checked ‘til morning…” Rainbow said to Applejack as the former looked onward from the dark wood where the three of them were.

The orange pony responded instantly within the encroaching darkness, “Ah am anxious too, Rainbow; after all, the crazy things that have been happening ain’t going to be ignored so quickly.”

Pinkie sat onto the fertile soil and looked at the environment where they resided; despite the familiarity, only one factor alone made it different: rather than the rays of sunshine providing light, the moon and stars took their place. Some bits of illumination managed to pierce through the leaves and fade fast against their coats and some clothing they currently had on as the trio of equines stuck together. The pink pony even watched as the cyan pegasus stomped back and forth from the former’s current position steaming and fuming all too soundlessly.

“I don’t understand how we have to go back to that thing you and your brother call a farm, let alone bring her along…!” Rainbow growled as she pointed toward Pinkie steadily in the process, “what if she relapses and decides to turn us on over to that bastard king Dainn in an instant…?”

“Well, as far as Ah am concerned, let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that; for all they have done, Pinkie wouldn’t be the only one that they would have come close to destroying, let alone remaking…” Applejack sighed as she turned to face her associates for a brief moment in time.

The cyan pegasus shifted her gazing magenta eyes between the orange and pink ponies before speaking, “don’t remind me about it…”

“Is there something that you want to talk about, sugarcube…?” Applejack asked as Rainbow locked sights onto Pinkie, “you can talk to me if you want…”

“Maybe another time; right now is not the time for weakness…” the cyan pegasus answered as the orange pony removed the blanket off her body.

Rainbow watched as Applejack placed it onto Pinkie, revealing the nude form in the process save for one amalgamated article around the waistline; seeing this made the former utter, “Applejack, what in the world are you wearing…?”

“It’s those plugs: another horrid contraption that they came up with for the lot of us…” the orange pony answered, draping it over the pink one, “you wouldn’t want to wear them at the farm; besides, they’re going to be expecting me back soon anyway so there’s no use in it for me.”

“I can see that but why are you giving it to Pinkie of all people…?” the cyan pegasus replied tensely in place no less.

With Pinkie now clothed in a rather larger piece of fabric, Applejack quickly faced Rainbow and said, “because she can’t handle the cold like Ah can at night; just stay close to me and we’ll be safe for now. Are we clear on this…?”

“Okay then, Applejack but I don’t seem to like where this plan is going to take us here on out…” the cyan pegasus groaned as the orange pony helped the pink one off of the ground at once, “besides, with all of the crazy shit that has been happening, they’ll be keeping a sharp eye out for us too.”

“Ah know, Rainbow; that’s why we need to be careful enough to get back to mah brother as soon as possible already, understood…?” Applejack said her green eyes stared back into Rainbow’s magenta gaze.

Slowly but surely enough, the cyan pegasus nodded and whispered quietly to the orange pony, “fine, but only because you haven’t cracked yet…”

Soon enough, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow stepped out of the forestry and into the open field out in front of them; in the process, the former slipped an arm over the middle one’s shoulder so the latter would travel in place alongside them. The snarling of wildlife in and out of their previous location reminded the three of their secondary concern for safety; that was a mere factor outweighed by the ever present threat of discovery courtesy from outside forces no less. The very darkness around the equines was nothing more than a double–edged sword, suffice to say: while it'd provided enough cover for them to traverse the environment, only the skies served as their own natural guide; besides, their own hooves could barely carry them on fast enough. As such, they all looked around to find almost nothing of the sort posing as a threat whatsoever; however, within their gazes were rundown fields, unlike that of the largest farm, choked up by a surplus of overgrowth.

“Stay close to me, girls; there’s a good chance that any patrols could be stationed around here…” the orange pony warned as she lead these others the way across the landscape at once, “the minute they spot us, we could be in a real hot mess of trouble already.”

“I know that; we all are…” the cyan pegasus spoke back as she carried the pink pony in tow.

Pinkie stared into the light of the silvery moon without any care for the world that she and the two others were in, bright blue eyes bathed in its illustrious sheen along with the darken mane. The pink pony became wary of the innumerable stars dancing above them, freed from the pressures of gravity binding the other inhabitants onto the solid snaking soil beneath. Sighing softly, she started to see a small set of clouds strafing across the sky with a sense of direction seamlessly past the cosmic bodies where they had stood put in its own stations no less.

Suddenly, Pinkie took her gaze away from the nocturnal firmaments and faced Applejack saying, “hey Applejack, there’s something I gotta ask you already: suppose that we get our home back, what are you and Big Mac are going to do afterwards?”

“That’s quite a simple question to ask indeed, Pinkie; we go and get on out of here already…!” the orange pony answered, earning a small gasp from the other two in attendance at once, “after what we'd gone through, it wouldn’t phase me at all if the whole place burns to the ground; besides, there’s too many painful memories to consider it worth salvaging from this spring trap.”

“Oh… I wasn’t expecting to hear these words from you, Applejack…” Rainbow said calmly, following them along.

Applejack looked past the pink pony to face the cyan pegasus already and respond to the latter, “it doesn’t matter; after what these bastards did to mah family and everything that we worked for, Ah would be glad to start over somewhere to get away from the madness of king Dainn.”

“Same here as well…” Pinkie had interjected all so suddenly, prompting Rainbow to end up groaning sharply about, “it'd be nice to have nice change of scenery once this is over…”

“You’re one to talk; you have no idea what I'd been going through since that damn day: everyone I knew of is either dead, dying, snapped, or supporting that fucker at this moment…!” the cyan pegasus snarled at the pink pony, much to the shock of their collective orange friend.

A lump formed in Applejack’s throat as Pinkie whimpered in front of Rainbow upon hearing the statement, sending all of the three off to undergo a moment of silence without even trying. Despite the growing uncertainty in between them, this choice of words failed to stop them from moving on forward anyway. Nevertheless, the encroaching darkness reminded them of what was at stake; after all, it kept them focused on the current task in progress.

For what it’s worth, they trudged past the fields carefully until a voice was heard shining a bright beam of light at them: “STOP RIGHT THERE AT ONCE…!”

“Crap… they’re here already?!” the cyan pegasus choked out in surprise, quickly guessing the details of who said those very words, “I knew this was a bad idea from the start; why did I even listen to you…?”

“Just follow my lead; Ah going to do some improv for a bit, okay…?” the orange pony whispered as the pink one remained in place.

Rainbow tremble back a bit around Pinkie before mustering up the strength to ask Applejack, “what are you going to do…?”

“ALRIGHT THEN, BITCHES; TURN AROUND NICE AND SLOW, SEE…?” the same loud voice shouted off to them once again already no less, “WE WANT NO FUNNY BUSINESS AT ALL…!”

“Okay then, we’ll do it…” the orange pony responded turning to face a trio of stallions waiting for them already from behind, the others following suit.

The cyan pegasus did nothing but snort and glare at the opposite trio while the pink one shuddered about from behind them; this made one of the stallions, a red pegasus with a blonde mane chuckle, “well then, Applesnatch: it seems that your brother had told the truth; shame that it'd been so long no less. Nice pieces of ass you caught back there I might add, but I must ask: where the fuck had you been; you dumb cunts didn’t even hear about the curfew, haven’t you?”

“What curfew…?” Applejack replied, placing her arms behind her back steadily as he approached her confidently, “Ah didn’t know anything about it…”

“Well then, why am I not surprised: a dumb black collar twat such as yourself with no information other about what she and her peers should do, am I right…?” the red pegasus sneered as he ran his brown eyes over across the orange pony’s body without a care.

At that moment, the remaining two stallions, a pair of unicorns with a share of differences emerged as Applejack stuttered about, “mm-hmm… that’s what Ah am: a dumb mare who forgets her place.”

“Aren’t they all, wouldn’t you two agree…?” the red stallion replied as he weighed the orange mare’s cleavage with his palms, earning a laugh from the pair behind the former; this scene made Rainbow’s coat become flushed with redness as Pinkie held back, “so why did you return now of all times?”

“Ah figured y’all would have gotten the whole situation under control by now; these purples have a dirty habit of going out of control in the past when they’re all hungry for some cocks…” Applejack answered, feeling the red pegasus pinch one of her papillae intensely all at once.

A guffaw was heard from one of the unicorns flashing a wide grin instantaneously as they neared the remaining two while saying, “oh wow, a savant: never seen one of them with collar on before, haven’t we…?”

“Not at all, sir…” the orange mare gasped as the stallion released her body already, “just needed to be put in mah place once in a while…”

“Looks like her magic must have been rubbing off on you; ever thought of getting yourself a red collar…?” he laughed, earning an angry snort from the cyan pegasus who glared at the others intently.

Some beads of fluid seeped out from Applejack’s forehead as she shook about with a shudder, “Ah have and it wasn’t even close at all; besides Ah feel mah chances would be better when that fucker changes his name to Havier…”

“No matter, just a bunch of talk coming from a cunt whose about to feel my large cock inside your slutty butt; in the meantime, fuck off skank…!” the red stallion chuckled gruffly before punching out the enraged Rainbow quickly at once, "besides, my buddies had gone this longest today without a nice slit or two so the least that your friends could do is make up for this with their bodies; what do you say boys…?”

“Let's take the rainbow bitch for a ride: I bet that her bush matches her mane; on your knees, you fucking tramp…!” one of the snickering unicorns barked as the cyan pegasus felt her hair being pulled upon and her skin absorbing some punches from them.

Strangely enough, only the pink pony was left alone to watch all this but even she stayed in place as the red pegasus twirled the orange one around and snorted, “watch closely, you pink piece of pussy: you might even learn a little something from that farm whorse and miss wonderslut already…”

“I reckon this pegasnatch is about to get wet; wanna check her dirty pussy right now…?” the duo asked earning a nod before placing a single hand under Rainbow’s leafy skirt so roughly she screamed; they smiled and rip apart the leaves, saying, “well let’s find out about it, shall we; oh what do you know? It’s a wide as a lake right now…!”

“Yes… take it you whore…” the red stallion whispered into Applejack’s ear as he took off the contraption from her body and started to open the metallic entrance very slowly. At that point, the unicorns began to rip all the leaves off of the cyan pegasus’ waist and dragged her across the soil before kicking her up and about without a care in the whole wide world about their feelings whatsoever. Pinkie felt her ears stand on endwise as she heard Rainbow’s pained screams permeating throughout them while watching a tense flashing of teeth emerging from their orange friend’s visage as a slap resounded in the midst of things.

Unbeknownst to the five, the pink pony was starting to see her vision fade out into the blackness and heard a voice from nearby: unlike the screams of pains from the cyan pegasus or the strained grunts nearby, it spoke, "what are you going to do now, Pinkamena?"

"What do you mean; what are you talking about…?" Pinkie muttered fearfully as she watched the blond stallion run his hand upon Applejack's cleavage, "what can I do about it?"

"You're the smart one: you wasted a few others back in the past; this one won't make much of a difference…" the solitary voice replied, its origins still unknown.

At this point, Rainbow had her hands restrained as one of the unicorns kicked her in both the shins and licked his lips greedily; Pinkie winced upon hearing the screams increase in intensity and whimpered softly, "but there's too many of them; they could kill my friends…"

"Isn't that what you've been helping them doing: undermining self-worth, embracing lust, debasing yourself for cocks, making others cum crazy, remodeling a family friendly bakery, sanding down any quality that's vaporized at a moment's notice; better yet, isn't that what you've been doing too?" the voice snarled at once, "after all that you've done for them, do you even deserve to be calling yourself their friend?"

"DAMNIT PINKIE…!" the cyan pegasus screamed at the eponymous observer as the former felt the lower region being invaded so brutally as the latter watched the other stallion reach under into the orange pony.

For a moment, between the screams and the gasps, the pink pony’s pupils prolonged their circumferences within only moments as the slivery breeze ran throughout her very body; suddenly, she shrieked, “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

All of the sudden, the red pegasus felt the clothes on his back become ignited instantaneously, the woven cluster of textiles being licked by the fire and flames from within every fiber already. The sudden conflagration prompted Applejack to break away from the red stallion and watch him become engulfed as Pinkie’s screams subsided where his began along with many others as well. Sure enough, the red pegasus slowly collapsed to the dark ground in a smoldering charred husk, any all traces of own identity whatsoever being consumed into nothingness as smoke poured out.

“Holy fuck, dude…” one of the unicorn’s gasped as they watched it all, “did you see what had happened?!”

“No shit, Tanky; let’s get out of here already…!” the other one replied as they released the cyan pegasus from their collective grip; soon after, they fled from the mares within seconds leaving them shocked as they watched what was left of these ashes.

Exhaling a deep breath of air, Rainbow started to stand onto her own hooves gently and grunted, “whoa… what the fuck happened?”

“Double whoa, that's something you don't see every day…” the orange pony said to the cyan pegasus as the former picked up the gear at once with the upmost caution while staring at the very pile, “sorry about what had happened; are you alright, sugarcube…?”

“Don’t worry about it; besides, you look like that you’ve been hurt already…” Rainbow answered as she limped about, pointed towards the wet scars around Applejack’s thighs behind the remains.

The orange mare had place a hand onto the aformentioned area to find a trace of blood onto her fingertips and said, “oh… well, Ah wouldn’t fret about it too much, especially after what Ah had seen; besides, mah brother’s got some antiseptics back at the farm and you look like you need to get some sleep…”

“If it'd been me instead of you, I would've ran far, far away from here; can’t even fly thanks to those fuckhead caribou, let alone run thanks to these bastards…” Rainbow said as she'd brushed the dirt off both of her legs and hobbled, "come to think of it, how in the world does a pony burst into flames?"

“That's what Ah like to know but we should be getting back before we end up running into someone else; after what we'd gone through, Ah don't want think about how the next situation will turn out come daybreak…” Applejack said, grabbing ahold of her friend’s nearby hand at once before walking away.

The cyan pegasus nodded along and spoke, “good idea, I don’t seem to like where this could be going already, especially after what I'd seen; after all, the last thing I want to hear's you either screaming for help or begging for more cocks.”

“Come on, Pinkie, let’s go; they might start looking for you soon enough…” the orange mare said, tugging Pinkie away, “Ah don't want to risk losing y'all over to them…”

“Hmm…” the pink pony gasped as Rainbow followed them along, looked back at the corpse that was once a stallion standing in place.

Applejack noticed that Pinkie was staring back at that spot and asked, “are you alright there, sugarcube? You were muttering and screaming to yourself when you were watching them go out of control with us.”

“Ohh me; why wouldn’t I be?” the pink pony answered cheerily to the orange one causing the cyan pegasus to groan, “you think that I’m starting to change faces again? No silly…”

“Always random… I nearly got fucked earlier and she just simply stood there watching like some creepy old statue,” Rainbow muttered to herself angrily as she, along with the other two mares, Applejack and Pinkie trotted away down upon the dirt road with the moon and stars hovering above them and shining.
> Night Two: Perspiration (Part Two)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At this moment, there sat upon a couch a stallion known as Big Mac and alongside him were three mares with collars around their necks, one of whom was none other than Cheerilee herself. They all sat in the living room trying to make up their minds about what to do with the evening; out of the three surrounding him, one of them wore a black collar: a green eyed ginger with a trio of carrots upon her yellow flanks. The last of the collared triumvirate also had green eyes, a lighter shade than the black collared one; of course, these differences didn’t stop at there: the former possessed a brighter coat with a rose with buds matching her mane and tail found upon the flanks.

They stared out into a television set when sounds of knocking became heard instantaneously, causing their ears to be standing on endwise within less of a second.

“Ah will be right there in a jiff...!” Big Mac replied loudly, getting up from his seat.

The purple mare turned to face the red stallion and asked calmly, “who could it be at this hour; is it one of the patrols...?”

“Ah don’t know but Ah hope it’s not them; Ah think they’ve done enough search parties for the night...” he had answered while walking away from her, “besides, these two should've been back by now already; what could be taking them so long to return...?”

“Beats me as far as I know; all this news coverage on yesterday’s games and today’s battle made me wish I could watch my favorite game show...” another feminine voice interjected belonging to a red collar redhead rather than Cheerilee.

Walking past the hallway, Big Mac made his way for the brown door and opened it to find another group of mares up at the mat: Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow standing about; this prompted him to say, “what a tail of a story, we were wondering where you gals had been…”

“Yeah, sorry about the delay: we didn’t want to attract too much attention after what’s been happening; Ah hope it didn’t cause any problems…” the orange mare said to the red stallion as she gulped, “if it’s not too much trouble, we brought a friend along with us; Ah am sure you'd already known about her before the whole mess and she needs our help.”

“Ah don't mind, but Ah am worried about this; anyways, let’s hurry on inside right now…” he spoke quickly as his dear sister and her two friends finally entered inside the domicile all at once.

After the cyan pegasus had stepped off of the mat, Big Mac closed the very door right behind them and joined up with the other mares without even a moment’s worth of hesitation; now, all of the equines were now deep within the confines of the house. Needless to say, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow were about to make contact with many others.

The red stallion guided the three into the living room where Cheerilee and the others resided in; afterwards, the redhead asked, “so then, what’s the next step now…?”

“What do you mean by that?!” the cyan pegasus had loudly snarled at once already, “I would've expected that question to come from Applejack but not from a red collar traitor like yourself…!”

“Rainbow, I–––” the pink pony sputtered before being blocked off by an orange arm within seconds, belonging to the head shaking owner.

The redhead mare rolled her green eyes and said, “and what’s that supposed to mean already; aren’t you a black collar...? I mean ever since the royal sisters failed, it wasn’t like we had much of a choice on what we did either way: half the people I knew of tried to escape from them and were never seen or heard from every again. The ones that got caught were given a choice in the matter: stay black or go red; I even seen others like Yearling and Harshwhinny become purple despite not taking up the red collar so I did. Yes, I’ll admit that I'd felt dirty and unsettling when I did so, especially with all the other mares giving me, Daisy, and Lily all these dirty looks then and there but I felt liberated after letting the twenty first stallion go on and fuck me rotten. Besides, it even helped that I'd eventually ended up with Big Mac, of all people no less as my master; I guess these caribou were right about one thing: living red has more rewards than being black but the least I'd hoped was him fucking me. What I truly can’t seem to fathom is how in Equestria has a mare such as yourself not taken up such an opportunity: you would've seen more people, eaten better foods other than just drinking some guy’s cum, or even worn a short skirt to go along with that trashy scrapheap you’re wearing every other day. With Applejack and Topper here, I can at least try to understand them but what does your resistance mean anything to you if you’re going to get beat up again?”

“You want to know what it means, especially to me; why don’t I fucking tell you right now?” Rainbow slowly laughed before stopping suddenly, leaving the whole living room to fall silent, “ever since I was a little filly, I’ve always looked up to Wonderbolts; they were my heroes and this was long before I'd become the Element of Loyalty. Every single one of them, especially the current generation, had made me wanted to be like them; in fact, ever since that competition, I'd figured out what I wished to do with my own life. They had traits which represented what they'd been to Princess Celestia ever since Nightmare Moon’s banishment: loyal, dedicated, honorable; even so, I'd ended up gaining them to earn such a stronger friendship with others. Yet, despite all of that, I started to regret not being just more than that: harder, better, faster, stronger, but most of all serious, all of which that’s been taunting me since I got caught; and, you want to know what’s worse? While I simply got sucked, fucked, and forced to jerk off in the past with that damned collar day in and day out, there were others here that'd gone and gave up to these fuckheads, some had even lost their minds in the process; as a matter of fact, I don’t even want to describe what became of them. As far as I can see, I’m now wearing scraps of what they call the new uniform for cadets like myself for some other random douchebag to get me off; yes, I’m wearing a black collar but at least I haven’t given up on myself yet. Because of this, I swore to myself ever since night one that as long as this thing is still on my neck, I wouldn't surrender to any one of the likes of these bastards one way or another, especially with people like you begging for more cocks from them; so tell me something here: what in the fucking Tartarus have you done lately other than parading around in that red collar like some ideal showpiece of theirs?!”

Aside from the television set and the cyan pegasus’ huffing coinciding about within the distance, the entire living room had fallen silent in due time no less as the band of seven stood about. Within moments, Pinkie started to feel her eyes becoming moisturized in an instant as she looked away, barely paying attention to the others’ presence before walking away. Out of all the others that watched before their eyes, only Applejack herself took notice of the pink pony’s current state of affairs already as Rainbow gotten into a shouting match with the redhead at once.

“Pinkie, are you okay; what’s wrong…?” the orange mare asked as tears fell from Pinkie’s eyes.

Wiping them away, the pink pony sniffled about and started to answer clearly but only timidly, “it’s those things that Rose and Dashie are saying back there… they really hurt me a lot…”

“Ah had a hunch that it would happen sooner or later: unlike us, these black collars have a habit of frowning upon red collars after the whole thing when out of control; it happens all the time…” Applejack said calmly, placing a hand over Pinkie’s shoulder slowly but carefully no less, “although, Ah wouldn’t pay any mind at all now that you’re back safe and sound, sugarcube…”

“Yeah, but at what cost…?” the pink pony sighed sadly as she snorted softly and slowly.

Ignoring the shuffling of feet and slapping, the orange mare looked at her friend blankly and asked, “what in the world do mean by that, Pinkie?”

“You’ve seen the way Dashie had acted towards me earlier, Applejack: she'd said things about the stuff that people like me had done when the caribou came around…” Pinkie answered to Applejack trembling as yelling from the nearby room increased only slightly, “I mean, just listen to them Applejack: the way they’re going at it reminds me of myself and the voices I've been hearing; even worse, it’s all so true. Aside from what I'd done to you earlier, I did even other things as well: I whored myself out for a long line of cocks, I helped the Cakes turn their bakery into a whorehouse, I also participated into turning a few into purples and reds, even you. I even nearly became one of them sometime ago, always having sex with everything and everyone while acting like a spokesmare for Dainn; as a matter of fact, even I’m starting to remember helping one of the Wonderbolts train her into an ideal pet. These aren't the things that a friend should be doing to one another, no matter the circumstances; heck, what am I saying? I ended up killing a few of my masters and got taken away from the two; I guess I deserve this for being such an uncontrollable attack monster for the caribou and a monsters to my kind. During the day, I hear nothing but screaming and crying as I let them use and abuse me all with a smile on our faces but at night it’s different: all I get are these horrible nightmares of another me, calling me out as a damned cheerleader who gave up and making me cry. I bet that when this nightmare is over, I should just let Dashie fucking kill me already; after all, the old Equestria would be better off without traitors like me lurking about thanks to what I had done.”

“Now, don’t be too hard on yourself, sugarcube; can’t you see that it’s Dainn and his goons doing all this and that to your mind…?” the orange mare spoke, shaking the pink one about a bit.

Pinkie saw into Applejack’s green eyes but didn’t look into them or any part of the latter’s body and muttered as the shouting continued, “I know that, it’s just that despite being able to become the Element of Laughter, I never thought of myself or any of us friends as weaklings, not even Princess Celestia or Luna mind you; and now, I must ask: is any of it worth saving…?”

“Well, Pinkie, Ah don't even know the answer to the question; although, Ah will admit just one thing: any friend of mine who ends up dying here will be the one that Ah can never get back from the likes of him…” the orange mare said, placing a finger under the chin and raising it up to get the friend’s attention, “as much as Ah can’t settle with their regime, neither would Ah settle with this at all; besides, Rainbow could come around soon enough.”

“But what can I do to rid myself of my guilt, let alone restore our friendships, Applejack?” Pinkie asked Applejack wearily as the turmoil began to subside within only seconds.

Soon, the pink pony was held into a light embrace by her orange friend’s arms and heard her calmly, “just try not to die, sugarcube; we were a symbol of harmony to Equestria in the past and our survival can show that we can become that symbol once again.”

“Hey girls, would you come back into the living room please…?” the purple mare exclaimed, prompting the other two to return to the place of origin, “the evening news is about to start in a few seconds…!”

“What’s going on, Big Mac…?” Applejack asked him as the two walked back inside; at this point, Rainbow sported a fresh new scar underneath the eye whereas the redhead had a large handprint upon the face.

A blue brunette unicorn stallion with a moustache appears upon the television screen, grips a small amount of paper and starts to speak, “good evening, gentlemen; I’m Widescreen Range and this is the evening news: at the top of the hour, the search for the fleeing cunts from this year’s whore games continues on. Since this afternoon, about a hundred more slaves had been captured by the forces of the regional guard; however, many more are still on the run and have yet to be found. Personnel have stated that the captured runners will be retrained and reassigned to prevent future escape attempts from their new masters following tomorrow’s lottery drawings. In addition, to help stop any potential acts of domestic terrorism, a curfew has been issued for all of Canterlot and Ponyville until further: residents are advised to remain in their homes and keep their property locked up as well from nine to six. Anyone found wandering about may be subjected to a random search and seizure by night patrols; in the event of any noncompliance, the offender will be detained by the local authorities until morning. As before, citizens of Equestria are advised to be brave and not neglect their civic responsibilities to either the crown and/or country: if you see a lost pet of any color, please contact the authorities as soon as possible; failure to do so can result in loss of citizenship and confiscation of private property. The safety and security of this land is of utmost importance; please be advised to look out for any suspected rebel factions and send out information to the guards at once.”

“Humph, why am I not surprised?” Rose huffed at the cyan pegasus in a instant, “now we’re going to be in a lot of trouble come tomorrow morning…!”

“Roseluck, please shut up right now; besides, it’s time that we go and get some sleep already…!” Big Mac interjected loudly, keeping the two angered mares away from each other all at once.

Rainbow clenched her fists and put them both down as she said, “fine by me…”

“Ah am going to help him set up the beds, Pinkie…” the orange pony said to the pink one as the three mares nearby walked off after the red stallion, “wanna sleep in mah room tonight…?”

“No thanks, I’ll sleep in the living room again; anyways, give the blanket to Dashie…” Pinkie yawned, removing the comforter off the body and placing it unto Applejack's hands before climbing into a nearby cot.

The cyan pegasus stopped and glared at the pink pony before finding a blanket wrapped over the shoulders by their orange friend, “there are some things that I’ll never be able to understand about her; besides, I thought that mares weren't allowed to sleep with the covers.”

"Not in public of course; everything happening in closed doors is a whole another story if you get mah drift…" Applejack answered Rainbow, "at this rate, Ah am expected to leave the house tomorrow morning so Ah will need mah strength…"

"Where are you going…?" the cyan pegasus asked the orange mare.

Turning away, Applejack said to Rainbow, "there's a black collar pet show in Appleloosa; Ah betting that with all the commotion about the games gone wrong, they'll still be hosting them soon enough anyway."

"Are you going to be okay, Applejack; won't you get hurt over there…?" the cyan pegasus inquired about, beads of sweat forming, "what if they start asking about what had happened earlier, with the flames and all…?"

"Don't worry about it, Rainbow; mah brother will handle the talking if it comes to that since they'll regard me as honest to a fault…" the orange pony answered.

Applejack started to walked away from Rainbow who said, "how…?"

"Simple, Ah will tell him what happened as soon as Ah wake up tomorrow; besides, they're probably going to be looking for you so you'll stay inside…" the orange mare explained, "Ah feel that after tomorrow we won't be staying here much longer thanks to all this madness…"

"That's not saying much…" the cyan pegasus yawned as she turned off the television set.

Applejack replied, "anyways, you're welcome to sleep in mah room tonight…"

"Thanks, Applejack; I appreciate the thought…" Rainbow sighed before looking over at Pinkie with a grimace, "besides, I don't think I can last the night sleeping in the same room as Pinkie…"

"Ah understand; just please don't be too hard on her in the future…"  the orange mare spoke slowly to the cyan pegasus.

Taking in one more look at the pink pony, Rainbow returned her gaze onto Applejack and replied, "I'll try, for you of course…"

The orange mare hugged the cyan pegasus and said with a smile, "and that's all which should be important at this time…"
> Day Three: Reconnaissance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie was snoring quietly inside the circular cot without even a moment’s haste as a ray of sunlight from a nearby window started to poke on through the looking glass nearby only slowly. Aside from the mismatched halter top upon the upper figure, the pink pony was by far completely unclothed; of course, there were no signs of concern at the moment pending. Unless she was truly alone, there was perhaps a sliver of a chance that such a scene would be best appreciated thanks to the most basic of substances present and accounted for.

“Ugh… gotta get the strange voices outta my head; maybe a drink out the tap should clear them,” Pinkie yawned without warning, stretching out of the bedding as the true blue eyes flew open. The pink pony climbed out of there to find the ligneous floor from beneath the hooves, the location being the same as always save for the near lacking of light inside the living room. Cautiously, she began to trek across from her place of slumber in search of a substance to quell her thirst that resounded off of her lips, soft squeaks emitting from footfalls left behind at once.

Pinkie stood nearby a hallway to find her ears standing on endwise in due time, all thanks to a nearby noise that caught her off guard; treading lightly, she came nearby a door frame and placed one nearby the wall.

Within due time, the pink pony then heard some words slowly emanating from the other side, “AJ, are you awake…?”

“Let me have a few seconds…” a tired reply barely made its way through as well, no doubt belonging to Applejack herself, “oh… what is it, Rainbow; you have something on your mind…?”

“A lot…” the first voice from beyond the pinpoint location groaned, revealing itself to be none other than Rainbow already.

A yawn was able to eke out the fading silence as Pinkie listened in onto one of her friends speak, “alright then, Ah reckon that you get it out of your system now and talk.”

“It’s about yesterday, AJ…” The cyan pegasus began to elaborate what had been said before already, “Ever since I was able to escape from the games, I always thought about how happy I was that these bastards were burning. While everyone was out scrambling for freedom, I ended up hiding away in a cave nearby a lake trying to make sense of it all. I was so tired and angry about what I had been through: the beatings, the tortures, the fuckings; the sheer thought of it all ended up making me falling asleep for the entire day.”

“Isn’t sleeping all that you used to do every chance you had got…?” the orange mare asked as the pink pony from the opposite side stifled a short laugh.

Rainbow groaned before continuing onward, “that’s not the point; anyways, I woke up yesterday morning to wash the crap that the fuckheads left behind off of me. As I had remained in the lake, I had seen some red collars walking around near my line of sight and jumped out of there as soon as possible; however, they didn’t seemed to be interested in me at all, if you know what I am saying…”

“How could you have been so sure about it; were they following you?” Applejack asked as Pinkie took a glance at the collar already adorned around her neck, “did they even pay you any mind at all, Rainbow…?”

“Not at all, but after what I had been through, I didn’t want to take any more chances with them; besides, seeing how they sold themselves out very well has left me feeling paranoid already…” Rainbow answered as she stomped onto the floorboard quickly.

A tear started to escape from the corner of the pink pony’s eye as she heard the orange mare respond, “careful there, sugarcube; as much as Ah understand your pain here, we gotta think about what we’re going to do here on out today: aside from the pet show, there’s no way we can all hide out any longer, especially after what’s been happening last night and the day before. In fact, it’s a safe bet that they’re going to be looking for you soon enough as well as Pinkie; after all, we’re very popular people, second to the princesses.”

“I’m sorry, Applejack, but with all due respect here, Cansdunce can go skewer herself in the dark twisted heart for all I care; as a matter of fact, the mares that are following Twilight’s example here aren’t far fucking behind…!” the cyan pegasus shouted at once, her rising voice now piercing their friend’s ears within due time no less, “even then, they’re just nothing more than useless lapdogs at the end of the day to this so-called king of ours, carrying out extremist ideologies with such radical thinking that would make a Saddle Arabian stallion vomit nonstop!”

“Dashie…” was all that Pinkie could choke out as she slumped onto the floor and cried softly. Within second, a deluge of tears started to soak into the pink pony’s hands and the flooring beneath her already as they were being wiped away. In contrast to what she had been listening to earlier, loneliness wasn’t the only feeling that was plaguing her heart and mind; even so, she started to feel like that the escaping tears were just the beginning of what was going on at once.

As Pinkie started to coughed huskily between intervals, she barely had anytime to hear nearby footfalls approaching her location; for what it was worth, it was accompanied by a voice unlike Applejack or Rainbow who began to speak, “Pinkie, are you okay…?”

“Big Mac… I didn’t see you come by here…” the pink pony wept as she found a pair of red hooves within her eyesight, “what are you doing here…?”

“Well, Ah was about to ask you the same thing: Ah was just going to check up on AJ and get her ready for today’s trip; although, Ah didn’t expect you to be up at the crack of dawn, ma’am…” Big Mac answered as he slowly crouched down to meet her at the same eye level face to face, donned in only a gray shirt with some brown shorts.

Pinkie soon wiped her moist eyes away and began to speak to the red stallion within due time, “It’s about Dashie, sir: I was just about to go to the bathroom and get a drink of water but then I overheard her talking to Applejack about what she was doing yesterday and the day before it as well. I never truly thought about the pain that she underwent would be this bad but I never expected this to happen to her at all so badly. I mean she’s just started talking about the red collars again and how even Dainn’s been having them be used as pawns just like last night but this time she’s started mentioning Twilight and–––”

“Calm down, Pinkie… Ah am pretty sure that Rainbow didn’t mean any of it; besides, you’re probably nothing like that mare Roseluck…” Big Mac reply as the pink pony averted her gaze at once, “After all, your arrival earlier reminded me of people like Cheerilee herself.”

“Have I; how can I be either of the two at all?!” she cried loudly as the red stallion winced slightly.

Big Mac watched a puddle form around Pinkie at once and he whispered to her, “Please keep it down; you might be awakening the others already…!”

“I don’t even care; Rainbow’s right about me: I’m no better than a common red collar traitor…!” The pink pony wept, smacking away a hand from the red stallion without any form of  a warning, “If she wanted to, then I hope she puts me out of my misery before anyone else suffers more.”

“Do you honestly think that this is what she would have wanted to do to you; if that were the case, then tell me this: why hasn’t she done so yet...?” Big Mac asked, rubbing his knuckles.

As the waterfall began to subside so soon, she sniffled softly, “Because she has no other choice; after what I had done to her long ago, I don’t think she can even trust me anymore...”

“Oh, ya just gotta be kidding me; Ah knew that this would be happening at some point today…!” A feminine voice interjected, belonging to the orange mare whom opened the door nearby them, “alright Rainbow, Ah understand that this could be too much for me to say anyway to listen…”

“If this is about last night, calm down; I’m not going to do any of what she’d been thinking of…” the cyan pegasus quickly responded as she followed the three outside of the very room already.

Applejack looked at Rainbow dead in the eyes and gotten ahold of the latter’s hand saying, “please, you gotta promise me that absolutely no harm must come to Pinkie at all whatsoever…”

“Easier said than done: after what just had happened, I don’t even know what to do with her…” the cyan pegasus replied toward the orange mare within due time, scratching the multicolored tresses with a free hand, “like I had said before, yesterday really affected me greatly ever since I caught up with you two: I never thought that I would be able to see you again Applejack; maybe I’m just spit balling here but I guess I should have considered myself lucky that I was able to escape. I don’t even know about you guys but this happened when they first took over Canterlot long ago: the minute I heard Twilight telling me to go get help in Ponyville, I started to cry for the first time in a long time; I didn’t even know who to turn to for help or how far away the caribou really were from me. I’d like to give her one thing only: had the old Twilight told me not to run away, I don’t think I would’ve not been able to get this far; I mean, fuck, I would have ended up just like the Daring Do from the new books these bastards are publishing right now, especially after what’s she doing. Still, you’re asking me to to put aside my fears and animosity because you think she might want me to kill her for what people like the new Twilight are doing what they are right now; I may had gone down in history as the mare who did a Sonic Rainboom at a young age but telling me to do just even that is like asking me to risk my life, let alone my sanity or health, on such an astronomical possibility.”

“Rainbow, many people not long ago considered the idea of defeating Nightmare Moon to be such a feat too and look where we were before, like heroes but more importantly, friends; Ah ask of you: if ya ain’t gonna do it for yerself or for Pinkie, then please, just do it for mah sake,” Applejack whimpered as Rainbow stared back into the jade irises with concern and contempt.

The orange mare watched as the cyan pegasus averted her gaze from the three observers within due time; quickly, a breath of fresh air escaped from the latter’s lips as the former’s brother and their friend were watching until a reply emerged from the midst: “alright then, I will…”

“Thank you, kindly; Ah knew Ah can count on you always…” Applejack sighed before hugging Rainbow briefly and broke away, “but, we gotta hurry: the morning has just begun so we better get a move on…”

“Whatever, but don’t expect it to be just the same as a certain kind of promise long ago, AJ…” the cyan pegasus slowly grunted as the red stallion began to walk past her all at once.

As Pinkie started to stand back up on both hooves upon the floorboards, the mares then heard him say something at once, “Ah am gonna go make some breakfast now; does anyone want anything to eat before we go start the day?”

“No thank you, sir; after what I had put myself through for so long, I don’t think I wanna eat another batch of kibble to start the day…” the pink pony answered as she dried what remained of the tears, “besides, I don’t think I could stay here any much longer than today…”

“I’ll say; come to think of it, when’s the pet show gonna start, AJ?” Rainbow asked the titular contact within seconds at a time.

Tossing a blanket over from the palm of her hands, Applejack spoke in half the amount, “tomorrow but me and Big Mac are gonna catch a train in less than two hours from now; anyways, Ah gotta go tell him about last night just in case we find others along the way…”

“Are you sure that no one’s gonna know about this; what if the others decide to tell the truth?” the cyan pegasus whispered in the orange mare’s ear after tying the fabric around the waist, “how can we be sure that the other girls won’t say anything about us; what’s he gonna do?”

“Don’t fret about it, sugarcube: it’s just as Rose said last night, there would had been no telling who we could’ve been left with; nevertheless, we can never afford to be a bit too careful here,” Applejack shuddered tremblingly as she’d just caught a glimpse of Rainbow’s magenta irises.

The cyan pegasus stared at the floorboards where their hooves were inches away from touching before groaning, “don’t even remind me of what I already know; just point me the exit so we can be on our way. I bet the longer I stay, there’s no telling what today might bring me.”

“Not even for a small bite, aren’t you?” The orange mare sighed before deciding to follow the path where Big Mac had treaded upon, “What a shame but Ah don’t blame ya…”

“The only one’s who deserves the blame is Dainn here…!” Rainbow snarled before backing away from Applejack at once.

Nodding her head, the orange mare whispered quietly, “Ah could give anything just so Ah can drink a tall cold glass of cider to that instead of from some stallion or stag…”

“Me too; I’m getting sick of this crap…!” the cyan pegasus replied, now suddenly turning her attention onto Pinkie all straight away, “no more sleeping around; let’s get out of here…”

“Okay!” the pink pony chirped, jumping upward to hear a nearby groan from her friend.





Pinkie found herself far away from the farm once more, this time with Rainbow instead of Applejack; of course, the only things that haven’t changed were the abundance of hives and vines throughout their line of sight, its dwindling numbers barely noticed by the former. Nevertheless, the cyan pegasus led the way, refusing to let the pink pony or the environs completely out of their sights as they still trekked across the dirt road: the former stomping about whereas the latter hopped alongside. The dark skies above them were now becoming brighter than they were last night but reminded the two of the ever present dangers already hidden by the fading darkness around.

Rainbow steadily kept herself and her friend out of sight as the former thought silently, “if it weren’t for those fucking sheaths, then I’d be able to see where in Equestria are we already!”

“Rainbow, are you alright…?” Pinkie asked as she stopped skipping to her own beat, “you were awfully quiet since we left Applejack and Big Mac…”

“Why wouldn’t I; gotta keep ourselves from attracting any suspicions now, do we…?” answered the cyan pegasus, keeping her head facing forward. The pink pony maintained a fixed distance while following about within the confines of the dark forestry they were walking in currently no less. Pinkie soon felt one of her ears stand on endwise when a faint sound echoed into there: a low growl made her slightly jump up a bit and neared towards Rainbow by a few inches.

Strangely enough, the cyan pegasus also took notice of it as well, almost stopping in place to examine the origins that hit far too close for comfort.

The pink pony stood still and started to stutter slowly so soon, “R-R-Rainbow, was th-th-that your s-s-stomach growling…?”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about it; not even last time would go this far…” Rainbow steadily gulped as Pinkie started to shudder behind the former with little warning, “it must have come from somewhere nearby us.”

The cyan pegasus found a patchy opening, free of leaves and bark as the light began to show itself to the sole observers in question; when they scurried on toward the egress, all that remained was a cottage. Its roof was drenched in an abundance of foliage, its leaves wilting about into a golden brown a marinated in wet soil save for a dozen vines waving about in synchronicity. All of the windows were completely pitch black save for one, bathed in a yellow glow and it was resting firmly on the ground level next to a russet door nearby. A short wooden fence had one guiding itself away from the metallic doorknob at once whereas another pointed to the road constantly taken that traversed over a lake. On the opposite side of the road, a patch of blue flowers standing out against the brilliant green nearby muddied waters. Amongst the cluttering wooden debris was a solitary gray behemoth a few yards away from it.

Her eyes widen in shock when she started to see another figure below it: the being in question resting below appeared to be a butterscotch pegasus mare, just like her; however, there were some differences. The subject in question donned a rubicund collar, just like Pinkie had around her neck, along with a set of matching sheaths that were set in place of these very wings. The butterscotch pegasus had a long pink mane, just like Rainbow’s friend albeit in a lighter shade and strained with some residual grass and saliva. Unlike the two ponies that were found to be watching it all within a relatively safe distance, she was in a complete state of dishabille. The butterscotch pegasus had irises made of teal but were obscured by the eyelids had hidden away the potential to move heaven and earth at any given opportunity. She sported a wet stain of white throughout her waistline, its texture so loose the point of origin was from the behemoth as the former cooed with ecstasy.

The pink pony watched her friend slowly turned away to find a jaded face scrunched up and shuddering about; suddenly, the former quickly covered a pair of hands over the owner’s mouth as an assorted wayward cluster of lukewarm hues splattered upon the soil. As bad enough as it were since Pinkie had already knew and learned what it was that emerged from Rainbow’s mouth, even the mere sight of it all quickly caused the observer to avert her own eyes away from the ghastly convergence. Although that the spectacle in question was without a doubt over as soon as it started, this display that the butterscotch pegasus was a part of had convinced themselves that it was almost nothing compared to what had happened last night.

“Rainbow… are you alright…?” The pink pony squeaked as the cyan pegasus hacked up a cough in between short but barely silent intervals.

Licking her lips, Rainbow spat out at the puddle and took notice of how there were some traces of residue on the blanket; slowly, shed close her eyes and choked out calmly, “I… had just watched… Fluttershy take it… in the…”

“It’s okay, Rainbow…” Pinkie interjected, “I’d seen it too…”

“I am a dirty whore; thank you very much for fucking me in the morning…!” was all that could be said, no doubt coming from the panting butterscotch pegasus nearby.

After a low purr escaped into the atmosphere, the cyan pegasus turned her irises onto on of the branches nearby and trotted over to pick it up. The pink pony watched as the largest piece of wood upfront became broken up into nothing short of a shoddily made javelin in about under ten seconds flat no less. Whatever disgust that Pinkie became a witness to had now quickly metamorphosed into fury as Rainbow slowly but steadily started to step out of the wilderness they were in earlier ago.

The cyan pegasus locked eyes onto the slumbering behemoth and started to growl lowly, “That’s it: no more fooling around anymore; I’m gonna to screw this into your sorry brain now!”

With the long branch in tow, Rainbow crept up to where Fluttershy lay hiccuping in exhaustion, the latter unaware of the former’s presence. As the cyan pegasus walked along across the bridge beneath her hooves, she remained calm on the outside, but her mind was thinking loudly about what was being seen at the moment in question. The butterscotch pegasus whinnied about as she started to crawled out underneath it slowly with a faint grin while barely being seen. Rainbow was seeing clearly that whatever alternatives popped into mind were for slowpokes and that clever ideas are born from earthly inspiration and other things sent from above. With only lovely silence coming to the cyan pegasus’ aid, the window of opportunity was open for her to crawl into and see to it what she had wished to do.

Meanwhile, Pinkie had held back her sobbing as she began to hear some voices talking to her again, only this time they started to sound like Fluttershy had gotten into the mix: the former could recognize that two of them belonged to the latter albeit in different tones as they accompanied the most dominant one from last night; this was making such vision dimmed again.

“Hello there, Pinkie… never thought that I would hear of you again,” The pink pony heard as something sounding so tender changed drastically, “Oh wait, that’s right… I already did; how was show business treating, you traitorous whore?!“

“Fluttershy… is that you…?” Pinkie peeped as a tear escaped from the corner of her eye.

A severe chuckling pierced the pink pony’s ears before answering, “Not exactly, I’m the cells that compose her, but we share her real thoughts: her fears, fury, pain, sorrow, but most of all, loneliness; people like you amplified them so greatly, even the smile upon her face reflects the truth.”

“What do you mean by that; how could a bunch of cells could even do any of the talking…?” Pinkie whimpered as Rainbow started to raise up the ligneous stake slowly but carefully, “That’s not even possible… even by my standards…”

“Says the red calling the pink out…!” A laugh roared as the pink pony crouched in fear, unable to witness what the cyan pegasus was about to do already.

All of the sudden, Pinkie heard a loud groan echoed out as a sickening poke spurted after; additionally, this was followed by some shrieks coming from an all too familiar source nearby: “STOP IT, RAINBOW; NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

As soon as the pink pony poked upward again, she couldn’t believe what her eyes were now seeing: the gray behemoth from before now had wounds appearing right upon the forehead as they were wet with blood, thanks to the eponymous culprit who now gasped for some air. Pinkie also took notice of how the butterscotch pegasus’ eyes began to water up, shaking around to and fro as a crimson puddle started to form upon the brilliant green soil beneath them both. The wood that once was within the cyan pegasus’ hands had snapped in two, one of the pieces deeply embedded into the skull.

“That’s… the end… of that chapter…” Rainbow panted as she started regaining her composure, wiping some sweat off the forehead, “No more…”

“Why…?” Fluttershy wept as she started to inspect the behemoth which was freshly killed.

The cyan pegasus noticed her butterscotch peer shutting the lids and scoffed, “Why not? At least it’s one less ‘beast to be fucking around…”

“You don’t even understand…!” Fluttershy wept as she backed away from Rainbow in due time, “He was helping me…”

“What… are you… even… talking about…?” The cyan pegasus said as the fury within the magenta irises combusted into confusion and sorrow; however, it was short lived as she came in contact with another sight: a tall caribou with a black rod emerged from the cottage nearby.

Pinkie felt like she was about to lose control of herself as she heard the voice comment on it, “We were about to say to help destroy brain cells, but this guy is just as effective.”

“Grrrrraaaaugh…!” Rainbow had screamed violently as she charged into the individual without any warning whatsoever, “I’m gonna make you bastards pay for what you did to me and Fluttershy ever since you showed up on that day!”

At this moment, both the pink pony and the butterscotch pegasus watched a fist connect with the caribou’s jaw instantly as blood escaped from the lips. Next, Rainbow served up a kick to her victim’s inguinal area as she landed another punch into the forehead with velocity. Then, the cyan pegasus started to raise up her left hand and aim for the target’s neck within posthaste.

As soon as this was happening, the caribou gurgled and started to tackle Rainbow onto the ground quickly as possible, catching all three little ponies off guard with a resounding thud. The cyan pegasus was down but not out as it had seemed in the minds of both Pinkie and Fluttershy; however, this was only the beginning as the opponent began beating the former to a pulp. Suddenly, Rainbow began to sink her teeth into the attacker’s hand as she struggled to escape from his wrath; at that moment, he took up her rod and some sparks began to fly from one end.

“DON’T DO IT…!” The pink pony shrieked loudly, catching the caribou’s attention within only seconds as a vermillion sphere quickly flew up into his face quickly.

Surely enough, the attacker suddenly made contact with the shapely geometric figure at once as both his fur and fabric became illuminated with fire. This sudden change made the caribou stumble off of the cyan pegasus as he landed upon the wooden surface of the door, infecting the cottage with the combustion in tow. Despite all the twitching and toiling about, he had never screamed at all, though it would be best realizing that the two pegasi took the time to crawl away. Rainbow took note of how her butterscotch counterpart widened her eyes in shock from the ordeal as the former quickly dragged the latter to safety. Pinkie felt her jaw drop when the grassy abode went up in flames, eating away the color that once defined the location overall. Even now, there was smoke pouring out into the skies as the clearness became slowly tainted by the sight and smell of the spectacle in which the sun also rose to bear witness to.

The cyan pegasus took note of the pink pony’s shocked state and shouted into the latter's ear, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DON’T STAND AROUND; JUST GET OUT OF HERE NOW!!”

Pinkie barely dragged her hooves onto the soil as she, along with Rainbow and Fluttershy, fled from the terrifying scene it had escalated into; needless to say, this was far from over by even a long shot.
> Night Three: Reflection
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The skies were now darkened up once more, only this time the light emanating from the moon and stars became completely obscured by a large squall line of clouds. Traveling across the log horizons of the much dulled firmament were but brief flashes of electricity, quickly slithering about like some venomous snakes from the distant past. A roll of thunder quickly crackling the sound barrier soon simply served as a call sign to herald in the silent voice known as downpour to fall onto the solid earth below them. The soil and flora that painted the earth had become moistened by the pitter patter of such minute droplets being pulled down by the gravitational pull from their homes. The invisible environment was already settled in by the lacking of some directional knowledge, save for an occasional cluster of some fireflies which were bending in the wind. To say that loneliness was currently filling the dead air would be an understatement had there been even a single grain of truth been planted before the time no less.

Out the many places where the rain had begun to fall, there had lain one piece of landscape that stood out in the distance while providing clue to a certain stationary location. Some of the small splashes being quickly dissolved into the abyssal darkness only proved that not every single one of their respective targets had touched terra firma. Without a doubt, the bolts of lightning that illuminated the dark clouds were reflected by the surface below it while splashing the rest against the pitch perfect darkness.

“This way, the cave is just nearby; pick up the pace…!” a voice shouted in the distances before subsiding into the ambiance within seconds as the rain poured, the source belonging to Rainbow herself alongside two other females following after: Pinkie was found to be carrying Fluttershy along for the trek. Of the three mare whom were traversing about the way currently, only the cyan pegasus held up her blanket while the pink pony had a large leaf shielding against the downpour; of course, the third member of the small party was showing signs of slacking about. Nevertheless, their hooves trampled about the damp soil as the dirt that crawled halfway up to their cannons were being quickly washed away as of the moment.

As Pinkie held Fluttershy close by, a sneeze blurted out from the lips of the latter, followed after by weak mumbling, “Rainbow… why…?”

“Stay with me, Fluttershy; we’re not going to be sleeping in the rain tonight…” the pink pony whispered as she dragged her friend quickly about, “I’m sorry for letting this happen…”

“We’ll camp in here tonight; besides, I’d rather avoid the cloud to ground lightning at all costs,” Rainbow stated as they came across a cave nearby their sights, the rumbles of rolling thunderclaps above permeating throughout their very ears. The three mares all had quickly entered the premises as another flash of lightning illuminated the entire environment they've briefly watched the scene unfold in due time. Soon, the amount of precipitation started to shrink into a merely somewhat intermittent drizzle all at once.

The cyan pegasus watched intently as her butterscotch counterpart was being settled down onto the ground gently; slowly, the former began to lower the blanket to her waist line, covering up the adjacent user’s uncovered coat and scars. Calmly but quickly, Rainbow began to wring the comforter within her grasp as water poured onto the dirt beneath at once, being amassed and collected into the folds upon tightening reins. The cyan pegasus suddenly stretched out the textile back to its own form, save for the residing moisture that clung onto the surface.

As Rainbow began to smooth out the fibers of the blanket, a makeshift halter top in Pinkie’s hand was spotted by as the owner spoke softly, “here, take it; I don’t want you to get sick…”

“Wha… you want me to wear the skimpy rags…?” the cyan pegasus stuttered, bearing witness to the pink pony’s newly completed form of dishabille up in front, “but aren’t you gonna–––”

“Don’t worry about it; at this rate, I don’t even deserve these now after what you been through…” Pinkie interrupted, placing the clothing on Rainbow’s shoulder without a care of their current state.

A tear started to form from the corner of the pink pony’s eye, prompting the cyan pegasus to sigh, “you don’t have to go and make a big deal out of it; I can take of myself though I can't say the same for Fluttershy here: hadn’t spoken a single word ever since we ran away this morning yet I never figured that someone like herself would lose a home this sort of way.”

“It’s not just that, Dashie: I'd just killed someone…!” Pinkie choked out for Rainbow to hear, “there's absolutely no telling if he's not the only one who died at my grasp today…!”

“Now, you’re just exaggerating as usual: there’s no way an earth pony like you could’ve done something like it; besides, he’s just another dead caribou joining the others the day before…!” the cyan pegasus grunted, locking eyes with the pink pony as lightning had struck in the distance.

Nevertheless, Pinkie averted her gaze and said, “it’s more than that: the moment I had seen you again yesterday, I felt truly happy about that once more but then I noticed how much you changed since that day, how you got angry at me because of the fact that all I’m wearing now is this collar, just like the one Fluttershy also has and it scared me silent throughout most of the night; even worse, when these unicorns were hurting you the same way their friend did to Applejack last night, I heard voices inside my head mixing with your screams calling for me to stop them from. And then, I screamed loudly and watched the guy burst into flames up in front of us; she ended up getting hurt trying to get away from him so that she wouldn’t catch fire alongside him.”

“Whoa, how in Equestria does last night’s struggle should have anything to do with this morning’s convoluted mess, let alone make any sense at all?!” Rainbow interrupted within a heartbeat placing the blanket around her shoulder, “it would sound like something that Twilight would investigate, not that it matters now after what I've heard and seen…”

“I don’t know; I know I’ve gotten crazier but I think it had something to do with what Adam had said the day before yesterday: something about power, I remember…” the pink pony said slowly.

The cyan pegasus backed away slowly and picked up her sweater before whispering about, “I don’t get you; what could you be honestly talking about…?”

“Yesterday, I was sweating profusely and it felt like the world was spinning all around me with some red orbs thrown into the mix; at first, I was fine but then there was a voice coming from nowhere…” Pinkie answered Rainbow, “then when we'd found Fluttershy, I’d heard her voice saying awful things that made me cry and all, about how her cells were speaking as if they were her real thoughts compared to how happy she was before that animal died…”

“Now you’re freaking me out more than before here Pinks: one minute you were standing around like a weeping angel, next you were as happy as a lap dog; this isn’t like you at all…” the cyan pegasus exhaled as she looked at Fluttershy sitting around a few feet behind them.

The pink pony joined in to find that the butterscotch pegasus holding her hands over both eyes and replied, “neither is the real me pleasuring other people’s pets nor killing people indiscriminately; even so, the Fluttershy I know of wouldn’t have done the things that I did, especially after what we'd seen and been through…”

“I know that, Pinkie, none of us would; but, we gotta focus in on what to do now instead…” Rainbow said, grabbing ahold of her friend’s attention as the rain kept on pouring downward, “Applejack’s up in buffalo country so returning to Sweet Apple Acres’ outta the question and there’s no way we ain’t gonna travel outside in the storm; we’ll just have to stay here for the night.”

“But who's gonna make sure that they wouldn’t find us…?” Pinkie asked as thunder rumbled.

The cyan pegasus placed the comforter upon Fluttershy and answered, “in this weather, why would they? Just leave everything to me; you two need your strength more for tomorrow morning anyway so go on and get some sleep…”

“What about you, Dashie; what will you do…?” the pink pony said as the butterscotch pegasus was slowly left alone but remained still anyways, “how will you handle the whole thing…? Your wings are–––”

“None of your concern at all; just stay outta my way, okay?” Rainbow interjected before putting the sweater back over the body while sitting down. Pinkie leaned over a wall as the two friends were well into her sights as such, all in the same position but in different directions and emotions that she shared. Today had started with a bang but not in the same way as the day before yesterday let alone last night; of course, the rain served as a contrast to the past thereof. The pink pony looked away from the pegasi pair and slither downward as her eyes blinked slowly before yawning. Soon, Pinkie snored silently as the sights of both Rainbow and Fluttershy subsided into the darkness, along with the cave’s entrance and the stormy weather in the very background.
> Day Four: Despondency (Part One)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The golden sun arose to pierce the heavens with its light, heralding in the start of another day when the land and water became illuminated by the afterglow immediately. The clean cut skies that housed it were clear as a shiny crystal lake, free from any murderous entities that would come to rain down on an observer’s parade. The air was crisp and cool enough to commute many different aromas from all walks of life across the entire environs for people to sniff at and about. The floral arrangements that were composed of many colors slowly started to take a stand upon the grassy knolls where the soil resided below them. A wild assortment of animals took in a fresh breath upon awakening by sounding off their cries in the distance, regardless of where they were. The only thing that would potentially complete the look would be at least one person to immortalize the scenery with a certain set of skills at their disposal.

Of course, this wasn’t be the case concerning how it all begins, let alone where to be precise; anyways, all was certainly not well in the throne room as sounds of fury and sorrow followed a loud crackle: a dark blue mare was being held over a wood platform with fresh crimson streaks. Pieces of fabric matching the collar and sheaths on her body were all that adorned upon the eyes, covering up the eyes and mouth as they were soaked by the wearer’s fluids as of the moment. Around the blue mare’s hands and hooves were but a set of chains held in place to mitigate the shaky surface tension unfolding at once.

“What do you mean you haven’t found that heretic yet; you’re telling me he’s still out there as of this moment already?!” the king shouted as a slender stick quickly made contact with her coat.

A visiting guardpony, a brown gingerly unicorn in a set of dark gray armor, gulped before starting to answer already, “yes, Your Majesty: it seems that the mysterious rabble-rouser who’d started the bombings days earlier has still evaded capture unlike the hundreds we had amassed since last night’s storm.”

“And what happened to the other guard that had been sent out to the castle to lead the operation; what of him?” the caribou snarled as another crack formed upon the blue mare once again, “what about the other slaves who were holing up in there since then.”

“I apologize but he was stabbed in the eye with a sharpen twig; in addition, several others soldiers fell to their deaths when they were pushed over the cliff after catching up with the last of the stragglers that evening…” the unicorn answered in only seconds as two smacks rained down upon her quickly.

Following another fresh cut standing amongst others against the blue mare’s fur, the king threw down his stick and said, “fair enough, at least he died a noble death; had he survived, someone else would have picked up where he’d left off instead, especially concerning the fact that I’d been informed of the animal farm burning down. Nevertheless, this doesn’t change the reality of the very situation in front of us at: as of this moment, he could’ve received aid from some seditious factions dwelling about in our land to commit such a vile act; we may have gotten back some control of it, but there are still many other cunts hiding about in many different areas, most of which who had probably escaped from the wreckage. Everyone may been wondering what truly is going and it’s simple: there are still some of the heretics running about proclaiming harmful ideologies about how a mare is to be treated, but we will not let the likes of him wreak havoc at today’s country show; go and increase security checkpoint procedures by threefold in case these foolish mares are going to come over and try to stop the festivities somehow.”

“No way in Tartarus that they could do that; even you said it yourself: these cumslaves aren’t smart enough to think of a plan now…” the guardpony laughed softly, “as a matter of fact, the minute that last princess slut fell, it was like a house of cards ready to be rebuilt the right way.”

“Nevertheless, these mares ought to know their place by now; speaking of which, rumor has it that today’s going to be a red dawn out west: she’s finally seen the light…” the caribou joined in.

Regaining his composure, the unicorn said, “I could drink to that; besides, I’ve already planned on being there to see it happen before my eyes.”

“Don’t think you’re going alone now, captain; there’s many more waiting as well other than myself…” the caribou sighed as he removed the fabric over her teal eyes, “after all, this is going to be a great day; shame to go working and waste some time off away.”

“How could I forget all at such short notice?” the guard replied as he trotted out of the room at once; needless to say, this was just only the beginning.





Meanwhile, the steady waters inside of a lake were shining bright like diamonds in the sky as it was surrounded by luscious foliage in the distance. The calm sandbanks were the only barrier standing to go in between the two elements thereof, each composed of innumerable specks around the way as they stood still amongst the earth. Watching over the stationary front at once was a small yet rock solid gray cave where darkness loomed in and about without a care in the turning world that it had been already a part of no less.

Soon, a single figure emerged from the concentrated internment in due time: it turned out to be none other than Pinkie herself, now bathed in the heat and light that came from above as she trotted outside; suddenly, her skin and coat shuddered about while turning to face the entrance. The pink pony’s flatten mane and tail started to become blown around by the shifting winds all around as she slowly wrapped her arms around and turned to the water up nearby ; watching the stagnant texture, the matching eyes locked onto its owner’s reflection. Already taking awareness at once, she began to take a small step towards the lake and then made a giant leap forward without warning whatsoever, splashing the sand and grass behind; within only seconds, her body was then submerged into the target location at once before quickly resurfacing back up to face the sky directly above.

Pinkie wiped the moisture away from her eyes and started to sink into the water until it'd reached up to the neckline; soon, she slowly thought to herself, “hah, it such a beautiful day out there, but the outside world is so cruel; I can’t believe that these two had to suffer through like this, being unable to fly and all because of those sheaths around their wings. I’ve seen how Rainbow had responded about it even though that she barely mentioned them since we’ve met each other again, but Fluttershy just kept on crying ever since that fire yesterday; oh, how I can’t believe that I've done these girls so much wrong ever since the caribou came along. No, it’s every single pony that I've done wronged: I allowed creatures to defile countless neighbors, I’ve snapped at Applejack when she came over to play at the bordello, and I even helped the Wonderbolt Captain have his way with Dashie; I don’t deserve to be anypony’s friend, not anymore. I may not even have any master this time around but who knows how long I’ll even last until I get myself captured again and reassigned to a new one; at this rate, they’ll probably have me chained up by another meanie who might want me to stay purple forevermore. So much for being state owned, I just wish I could just disappear completely so no one would find me; on the other hand, even if I were to find a way for such a wish to come true, then what will become of the others: my friends, my family, would that mean leaving them behind as well? What can I just do to even try helping them now after what had happened anyway; where would we even go to feel safe again: Las Pegasus, Vanhoover, Tall Tale, or wherever we could even stay at, how long until all of this pain here resurfaces once more? I bet that Rainbow still hates me even more for what I'd allowed myself to become – one of the king's oversexed cheerleaders; in fact, I’m probably betting that she’ll be cooking up a plan to kill me when the nightmare is finally over. Maybe, I should just allow her to go and do it anyway: they broke us into pieces and nearly killed us all so it wouldn’t surprise me if she decides to finish the job; besides, it’s better that a former friend like herself be up to the task than Applejack or Fluttershy, let alone my dear–––”

At that moment, the pink pony felt her line of vision around the lake become blurry as she choked out a cough without warning before sinking further into the blue. She then raised a single hand out from the very water and wiped her eyes clean again, this time creating a collision of two different yet similar fluids within only seconds. Now, another hand had quickly emerged as well where they started to cover up Pinkie’s entire visage the very moment she began to emit intermittent sobs all at once.

“Pinkie, is that you already; what are you doing up this morning…?” a faint voice was instantly heard as the eponymous listener’s floppy ears perked all so suddenly, “are you alright…?”

“Eep…!” the pink pony squeaked as she soon sank further into the still waters before nearly reaching eye level.

Some small soft hoofbets made their way to her current location as she whimpered quietly, silently hypothesizing the potential identity of any wayward observer who'd cross paths with one another. Pinkie had her true blue eyes widening out and ears standing on endwise as the possibilities of who could it be now swished and swashed throughout the rather troubled mind she currently possessed. The pink pony slowly started to shake about near the edge of the lake as the sounds nearby seemed to have subsided all at once; nevertheless, she heard her own heart beating faster and louder in contrast.

Soon enough, a tall, dark shadow towered over her as she felt prompted by the mere sight of it to discover the identity all at once; as a result, the point of origin was revealed to be ironically a rather splendid source than initially thought of: Rainbow who slowly spoke, “Pinkie… why are you shuddering about?”

“Dashie… what are you doing up; what about Fluttershy?” the cyan pegasus’ eponymous friend answered, staring into the slightly worried magenta orbs, “aren’t they going to find us here?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing before you brought up Fluttershy; besides, I noticed that you didn’t bring your top and thought you'd wandered off somewhere to get caught but then I heard you crying in the lake all of the sudden so there…” Rainbow answered as she crouched over towards the edge.

Rising back from the water, Pinkie soon stuttered slowly, “Rainbow, th–th–there is s–s–something I w–w–want to–––”

“Pinkie, calm down: if this is about yesterday, don’t beat yourself up over it; none of us expected it to happen…” the cyan pegasus interrupted quickly at once, “at this rate, you probably did a good thing after what we'd seen what happened to Fluttershy…”

“That’s besides the issue, here; it’s just like making a giant space castle solely out of cake…!” the pink pony cried out so suddenly.

Taken aback by Pinkie’s response, Rainbow waited to exhale and started to speak up again, “okay then, what are you trying to talk about here…?”

“Alright, the problem here isn’t about what I’ve been doing in the past; it's really what we could be doing to take back our home…” the pink pony slowly answered to the cyan pegasus while starting to crawl out of the lake completely, “ ever since that day of the festival, I snapped but not like the time I’d thought you all had hated my parties: the red collar that I’ve been up 'til that day wasn’t the first color that they put on me; as a matter of fact, there was a reason why. The moment I watched what they'd done to Applejack and Fluttershy, I bit the meanies that did this to them to in the necks; at first, it felt good that I'd seen them bleed to death but it also made me want to throw up and cry went I remember who these people once were: fathers, husbands, somepony else’s brothers, nephews, uncles, maybe even former classmates trying to make a living before all this. Before I could even tried to kill the next guy, I remembered one of the guards putting some fetters on my hooves just when I’d lost my own lunch, which would’ve been funnier had the invasion never happened; afterwards, one of the invaders tried to put his penis in my mouth and I’d bitten it off at once but then they punched me in the head so hard I’d blacked out. Next thing after, I was soon screaming my head off and saying some nasty things out through a muzzle; it’s like everything I was trying to do here back then could've made things fucking worse than before…”

“That was then, this is now; there’s no way it’s going to be our future for the rest of our life: there’s not going to be any pussy riding, no more taking it up the flank hole, and what’s awesome won’t be decide by a council of dickish perverts…!” Rainbow sighed as she stared into Pinkie’s tearstained eyes.

The pink pony sank back into the water at once and said, “but if I want to survive in this, then I have to let go of my anger, sorrow, and fear…”

“You once had me strapped to a machine and eaten out of while Soarin fucked me in the mouth…” the cyan pegasus growled, “after that, what could possibly have kept you from going all out crazy?!”

“How ‘bout the fact that I wouldn’t be able to see the Cakes again if I’d bit some guy in the dingy again; how ‘bout the fact that you'd have gone purple if I tried running away; how ‘bout the fact that they could even kill my–––” Pinkie felt Rainbow’s hand cutting off the reply instantaneously.

Soon, the cyan pegasus pulled her hand away from the pink pony and said, “I see where you could be going with it…!”

“All I’m just trying to say is that they have everyone we know and love under their hooves and they’re reveling in it by rubbing our weaknesses into our faces…” Pinkie resumed speaking at once, “how am I supposed to even end the horror, let alone stop him from letting it go on…?”

“Well, in any case, I don’t know what to say about: let’s say, just for a millisecond, that you actually went and discovered a way to put things back the way it was, in this purely hypothetical fantasy village world where everything returns to normal, what would you do in that situation?” Rainbow slowly whispered as she sat down crossing her hooves.

The pink pony stared at her reflection in the water for over a minute and then faced the cyan pegasus afterwards to respond, “obviously, I would go and save the day like we had always done, silly; yet, last time we did that, that was it: no more lessons, no more treks, just cocks, cocks, and more cocks. I’m not truly sure how this would even be possible given the whole situation; after all, this would be something that you–know–who might even ask about if it weren’t for the whole thing. I understand there’s no way we can just use a spell to turn back time and forget everything that happened but it doesn’t mean I don’t regret anything I did, willingly or otherwise, to not go purple again. I know that this may not mean much to you Rainbow but now that were here, I want to say that I’m sorry for all this: for going out of control at the festival, for turning into one of them, but, most importantly, for hurting you the most.”

“Pinkie, do you honestly think that just because of what Dainn did to all of us that make you free of responsibility…?” Rainbow breathed as she felt her own head become lighter, “do you even think you’re the only one here who wishes to say ‘I’m sorry’ about the whole mess we’re in?!”

“Not entirely, but I'd hoped that maybe now we’re free again, it would at least mean something…” Pinkie answered slowly before breaking eye contact all at once.

The cyan pegasus looked around for anyone who might be watching and then returned focus back onto the pink pony again to say, “I’m not going to lie, but I can’t make the truth easier to swallow; other than that, I say it now: I don’t know what we’d do to end this, Pinkie.”

“Well, in case if that happens, then I want to start over again…” Pinkie sniffled, “I want the nightmares to end, and I want to make things right and not be remembered as a traitor…”

“I get that but you can’t expect me to throw all my doubts and concerns overboard like that with him running the show: I don’t want to go in details as to how long people have suffered before we’ve met again; besides, all this talk about you hating yourself is even starting to bother me…” Rainbow choked out in due time.

The pink pony flushed her eyes with water and spoke, “Rainbow, you weren’t a coward for running away from all of us; it was the smartest decision you’d made nevertheless, something that I never thought of. The Rainbow I'd come to known would never give up after all this time, not even… Applejack would come this far to do it; I mean, you remind me of her already, the loyalist of friends and most dependable of ponies.”

“But we’re still three to four ponies in a hiding spot…!” the cyan pegasus interjected as she’d briefly looked away, “and I don’t think that they should be enough to take on lots of caribou!”

“We don’t have to take them all on at once, silly: they may have broken our stride but the game’s not over yet by a long shot, you’ll see; I know it’s a long shot but we can still make things right again somehow…” Pinkie responded to Rainbow before climbing out of the lake again.

The cyan pegasus moved out of the way and asked, “how do we do that? It’s only a matter of time before we get found again at this rate; we’re still wanted mares under the eyes of the law, or rather Dainn’s law…”

“Not these two, but that’s beside the point: we still have a chance; we fought overwhelming odds before so we’ll do it again…!” the pink pony chirped as she shook the water off her coat, “besides, the tree of harmony is still intact anyways…”

“Don’t be too sure about it: I mean no disrespect this time but you’re starting to sound like one of these self–help books I’ve read before this madness; even if we could, there’s no way we can go near the tree now that his cronies could be watching it…” Rainbow replied as she watched the water evaporate off of Pinkie.

Walking towards the cave, the pink pony said, “maybe we don’t have to go to tree yet, Dashie but maybe we could get the gang back together again, just like old times…”

“I’m sorry but are you actually kidding me: you think your plan could even just fucking work?!” the cyan pegasus screeched towards her friend, “first off, there’s no way in Tartarus that we’re going be bringing those uni-cunts along after what they did. Secondly, we don’t even know where they'd be at this moment since their so–called masters might be dragging them along. Third of all, even if we were able to find them, what makes you they’ll be willing to give them up to us, let alone walk around Equestria in our coats and rags of clothing we’d be lucky to find?”

“I don’t know but it’s a long shot and it’s all we have left; besides, I don’t want this to happen anymore so just please…” Pinkie begged as Rainbow stopped nearby by a few steps apart.

At that moment, a cool breeze ran over their skins, floating above the ground as it carried a sight they’ve never seen and there was no one to make a sound. Despite the rather tranquil scene that was already being set around the two little ponies, all was basically far from even well by comparison. Although that the air around them was devoid of color or aroma, it was strongly dense enough to bring out what could even be said about the whole thing.

Sure enough, the tense standoffish silence was a mighty few bit of a second away from being broken as it were: “fine then, I guess we should go on with it; at this rate, we’re probably going to need some food to stock for a while, something that ain’t loaded with some stallion or, Celestia forbid, caribou jizz.”

“Really, you mean it?!” a sudden reply made its way through; it was none other than Pinkie herself, “oh, there’s no substantial amount of thanks I want to express here, Dashie!”

“Don’t go overboard with it; we’re still not out of the woods anytime soon…!” Rainbow grunted as she was trapped into an extremely tight embrace that was also filling her with such anxiety.

Quickly released at once, the pink pony responded to the cyan pegasus, “I know, we’re not even sure where to go now yet…”

“That’s not what I mean…” Rainbow groaned as she back away, “right now, they’re probably going to be upping their searches at once; besides, we still got a long way to go before I start trusting you again: the minute any male comes along and finds us, or you snap back once again, we’d be totally screwed.”

“I understand that too but what about Fluttershy; are you sure that leaving her here alone would be okay after what happened yesterday…?” Pinkie asked while glancing at the cave she’d walked out of earlier.

Following suit, the cyan pegasus paused for a moment and answered, “don’t worry about it; from the looks of it, she could be having the best night’s sleep that any other mare could have in a lifetime…”

“Yeah but still, won’t she’ll be shocked about finding us gone…?” the pink pony countered, “I mean she could even start looking for us the minute she finally wakes up…”

“Then we should make this search quick: there’s a likely chance that whatever we could eat won’t be that far; aside from that, you could end up getting easily distracted and run off as well…” Rainbow answered Pinkie.

Suddenly, the pink pony held out her arms and wrists together and said, “then, tie me up…”

“Excuse me…?” the cyan pegasus sputtered as she looked at her friend with suspicion, “if this is one of your warning signs of snapping back, then I’m gonna–––”

“I won’t be able to run off and get captured or killed…” Pinkie interrupted quickly.

Rainbow felt her face become illuminated with redness and said, “oh, I see but what can we find that could help us solve that problem…?”

“Use my haltertop… I don’t mind…” the pink pony shuddered, eyes closed from the cyan pegasus, “I just don’t wanna risk hurting you more than they have…”

“Go get your rags and I’ll consider forgetting that reference soon enough…” Rainbow replied sternly as she sent Pinkie back into the cave at once, watching as her friend scurried off, only to return to the edge of the lake as soon as possible with the clothing in tow; needless to say, the former barely noticed the time that had passed in the process.

The pink pony whimpered to the cyan pegasus, “here…”

Rainbow stepped forward and began to stretch out the ragged fabric further apart as Pinkie held up arms and wrists once again. The pink pony looked back as the cyan pegasus wound up the clothing in due time and placed it around the former’s wrists. Now that they were like a pair of fetters to the two, Rainbow had to make sure it'd stay onto Pinkie's wrists tightly before they set off.

“Alright then, let’s pick up the pace; we haven’t got much time at all…” the cyan pegasus spoke as she then pulled the pink pony along for the trek, “I’d rather not think ‘bout what’ll happen next…”

“Okay…” Pinkie peeped as she followed Rainbow quickly, taking small steps away from the water at once as the sun’s rays gave them a clear path to trot away from the cave and into the woods.
> Day Four: Despondency (Part Two)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sounds of cicadas resonated in the rather dark woods, giving off a shrill, yet brief synchronized harmony all around the way with trees and darkness standing out in contrast to the skies and light as a pair of equines trekked about in the aforementioned area away from civilization in a direction so careful to avoid attracting excessive attention.

“D’ah, there’s got to be something we can eat around here…!” an irate Rainbow muttered as she snapped some twigs along the way.

Pinkie followed after the cyan pegasus, marching in tow while taking in a good look around the premises: a dense foliage of green and brown with some occasional fungus around the roots and a hive at a branch or two; soon, the former ask the latter, “what about those mushrooms; do you think we could eat them?”

“I don’t know about doing this, Pinkie; how can we be sure that they’re not gonna kill us…?” Rainbow replied with a stutter while keeping a watchful eye anyways, “besides, some of them could give these bees an excuse to sting us in the flank hole…”

“Hey, that’s not a nice thing to say…!” the pink pony quickly chided the cyan pegasus without warning in a voice soft enough to maintain the silence.

Lowering the eyebrows, Rainbow huffed at Pinkie, “takes one to know one but that’s beside the point here: we can’t just go back empty–hoofed now, not since we had just left…”

“You had me at ‘empty–hoofed’ here; our hooves are not where our hands are…” the pink pony had giggled softly, “didn’t you’ve already known that, silly…?”

“Do you want to help or not?” the cyan pegasus growled while looking at her friend dead in the eyes at once.

Shrinking back a bit, Pinkie paused silently as Rainbow gave off an intense glare before answering slowly, “I’ll stay quiet for now…”

“Any minute now, there’s a good chance that these bastards could be heading out to look for us; in the meantime, we gotta work fast and find something to keep our strength…” the cyan pegasus spoke as they found a crack of light appearing within their line of sight already, “it’s imperative that we stay hidden as well, in case they’re nearby; do you understand me…?”

“Yes, siree Bob…!” the pink pony chirped, holding up both of her bound hands in a rather malformed salute.

Shaking her head, Rainbow looked away from Pinkie and said, “let’s just stay focused to the task already: aside from the guards, there’s also the fact that some wild animals could be lurking around and devour us if we’re not careful; come to think of it, even I wish that the old Fluttershy was here…”

When the two ponies found themselves standing underneath a slender branch, they found something above hanging from above: instead of an apiary, it was a large apple with a coat reminiscent of the cyan pegasus’ mane and tail. The sheer sight of such a strange fruit no less had quickly brought nothing more but a single tear out from one of the pink pony’s true blue eyes as she watched it dangle from there very slowly. Both of them now had their heads turned upward towards the object in question as they remained stationary and just barely edging towards one another.

Piercing their own ears all at once, the sounds of heavy trampling now came within the distance, freezing Pinkie in place save for a whimper, “Rainbow, what’s going on; are we in trouble…?”

“It must be one of the patrollers; damn them all…!” the eponymous listener answered at once, “if we ain’t careful, they’ll give us some; stay down…!”

Rainbow started to take a sneak peak at the source of such noise and what had been found barely surprised her: a large cart was exited by a pair of unicorn stallions in some heavy armor before being quickly pulled off following a crackling sound within seconds; even though she was completely concealed by the forestry, it was safe to bet that whoever pulled it was far too different from them already.

“I can’t believe that we have to go searching for these stupid cunts first thing in the morning…!” one of the stallions, a green coated one groaned at once.

The cyan pegasus hid herself away from the two as the other unicorn, a brown coated one replied, “well, what did you expect would happen; even if they hadn’t ran away from their masters, we still have to be on the lookout for those heretics anyway.”

“If that’s the case, then why the flaming ostrich fuck would they even try; don’t they even know it’s pointless to resist the king?!” the first one spoke back to the other, “I wish that they would all just die already…!”

“Easy now, maybe we’ll have some time to focus on that but right now it’s going to be on the recovery operations instead: these slaves aren’t going to be hard to find at the rate we’d be going; if we are lucky, then we might be able to call it in early and see the show so what do you say?” the second stallion stated simply put.

A brief pause filled the air as golden silence was suddenly killed by the green unicorn’s answer, “in any case, let’s start with the left patch; with my longsword for the vines and blow darts for the sluts, there’s no way I’m gonna miss out on Appleskank’s routine…!”

“That’s the spirit; maybe tomorrow night, I’ll let you take one of my whores for a good fuck…” the brown colleague chuckled, “she may not be one of them, but I bet she’ll do…”

“Let’s hope we find one today; I can’t wait any longer for some pussy…!” more laughter ensued before fading away in due time; afterwards, Rainbow peeked out from there again to find them out of her sight yet still on her mind.

For a while, it would seem that the taboo noise no longer reverberated against the forestry that the two mares had concealed themselves in; however, it wasn’t the case as some soft squeaks took its place and from a nearby source: none other than Pinkie herself, it had translated into, “Dashie… do you… think that they… were talking about Applejack…?”

“I wouldn’t be too worried about that, Pinkie; after all, she can handle it…” the cyan pegasus had quickly answered the pink pony calmly, “these two got this under control…”

“How do you even know about that; what if their façade just falls through like we all do…?” Pinkie sniffled as she started to stand up straight on her hooves.

Rainbow looked at her friend in the eyes as they remained still before starting to respond again, “I highly doubt it: Big Mac may be a lot of things but I don’t recall him being like these stags here since that day; still, I rather not think about it anyway…”

“What if Applejack loses it in the process and gets a purple collar like I had; what if we never get her back when that happens?!” the pink pony started to cry softly but surely, “I don’t want to lose a friend any more than we have to these invaders in such a way, I just can’t…! The day she came to play with me, I'd warned her about what would happen if goes along to perfect; I can’t bear the thought of our friend broken to pieces! I’ll never even look at Applejack the same way as we did before ever again as long as they’re even around us, being tossed aside like figurines from an antique shop; sometimes, I think that I'd RATHER D–––”

“PINKIE… shut up; you’re going to get us fucked over if you keep at it!” the cyan pegasus snarled, suddenly placing a hand over the tearstained muzzle.

Pinkie started to muffle quietly past Rainbow’s fingers, “I’m sorry, Rainbow; it’s just that I'm worried about what would happen to Applejack because of me when I'd snapped: killing, snarling, and pleasuring all these people…”

“I understand but she’s far out of our reach for now anyway; besides, we got to focus on the big picture here: these guys aren’t gonna rest if they spot us soon enough…” the eponymous listener sighed before removing her grip onto her friends muzzle, “we’ll just have to hide in a cave after we get the food; now, tell me this: how high can you jump…?”

“Why; where are you going with this…?” the pink pony had asked, all wide eyed at once.

The cyan pegasus had pointed her fingers upward towards the apple and answered quickly, “that’s why: there’s a funny looking apple hanging directly right above us; I could get one of them but I’m still dealing with the shit that these unicorns had done to me the night before…”

“Hey, now I remember what it is: this isn’t a funny looking apple, silly; it’s a Zap Apple and it’s right on time for harvesting no less…!” Pinkie laughed as she soon followed her line of eyesight onto the fruit where Rainbow had guided, “she must have been talking about it about a year ago; hah, even they reminded me of her…”

“Just stop with the nostalgia and start helping me gather them anyway; we don’t have time for it!” the cyan pegasus growled as the pink pony remained quiet again.

Pinkie started to take in a rather long deep breath before exhaling and backed away from Rainbow by a few inches at once. Next, the pink pony bent her knees, lowering herself to the cyan pegasus’ waistline while closing eyelids over the former’s pupils. With only little warning thereof, Pinkie soon shot upward and outstretched her pair of hands towards the object that hung from a branch.

Both equines watched as the apple was now within their grasp; quickly presenting it to cyan pegasus, the pink pony chirped, “here you go: one fresh Zap Apple ready to be eaten…!”

“Alright then, there’s a likely chance that more of them could be around so search the rest of the place just in case but be careful: we mustn’t attract their attention along the way, let alone get ourselves into a trap…” Rainbow calmly replied, taking the colorful fruit off of Pinkie’s hands gently, “I may have not eaten this at all in my life but at least I bet that it’ll be better than nothing but kibbles and bits…”

“Okey–dokie–lokie…!” the pink pony squealed as she began to take the lead, this time moving about in place of the cyan pegasus.

Rainbow sighed as she and Pinkie started to comb the area for more of the edible object that they'd come across at first glance no less, wary of the dangers lurking around the two painted by close range buzzing and long distance wailing as the sheer rays of sunlight provided from up above their current station barely made it clear enough to see all throughout the way. Nonetheless, the rather rough and ragged terrain beneath their own hooves didn't dissuade their search for the colorful apples that had just begun already as the pink pony hummed a simplistic tune in a silent voice with words indistinguishable for either her friend following alongside or the flora and fauna dwelling about to transmit; aside from the company that they were keeping with themselves, the dank and dire air of loneliness was lurking around and about the equines’ minds and bodies for reasons both good and ill altogether. The cyan pegasus suddenly spotted another branch holding the same of kind of a strange fruit, this time with a quantity that was twofold compared to the first find; this had made her exclaim, “Pinkie, look up there: these must be more of the Zapples!”

“Really; there are more of them as well…?” the eponymous scavenger cheered on with little warning, “wowie… I can’t believe that our luck is starting to get better every step of the way…!”

“The randomness of my friend’s dark and twisted mind: one mystery that I will never be able to solve as long as I live…” Rainbow silently muttered as Pinkie jumped up to catch the hanging objects already, rolling the magenta irises over and shrugged about like an atlas while watching the latter pull them down from there and dropped the two of them into the former’s possession as the former took awareness of the sight and texture of the colorfully strange fruit in question. 

Although onto a slow start, it'd remained imperative to speed up the search in order to remain undetected: the pink pony found a quartet of these objects right nearby the cyan pegasus’ side within notice, making former twitter about only quickly, “oh my goodness, it’s like that there is no end in sight for finding these Zap Apples here…!”

“I got this one, Pinkie; at least I don’t have to jump up for this batch…” Rainbow replied as she found the aforementioned apples hanging nearby at eye level, picking them off the slender wood at once, “I can’t believe that that these things are easy to find at once; I wonder what’s causing them to pop up of all days…”

“I would say last night’s storm but that would be too easy to point out; besides, I can’t wait to sink my teeth into them apples…!” Pinkie answered while only standing about before quickly turning away to face the nearby edge of the woods they were in.

The cyan pegasus silently scoffed before following the otherwise absentminded pink pony while carrying the colorfully strange fruit as the former muttered, “I hope wherever she’s going there’d be more of them coming our way at once; I don’t know how much more I can carry before we’re finished…”

“Hey, Rainbow, you’re not going to believe this: I had just found eight of them right––– OOF!!” Pinkie shouted before being interrupted by a crescendo of rustling thuds; this made the eponymous listener pick up the pace as the former then groaned softly, “owie…”

“You alright there; are you hurt…?” Rainbow asked as she started to inspect her fallen friend carefully so as to avoid dropping the objects gathered earlier; however, the latter didn’t responded as the former crouched nearby. Despite not possessing any signs of damage sustained, the recovery effort was not even taking place as Pinkie had remained still even though Rainbow started to nudged about fervently in an attempt to get the former’s attention at once; unbeknownst to the latter, the former’s true blue eyes widened while staring off into the distance in an otherwise comfortably numbed state of affairs. One thing that Rainbow did take notice was that Pinkie’s mane and tail had become flat slowly, a stark contrast to the inflated texture they'd possessed earlier before; nevertheless, it didn’t stop the cyan pegasus from trying to get a response from the pink pony nearby by any means necessary.

After the tenth tugging of the flopping left ear, only a single solitary word had made it out of the chapped lips; although unclear, it could be easily heard at once already in a faint tone no less: “mom…”
> Day Four: Despondency (Part Three)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Off in the distance, fate already had the world awaken to purity; out of many, there was one area that stood out: it was the quickly growing phenomenal homestead that was free of stereo. Instead of the copious yields filled by a potential golden harvest, it was perhaps rather barren save for an abundance of rocks coming in all shapes and size and some dead trees in the mix. Also, there was a wooden fence overlooking the area nonetheless as it sat still on the solid ground planted neatly all around the way and keeping the stones away from the house and silo. Only a single solitary windmill stood by them alone as it provided the residence with its own brand of gentle breeze like a magical sentient tree stump with a desire for some true friends. Lurking about on the opposite end was a mountainside that was devoid of any majestic significance whatsoever as the golden sun was rising about from that very side at this moment.

Of course, the setting itself was a trifling concern compared to the situation that was taking place as a pair of figures emerged from the house. Even though, it would seem that they were far away from a typical viewpoint, it was clear that the situation would proved to be less than ideal anyways. Right now, there were faint signs of a struggle going around and about before ending off with a sharp resounding crackle against the skin.

As such, the two in question had possessed some significant differences that were being brought to light very quickly at once to be understood. One of them was standing about in the posture of a tall dark stranger whereas the other was kneeling onto the ground by a few feet apart. The tall individual was a brown minotaur wearing a dark trenchcoat all throughout while the other was an old gray mare donning a shawl to match the collar around her neck. He wore a black headscarf upon his spiky dark hair; she, on the other hand, had glasses with a gold frame, sharing the color of the chains which held them around the dark green mane. While the minotaur had remained well dressed to the height of his own fashion style, the old gray mare was in a state of dishabille, bearing three stones upon the flank. A twisted grin appeared upon his visage as she had started shedding a tear from her reddened glare.

“Today’s going to be the start of a great day and what better to start it off with a good old fashion cock–polishing...” the minotaur chuckled darkly as he started to look over the old gray mare.

She looked away with a faint huff before muttering, “your time will be coming soon, libertine…”

“That’s ‘master’ to you, cumslut; even your daughters took it pretty well after all these months…!” he snarled, slapping his target’s face quickly before opening his trenchcoat, “still, what excites me is that you managed to stay in the black rather than suffer the same fate as these whores of yours; a normal mare such as yourself would have snapped into a purple sooner, let alone go red but you didn’t just wanna give in, don’t you bitch? Come to think of it, up until she snapped, that mare had kept crying out ‘Sparkler… Sparkler…!’ and do you wanna know what she said right after when she did? Oh, nothing much at all except for a few simple words; actually, she had just been screaming, ‘FUCK ME RIGHT IN THE PUSSY!’ like that...”

“Liar…!” the old gray mare spat out in disgust, discharging a wet splotch of saliva onto the brown minotaur’s coat; consequentially, this earned her another slap, sending the glasses down onto the ground as its owner fell along too.

Outstretching the left hand, he started tugging onto her dirtied mane and growled, “you know, I’m getting really tired of your defiance anyway; these men are right about you: I should have gone and let them run you ragged from nine to five, let alone sell you off to the highest bidder! Of course, that would kill the boredom right then and there; besides, even they are raking in the bits I’m making which begs the question: why…?”

“You should know: I’m their mother; I know what’d be best for them…” the old gray mare slowly answered, holding back her tears with a hardened grimace, “not even my dearest husband, bless his soul, would even stand to think about what you’re doing our girls…!”

“And you have the nerve to talk about what a mare can or cannot do in this day and age…” the minotaur snickered, holding the mane tightly without a care in the whole wide world whatsoever.

She closed her eyes, snarling at him, “I don’t want to hear this, heathen; I’m in no mood for it…”

“I don’t care; you’re my slave and you should know your place by now, much like they had…” the minotaur countered, punching the old gray mare in the abdomen before reaching to her nub, “besides, I never thought of the day where a fine slut such as yourself would be mine; after all, your husband was too much of a weakling to even stop me. And it’s breakfast time, and I suggest you eat up…”

“You expect me to defile myself like they’d done to my daughters with the evil you’re doing…?” she coughed out as she felt the stinging sensation upon her body.

Pulling the old gray mare close, the minotaur yelled, “I WANT YOU TO DO YOUR FUCKING JOB ‘CAUSE IF YOU DON’T, I’LL HAVE SOMEONE ELSE WHO’LL GET YOU TO DO IT AND THEN WHAT?! YOUR PRINCESSES HAD CASHED IN ALL THEIR CHIPS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP AND EQUALITY AND YOU WANT TO BRING THE OLD WORLD BACK JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT’S HAPPENING TO YOU?! YOU CANNOT LIVE THIS LIFE DEFYING THE NEW ORDER WITHOUT OFFENDING YOUR SUPERIORS!”

“I won’t do it…!” she groaned before being pushed aside by him as a rippling tear was heard, “I’m a mother, not a harlot…!”

“It doesn’t matter; at the end of the day, you’re both of them: a mother to these whores of yours and another yourself for citizens like me to do as they wish…!” the minotaur laughed as revealed a slender appendage out from the tailor made cloth that imprisoned it for the old gray mare to see.

She looked away from it and cried out, “I don’t care about what the king says about what we should do and what not to do; I don’t want any of my daughters to serve them in this kind of way!”

“That’s too bad ‘cause you see the king dictates what all mares such as yourself should do and one of the most important of them is pleasing their master in any way possible…” he’d said before quickly bringing his target’s face towards the tip of the former’s shaft at once, “and right now, you have just brought me much displeasure for the last time so the least you can do is make up for it with mouth…!”

“Nuuoop…!” the old gray mare gulped as she felt her muzzle being invaded by the minotaur’s sudden assault, forcing both of the blue eyes open briefly before closing them back completely. Her lips became grazed by the dermal prepuce as his started to slide in and out of the muzzle slowly; this made the former started to gag as the latter did so with reckless glee all at once. The old gray mare was only moments away from spitting the shaft out of her muzzle only before being grabbed by the minotaur as he placed his hand on the back of the former’s cranium and pushed deeper inside.

He caught a wayward hand making its way for a point of impact and warned her at once, “try all you might, but anything that happens to me will not go over so well for you or your daughters; remember that image well…”

Rather than give in to the desire to push away from the minotaur, the old gray mare grabbed ahold and pulled herself against him, bringing the yard into the mouth reluctantly in the process. She secreted some small tears as while sending her lips up and down the length of his prepuce, taking in a small breath of fresh air before the next plunge, a rather easy pattern that her had taken note of already. After a few seconds had passed, a milky white discharge now bombarded the old gray mare’s visage as the minotaur released her from his intimidating grip; afterwards, she was coughing up was went inside of the mouth from the stress that was put onto her body earlier. Needless to say, the sheer experience that she had been forced to endure made her break down completely at once.

“This will not stand any longer, you fiend; rest assured that your time will come soon enough…” the old gray mare cried as she started to clean herself off at once, “this I can swear it...”

“Like that will happen…” the minotaur laughed before walking away at once, leaving her alone as she wrapped hands over the face and cried softly.
> Night Four: Conversation (Part One)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There were dark skies now dominating the landscape as everything that dwelled below them became enshrouded by the near lacking of visibility thereof. On the other hand, perhaps only two different sources of illumination that would guidance to even the most wayward of travelers thereof: a stagnant sea of stars monitored by a single moon and a flowing flock of fireflies flying all throughout the way. Aside from the most basic of aesthetics, everything else had simply remained unchanged for the most part.

Despite the rather tranquil scene that had been set at first glance, all was not right with the world; within the chorus of hoots and chirps with the occasional howling thrown straight into the mix, there was only one sound that had stood out and about amongst this eternal moonlight sonata: although initially slow, a shrill resonance of sobbing filled the dank and dire atmosphere at once. With its high decibels, it would seem easy for anyone and anything, even one who thought what would best be done is pretending to be amongst deaf–mutes, to investigate; however, not even the potential candidates would match the species, language, understanding, or gender thereof to translate it properly with the most delicate care. Speaking of the source in question, its point of origin came from a singular cave, giving off the first impression of a terrifying wild beast in a rather greatest state of pain and sorrow convulsing about within moments of experiencing true oblivion for those trapped in the wayward pines. On the other hand, it would be safe to consider that loneliness was quickly abandoned anyway; then again, these emotions emitted in such a fashion overall clung onward like an abundance of barnacles stuck onto a capsizing vessel. Either way, the creature’s identity gave off the perspective of a strange being from another worldly plane different from the current one thanks to its otherwise ghostly wail made at once.  After all, it wasn’t like that it would have been unfriendly to say the least, but instead not in the right mindset or even mood for befriended either.

Residing deep within the cave were only three equines surrounding a stockpile of apples: Fluttershy, a sleeping butterscotch pegasus laying at the sides; Rainbow, a cyan mare crouching nearby with one in a firm grip; and Pinkie, a sobbing eponymous wreckage sitting against the foundation.

“Mom…, I’m so sorry; I didn’t know… that you’d… end up like this…” the pink pony wept as she brought these kneecaps towards her own muzzle slowly.

The black–sheathed pegasus looked onward with a mixture of annoyance and worry as she sank her teeth into the fruit, getting a huge chunk imprinted into the surface at once. Although that relief efforts from yesterday were successful, a new problem seemed to had taken its place at once. The sight of the these two others would have awaken a lacrimal side from the depths of Rainbow’s psyche yet it was at constant odds with the stardust memories of Rose and Applejack bringing out venomous fury into play. Even though that it was from days passed, they’ve still hung onto the back of the cyan pegasus’ sharp mind to this night, ready to strike again and catch her completely off–guard. 

Soon, with a hard swallow, Rainbow gasped for some air and began to speak to Pinkie, “so, um… do you want… a Zap Apple here…? I’ve got some more out…”

“How could I even eat at a time like this…?” the pink pony whispered lowly at once in response to a suggestion, “the Cakes are all by themselves, Applejack’s up at the pet show, my mom is out being raped and beaten… fuck, I even got her into this mess too…”

“Oh, cut out this self–pitying shit about what their doing to us: I’ve heard it one too many times; if anypony deserves the blame, then it should be me and I can see it…!” the cyan pegasus snarled as she looked away.

Pinkie looked up to face Rainbow and said, “how in the world are you responsible for the madness; didn’t you say ‘all these caribou should go burn in Tartarus for what they did’?”

“At least you remembered all too well but tell me this: why the fuck was I standing by your side earlier today; can you tell me that…?” the cyan pegasus quickly retorted within only seconds, “I used to be like you, okay…?”

“How could you used to be me, Dashie; there’s only one me, one you, one Fluttershy, one Applejack, and so on, am I right…?” the pink pony asked, holding back the tears and bringing in confusion as she pointed towards the sleeper.

With a shaky breath escaping into the open world, Rainbow then exclaimed, “I had a dad, my big bro…! This whole crap here… there’s no friendship or family strong enough for it; they wouldn’t survive after what they did…! I bet you hate me for being different after all this; shit, I don’t even know if I hate you this much…! As much as I want to fucking strangle myself, I’m not gonna give up just yet because of these dickheads under Dainn’s grip…”

“You know, a totalitarian is the worst kind of ruler: he won’t let the sun shine for everyone like Celestia did, he won’t let us make own lollipops like the Cakes would, he won’t even let a rainbow remind us of hope; but, he’ll take whatever we have and destroy us afterwards…” Pinkie spoke, now started to stand on both hooves like she had done countless times before, “contrary to what you have thought of me earlier, I don’t hate you for being different, let alone hate you at all; what I do hate is the fact that my mom is still out there crying and no one is doing anything about that.”

“You’re not suggesting we should go back outside and save her, aren’t you…?” the cyan pegasus interjected, following suit to face the pink pony on the same level.

Pinkie straighten her mane out and answered Rainbow, “why shouldn’t we; we’re still in Equestria, aren’t we silly…? If we were able to escape, then that would mean we would be leaving everypony behind; besides, I’ve abandoned my family when this nightmare came about so I’m not gonna make the same mistake again…”

“As long as you keep quiet for the whole journey, I’ll allow it but remember this well: you may have started to make amends but I’ve yet to trust you; in addition, these stallions are still looking for us as we speak…” the cyan pegasus slowly replied, taking another significant bite out of the food in her possession, “if we screw this up, it’ll be bad for the lot of us: it will be the end of you, me, her, and all of Equestria that remains out there; besides, it’s gonna be for all the marbles in the world get them to end their sorry excuse of a reign.”

“But we don’t have any mar––– ohhhh…” the pink pony came to a sudden stop following a closer look that was given to her at once.

At that point, Rainbow slightly backed away from Pinkie yet still retained the visage while saying, “now that you see where I’m going with this, do you wanna help your mom…?”

“Okay, Rainbow… I will…” the pink pony responded firmly to the cyan pegasus, no longer showing any drop of tears seeping out whatsoever; in place of them were a pair of true blue eyes becoming fierce yet constrained, “no more sitting around like a lapdog; we got a job to do…”

“That’s the spirit; I suggest you should take an apple with you for this one…” Rainbow said, now using a free hand to pick up a fresh food from the colorful cache to give to Pinkie.

Needless to say, the pink pony took the Zap Apple from the cyan pegasus’ grip and held it firmly; despite finding the strength to cease the sorrow, not a single bite was even made into the surface. Standing up straight, Pinkie soon walked past the the strange fruit and right over Fluttershy’s figure at once; sure enough, Rainbow looked on before following suit as well without question. Once more, these two equines were now out and about into the open world, standing underneath the starry nighttime sky and sharing a new purpose that had now started occupying their minds.

For what it was worth, the brief moments of such nocturnal emission were going to become long.
> Night Four: Conversation (Part Two)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a dark yet clear night that was hanging over the whole wide world beneath the skies; however, this simple fact alone didn’t mean that the inner storms all around had subsided. Amongst the environments that were shrouded in blackness, there was only a forest where some of the hoots and chirps perched throughout the woods in a synchronized harmony of ambiance. Aside from the moon and stars that dwelled in their heavenly realms alongside the clustering fireflies that traverse between here and the earthly plains, a singular flame stood out and about.

Rainbow held it on a thick stick as she trekked across the enrapturing scenery that was around her; following behind was none other than Pinkie trailing off by a few centimeters of distance.

“Rainbow, I’m scared, but not as much as I was last night; still, I don’t like this place one bit…” the pink pony whimpered as she looked at what was lurking about in the dark woods they were in.

The cyan pegasus rolled her eyes and kept sight of the flame that was held in place and thought, “glad that Fluttershy’s still asleep when we left; she would’ve been crying harder than Pinkie at the sight of a small flame.”

“I hope we get to my mom soon; I can’t stand the the pain she’s enduring any much longer…” Pinkie sighed sadly, holding onto Rainbow very closely as they were walking along in the dark, “I wish my dad was here; he would know what to do…”

“How can you be sure about it; what if your dad’s dead or something worse happened to him?!” the cyan pegasus responded in annoyance.

The pink pony let go of her friend’s body and simpered about, “what if he’s still alive? Either way, I gotta know about somehow; I remember that they were still on the rock farm when I left long ago.”

“That’s besides the issue here: how would you even know that your father is still the man as he were today, let alone alive…?” Rainbow asked, stopping in her tracks to face Pinkie as once with a mixture of worry and angry, “the caribou took everything from us: our homes, our lives, our friends; what makes you think they wouldn’t take him away?!”

“Because I know my father as much as I can even remember him: he never did anything bad to me at all; he never even made me put glass in my vagina like one my former masters had done…” the pink pony answered, let loose a discharge of tears fall to the earth beneath the hooves.

The cyan pegasus looked away from the very sight of it but still heard her friend crying aloud; this made the former speak under breath, “man, could she'd been serious about this; oh, why would you care? She’s a red collar after all and so are these traitors like Cadance, Twilight and Rarity; and yet, Fluttershy… never betrayed me… Even she stuck up for me back at the competition even though she made nervous about it; then again, all she was trying to do was remind me of who I am, or rather was before they came along. Come to think about it, Fluttershy never even asked ‘what was I doing all alone without a master’ like all the other red collars said; then again, who the fuck would have the audacity to say that I need a master at all, especially one that would have shoved their dick into me all the time…?”

“Then again, I don’t mind if mom and dad refuse to take me back after what I'd done…” Pinkie sniffled about as she now looked onto the twigs and leaves nearby Rainbow’s hooves, “besides, it’s as if I’d betrayed the family more than I’ve betrayed myself as the Element of Laughter, more than I’ve betrayed my best friends, but even more than all of Equestria itself…”

“Oh… I didn’t think that you would be saying something like that after all that had happened…” the cyan pegasus had commented as the pink pony wiped the tears out of both true blue eyes.

Soon, the crying had subsided as Pinkie began to start moving again, albeit slowly as she spoke, “why wouldn’t I…? Ever since I’d regained a part of myself long ago, I’ve been hearing voices telling me of how I’d kept ruining Equestria and the people who’d supported me and my talents. I was so easygoing and weak when they'd taken over Canterlot back in the past; besides, I’d already told you earlier that morning about how these stallions’ lives were ended at my hands. From that very day forward, I’d ended up using myself as an extension of that tyrant king will: I’ve helped made Ponyville into the second biggest town capital of the land in sex tourism, turned the Sugarcube Corner into the biggest whorehouse all around in record time no less, and I do not even want to get started on what I did to… Applejack before I'd met you again…”

“Don’t even worry about it; she told me the whole story the night before…” Rainbow interrupted at once, “I didn’t hold it against you but right now we need to go and get your mom tonight; after all, this is what you wanted to do tonight…”

“You’re right, Dashie: mom’s out there in dire need of some help and we’re gonna give it to her; let’s go…!” the pink pony exclaimed, taking her sorrow and turning it into anger as she was now thirsting for resolution thereof.

The cyan pegasus watched as her dear friend had stormed right past the former with absolutely little care in the whole wide world whatsoever; while this gone on, a faint smile appeared at once. Of course, even the most cherishing of such purest feelings hadn’t been able to last long as Rainbow returned right back to frowning before walking on, this time following after Pinkie. Aside from the haltertop that was on the pink pony’s body, the cyan pegasus was already aware of the significant state of dishabille that they were in; however, this was a rather small facet. After all, the only real matter of concern on their minds was how much the return trip back would turn out: its intent and purpose, a simple search and rescue with a standalone complex. The environment that had provided them such luscious Zap Apples earlier ago that day changed: along with ever–present threats lurking around and about, the lacking visibility was treacherous. Even the torch remaining firmly in Rainbow’s grip was also risky in itself given the elemental composition that dwelled with nature’s scenery and the vulnerable qualities thereof alongside.

Breaking the pattern of hoots and chirps, some heavy trampling now came into the mix, prompting Pinkie to guess out aloud, “more patrollers are coming along; we better move fast if we want to save her…”

“No shit, Pinkie…!” the cyan pegasus exclaimed as she and the eponymous traveler started to pick up the pace already, “as much as I want to ditch this flame, we can’t lose our way back here.”

“You’re right; we need to see where we are going…” the pink pony replied as she looked at the small flame.

Rainbow was still catching up to Pinkie and said, “at least at this rate, the darkness will give us enough of a cover to – OH SWEET CELESTIA…!”

It wasn’t long until the cyan pegasus was lifted off the ground within less than ten seconds flat, quickly dropping the torch onto the moist soil where the flame was snuffed out within earshot. The pink pony turned around to find something the light provided by her dear friend no longer as it were previously; however, a faint glint of moonlight gave the former a fraction of sight, narrowing the true blue eyes further close to comfort: a set of climbers restraining the latter tight. Even though that Pinkie seen nothing but darkness around her, she could make out the fact that as Rainbow was being held hostage by the hostile fauna: with the latter’s arms and hooves stretched apart, two of the vines soon invaded the lower orifices of the inguinal area without any warning as they'd made their way into them as the former now gotten her mouth stand agape.

“What do you mean–––” the pink pony’s reply suddenly stopped short as she found the cyan pegasus having more of climbers sliding onto the latter’s bosoms; this made the former shout, “RAINBOW!”

“GET THESE FUCKING THINGS OUT OF ME…!” the titular captive screamed as two of the vines started repeatedly drilling in and out her body repeatedly.

Pinkie shook to and fro as Rainbow began hurling expletives within the dead air in the process; as this was going on, the former’s vision became dim as a new voice came about all at once, “well, what are you even waiting for? Your friend does need your help after all, you know…”

“How do I do that; what if I end up hurting her…?” the pink pony whimpered suddenly as she watched the cyan pegasus in front being explored by the plants, “it’s too dark to see it clearly…”

“PINKIE…!” Rainbow cried as the climbers pushed into her slick body before pulling out of there at once to repeat again.

As the eponymous witness looked on in a daze, she heard the voice overlapping the subject’s snarls, “she’s already getting hurt anyway, tortured by the plants that you’d whored yourself out to long ago just like you’d done with the other stallions and stags; heck, even you’d been helping your friend Applejack turn into one just like you…”

“Please stop saying that; why must you torture me so…?” Pinkie wept fearfully, shaking her head from left to right repetitively as the tears fell onto the earth, “not even Fluttershy would even say such things you did…!”

“PUT… ME… DOWN…!” the cyan pegasus grunted loudly with a heavy breath as the pink pony noticed how the former’s body became continuously moist with the tainted dew from the vines.

With a pair hands over the flopping ears, Pinkie still listened to the hostile voice take over where Rainbow’s shrieks left off, “you heard her; no use in having a friend losing a brain like you did long ago. You want that resting on your conscience along with all the others; is this how your mother would want to remember you on her dying day: her dearest daughter grown up into the Caribou’s biggest whore in all of Equestria, let alone Ponyville mind you…?”

“Leave mom out of this mess…!” the pink pony sobbed as she’d started to breathe in more deeply than it'd done long before, “just… please… leave… her… ALONE...!”

At this point on, the climbers that had worked their way into the cyan pegasus started to release her, radiating a vermillion glow from within as smoke poured out. Soon enough, it has metamorphosed into that of small flames, causing the plant to shriek instantaneously in a pitch higher than of both Rainbow’s screams and Pinkie’s whimpering combined, the latter’s eye color changing to accompany the faint glow from her eyes for a split second before returning to normal. As a result from this, the vines had split off thanks to the clash of elements as their lengths were greatly cut down by many units of measurements.

“Hah… hah… hah… my ass is sore now; any second longer and they could’ve came into me…” the cyan pegasus groaned, now getting back onto her hooves at once slowly as she caught her breath.

The pink pony came back to the real world and noticed how her friend became covered in the slimy dew that emanated from the climbers, choking out, “are you alright, Rainbow…?”

“Barely… I don’t know about that traitor Rose, but I rather not stay in that forest any longer…” the eponymous listener panted about in response, slowly back away from where the plant was, “we must keep moving; these patrollers could have heard me screaming by now thanks to whatever the fuck that thing was that tried to have their way with me…”

“I’m sorry… it’s just that–––” Pinkie sputtered before being interrupted by a light slap in the face; this made her recoil in shock as she covered the afflicted area at once.

Rainbow gripped her fingers back except for one, using it to point forward and whispered lowly, “the next time someone or something tries to shoot their load into my mouth, don’t you ever leave me hanging again… okay?!”

“Dashie… I didn’t know–––” the pink pony tried to speak before paying attention to the glare that the cyan pegasus gave off, “understood…”

“Good, now let’s go; after what I’d gone through just now, I don’t wanna wish this on anyone…” Rainbow said as she started to regain focus on walking again, returning to the order of operations where Pinkie had briefly taken over. The pink pony simply stayed still as she rubbed the side of her face that was searing with pain before slowly taking a small step in the direction where the cyan pegasus had just went earlier. Needless to say the very least, what had happened earlier was now serving as proof for what was at stake for the two little ponies in the tall dark forest.
> Night Four: Conversation (Part Three)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It wasn’t long until the phenomenal homestead now became the setting for what was about to happen all at once. The copious yields that were filled by an abundance of rocks in all shapes and sizes along some dead trees in the mix now had shined brightly thanks to the light of the silvery moon and the stars painting the sky. The wooden fence that was overlooking the area on the solid state society and kept the stones away from the house and silo was about to be invaded by a foreign power. The single solitary windmill that stood alone in the distance and provided the residence with its own brand of a gentle breeze in the darkness now had remained stagnant like if it were a statue made completely of stone. The furthest mountainside was resting about peacefully as they watched a pair of figures approaching the area, illuminated by a single flame standing out and about against the logarithmic event horizon thereof. The only meager defense to the calmed scenery was but a distant leaf flying about before reaching the earth in a matter of seconds.

Soon, the very frond itself had become trampled underneath as the carrier of the torch was edging forward to the premises without any trace of hesitation whatsoever.

“Das–––” a rather faint voice from behind had popped up before quickly subsiding into the lonely void.

Stopping slowly in their tracks, the calm shuffling of earth underneath the hooves was quickly followed by a faint vocal response, “if this is about what I did earlier, don’t even bother: as much I want to apologize, Pinkie, we can’t afford to get caught by these patrollers under any circumstances…”

“No, it’s not that…” the eponymous listener replied instantly, “it’s not what I'd wanted to talk about…”

“Then, what’s wrong now; is this about–––?” the carrier asked before receiving a sad nod instantly.

As a small singular tear emerged from the pink pony’s right eye, she began to speak up slowly, “ever since this morning, I’ve been thinking long and hard about what I’d done in the past and how my mom would’ve thought of me now so far, especially after the caribou came to our land: considering what I’ve seen taking place, now I’ve learned of what she'd gone through thanks to that monster of a minotaur; even now, he’s now starting to remind me of the time when Iron Will made Fluttershy into a monster back then…”

“Fluttershy… a monster; are you fucking shitting me, Pinkie?!” the cyan pegasus interjected as a free hand made contact with the owner’s face, “Fluttershy doesn’t even have a mean bone in her body at all…!”

“That’s not the point, Rainbow; I’m worried about mom more than ever: what if she ends up becoming a purple collar just like all those others that Rose had mentioned the night before…?” Pinkie had cried softly.

Rolling her magenta eyes, the eponymous carrier had begun to reply, “don’t listen to that bitch; for all I know, she could be even lying about it to make herself feel better about what she’d done…”

“But what if she'd be telling the truth: after all, I’ve gone purple and tried to kill people when we were invaded; who’s to say that it wouldn’t happen…?” the pink pony whimpered about softly, “I mean, the fact that she has the same collar as you is only a matter of time before…”

“Look, Pinkie, suppose that it is, or rather, was possible for a black collar like me to become broken to pieces regardless; if that were the case, then answer me this: what in the name of Celestia would I be doing here standing around and helping you of all the ponies right now…?” Rainbow responded as she’d placed a hand on Pinkie’s shoulder gently with but a loose glance.

The pink pony looked away for a moment, turning to find stones around them before facing the cyan pegasus in front once more and spoke, “I don’t know; I can’t think anypony who has an answer to that question…”

“Me neither but that’s besides the point; what matters is that we didn’t come here to back out and surrender after all we’d put ourselves through…” Rainbow had spoken up, focusing in onto Pinkie’s true blue eyes, “besides, you’d convinced to come out here and save her earlier, remember…?”

“Yeah, you’re right… she'd want for us to get her out whatever in Equestria that meanie’s putting her through; after all, it’s like what I’d said before: I can’t stand to see my mom suffer any longer, let alone think about it anymore…” the pink pony said as she started to walk past the cyan pegasus at once, trotting forward to hop over the fence up in front of them.

Rainbow soon followed after Pinkie and went towards the house under the deep cover of the darkest night; of the two, the former took some time to study the structure of it. The roofing upon the very abode was drenched in an abundance of straws with the inherent looseness completely nonexistent. The foundation was adorned in a bright bleachy color, save for some large pieces of woods that stood at every corner of itself to hold it altogether. Sticking up and out of the top was a stony pointed smokestack that rose from the inner corner of the home and touched the log horizon seamlessly. Out of the many glass windows that were within the equines’ line of eyesight, only one was illuminated while standing at about ten feet off the ground and over an awning no less. Strangely enough, the cyan pegasus had come across a vacant doorway where the pink pony had stood about silently.

Rainbow started to whisper to Pinkie, “what are you waiting for; aren’t you going to get inside…?”

“Don’t be too sure about it; my parents usually lock this door when I was a little filly…” the pink pony had answered rather quickly, studying the narrow gap upfront, “we can’t just run inside like a bunch of timberwolves are after us…”

“What does this have anything to do with our current situation?!” the cyan pegasus snarled quietly at once.

Shaking her head, Pinkie told Rainbow calmly at once, “all the other mares that I had known of back in Ponyville lost their homes in the conquest; we gotta be quiet if we want to save my mom.”

“I know that; besides, it’s not like we’re gonna go in, guns blazing like some cliched action hero from the comics…!” the cyan pegasus exclaimed as she kept her own voice down, “we don’t even know if that bastard's alone having his way with her…!”

“True but we gotta be careful anyway: one wrong move and we may never see the light of day ever again; just follow me, I think remember the layout of the house…” the pink pony soon replied as she stepped quietly on the edge of her hooves, entering the building with the utmost of caution.

Tossing the torch away from the house at once, Rainbow followed Pinkie about as the sounds of creaking beneath them were now becoming mixed with the screams and crackling above them, “AHH!”

“I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT WHORE LIKE YOURSELF IS STILL DEFYING ME ANYWAY!” a loud voice had boomed above the ponies as it was quickly followed by a loud rippling smack, “EVEN AFTER WHAT SHE DID, NOT EVEN THEIR PERFORMANCE COULD AWAKEN YOU TO REALITY!”

“I reject this reality and the false king’s reign–––” another voice had replied before being suddenly interrupted by the same sound made; this made the pink pony squinted about in an instant.

The cyan pegasus took notice of how movement ceased instantly as the same voice had come about, “you just don’t get it: HIS REIGN IS FAITHFUL AND TRUE TO THE NATURAL ORDER!”

“This order is a vulgar mockery I refused to stand for…!” the other voice countered hoarsely, “not even my dear husband–––”

“Will be there to comfort you, let alone your dearest daughters; besides, I think you’ll be able to see them again when you’re as ready and willing as they were… deep purple…” the first voice was now suddenly traveling all throughout the listeners’ ears as they sharply stood onward endwise.

At this point onward, Pinkie’s mane and tail soon deflated to its dull and drab state as they were before, surpassing the lengths of Rainbow greatly; however, this noticeable change was just only the beginning. The pink pony’s true blue irises now quickly contracted as her entire body was slowly but surely undergoing some pulsation with only one witness already taking notice of it already for the time being. Pinkie even started to feel her own ears flopping on and about as a small puff of steam sputtered onward from its reddening lobes before becoming a contracted trail that subsequently subsiding within due time.

The cyan pegasus slowly edged forward and outstretched at hand towards the thin strands of hair while choking out some words, “Pinkie, are you–––”

“Don’t… fucking touch me…!” the eponymous target snarled, slapping the hand away while facing the observer, now with many key differences standing out and about: a hotter forehead, arched eyebrows, burning pupils, sharper teeth, flaring nostrils, and a darker collar; with these changes she stated, “I… won’t… let that bastard… ruin my mom ANY LONGER…!”

“Pinkie… wait…!” Rainbow shouted as Pinkie started to scurry on away from the open door, causing the former to give chase after the latter in so little time.

The cyan pegasus now found herself left behind once more, instantly taking the rather short time to look around the confines of the very house that the pink pony had already led her to earlier ago. Despite the faint darkness all around them, Rainbow was able to make out the fact that there were some furnishings; however, the constant cries of pain currently invading her ears were highly unlikely to paint a pretty picture. Even so, the occasional sight of some certain tools such as slender whips and bulkier chains adorning the floor had made the cyan pegasus shake her jade tinted head for a brief moment.

A resounding smack had snapped Rainbow out of her nausea as she heard the booming voice speak, “this is what going to happen to stubborn bikes who muddle the new order; I’ve warned you…!”

“Man, I gotta stop Pinkie from getting herself killed…” the cyan pegasus spoke to herself as she decided to go where her eponymous associate had went off, “I don’t want to imagine her in such a position…”

“Don’t you––– AHH…!” a bloodcurdling shriek pierced Rainbow’s ears as she frantically searched for Pinkie, causing a drop of perspiration to fall onto floorboard beneath her very hooves.

As the sounds of pain and sorrow coagulated into a cringe worthy squint for the cyan pegasus to endure, she’d came across a rather familiar sight that made her own eyelids fly wide open again: the pink pony now had a large steel blade planted firmly within the teeth and a chain in both hands; the latter then quickly spoke to the former, “what are you doing standing around here?!”

“Pinkie, what’s wrong with you: earlier you were just scared of me, now you just scaring me; why…?” Rainbow whimpered as she took in the sight of what the titular subject possessed, “just calm down, we can–––”

“What, ang leck thish poor old mare like herself lay there ang take in the abuse like a fucking sponge, Rainbow; isn’t thack what we’ve been doing for far too damn long?!” Pinkie snarled through the knife as she had gone all the way past her friend at once.

The cyan pegasus felt her body being shunted away by the pink pony as the latter made a path to walk on, some terse crackles echoing in the very background as they were followed by a declaration, “whether or not you enjoy this, you'll change greatly soon enough come tomorrow morning.”

As beads of sweat were pouring from the forehead, Rainbow then had chased after Pinkie once more as they’d heard the horror that was taking place directly above them already within due time. The cyan pegasus was currently torn between quietly deciding what she’d found to be so terrifying: the fact the pink pony had now armed herself with a blade and a chain or the screams of pain and agony left at the mercy of a tormentor. Nevertheless, Rainbow refused to allow Pinkie to be left to her devices after what had been seen already, barely keeping up the pace as the latter never departed from the former’s line of eyesight despite having a back turned without a care.

“Wait up, Pinkie… don’t leave me by myself…!” the cyan pegasus wheezed as the pink pony had came across a stairwell and ran up it at once, “you’re going to get yourself hurt if you do this…!”

“Not as much as I’m going to fucking hurt that meanie…!” Pinkie snarled as she furiously charged away from Rainbow all at once.

With the cyan pegasus left completely stranded down five below, the pink pony now spat the blade out of her teeth and caught the handle after quickly slinging the chain over her shoulder in record time. Despite the true blue eyes shining faintly within the darkness, Pinkie started to see shades of a misty red slowly entering her line of sight as it created a lewd obscene blur fogging up the owner’s visuals overall. Even worse, a steaming hot tear had suddenly seeped out from underneath the pink pony’s squinting eyelid, sizzling onward and about before evaporating instantaneously after leaving the flesh over the cheekbones.

A light trailed on as she’d quickly turned her attention toward a nearby open door within her visage; as a result, the narrow pathway became clear enough to provide a scene that had now matched the shrieks and laughter from before: the muzzle of an old gray mare was buried on over into the moistened waistline of the brown minotaur. Aside from the small shawl over around a matching collar being adorned on the neckline, its owner bearing a fresh set of some burning red streaks on the skin searing deep enough to be illuminated in perspiration with hands tied behind them. In his hand was a jet black and slender crop being firmly held into place as it didn’t fall out from the tight palm thereof.

Pushing away from the minotaur at once, the old gray mare quickly gasped for air and moaned weakly, “Pinkie…?”

“Well, it seems that Equestria’s most famous star performer has come all this way to me and straight from the best little whorehouse in Ponyville no less…” he quickly chuckled, taking awareness of the belligerent stance that the titular intruder was in already, “and only to fail like all the others from before…”

“Just stay away from mom, you motherfucking piece of shit…!” the pink pony had snorted back instantaneously at the brown minotaur before repeatedly stamping her hoof onto the floorboard deeply.

Shaking his head away, a wide grin was cut across his lips as he’d replied, “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that; it’s the new way of the land: all mares must serve their masters any way they see fit…”

“This new way is nothing but shit and you should know it…!” Pinkie spat out with unbridled mayhem as she pointed to her mother away from the brown minotaur, “even my mom knows it already…!”

“How pathetic…!” he'd soon chuckled calmly before it had slowly metamorphosed into a booming laughter that barely shook the household at the very seams.

The pink pony held her ground tightly and refused to let them both out of sight as she asked sternly, “what’s so funny; I bet there’s a joke you wanted to tell us: is it a knock–knock joke here…?”

“Oh, there’s a joke alright but it ain’t one of these knock–knocks that you cunts tell to yourself: the fact that you would care so less about what the men want in spite of your weaknesses…” the brown minotaur answered about without a care in the whole wide world, “you’re no better than these so–called Princesses of yours, always spitting in the faces of the king even to this day…!”

“Wowie, so funny I forgot to laugh; besides, as long as this collar’s on me, I can’t laugh anymore… that is until I free this land of course, starting with one simple task… putting you out of my mom’s misery…!” Pinkie growled before she emitted a bloodthirsty screeched that made the old gray mare cover her ears in fright.

It wasn’t long until the pink pony suddenly ran up to him with lightning speed; however, this action thereof had undergone some sudden deceleration at the hand of the latter. Pinkie had quickly found herself being thrown aside opposite of her mother’s current location at once, dropping the chain but retaining the blade firmly in the hand as the brown minotaur held onto the crop. The pink pony had her eyes studded with bright flashing colors and sharps shapes before being shaken away at once, regaining an fierce furrow of true blue eyes firmly returning to normalcy as it were recently.

Pinkie attempt to get ahold the chain below and regain her stance at once but all she found was a singular hand pulling onto the flat mane; the attacker brought his face nearby the former and hissed, “well then, why am I not surprised? You made the typical mistake of raising a weapon against you better; cunts like yourself can’t get any stupider than you were before. Seeing that you, a silly pony such as yourself no less are a state-owned property, I bet your owner wouldn’t mind breaking your bad behavior to pieces.”

“As far as I can remember, he can go screw himself for all I care after what they had done to my dearest friends…!” the pink pony hacked up a hot one, earning a pained gasp from the old gray mare who was watching what had just been done to the brown minotaur, “as a matter of fact, I don’t what you or any of these bastards had done to my dad but my mom is off fucking limits!”

“Oh, look at you with the red hot air coming from a twat such as yourself; after when all is said and done, you and your mom can have all the bonding time in the world as purple collars…!” he’d sneered, making her mother’s eyes widen in shock complete with a terse but soundly gasp at once.

Pinkie felt her body become steaming hot all at once as she started swinging towards the brown minotaur and kicked him directly into the stomach before slicing into the dark fabric; of course, while he’d released his tight grip on the former’s mane, the latter spat out some saliva and grunted. The pink pony started to picked up the chain and attempted to wrap it around his neck within seconds; this had quickly made the old gray mare cover her own two eyes from seeing what was going on up in front already. Despite the overwhelming determination that was growing from the fanged horrors of Pinkie’s muzzle, the brown minotaur suddenly butted his head against her abdomen, sending the former back away from the latter and onto the floor once again.

The helpless mother now had opened her eyes back up to find the pink pony sprawled onto the floor and coughing up a few droplets of blood; as soon as he got back up and hovered over the young attacker, the former crawled over and cried out, “please don’t hurt my daughter… I beg of y–––”

“Shut up; it’s already too late for that, wench…!” the brown minotaur interjected, slapping the old gray mare away as she too fell back away and onto the floor with the gold rimmed glasses now flung off of her face; soon, he’d turned to face Pinkie and grinned as he spoke with a smile, “besides, I’ll get back to you later but now, your daughter’s body will do well as an apology…”

“You’re gonna be the one who’s sorry, you meanie…!” the pink pony had snarled in a rather deep voice even as his very shadow itself was now towering over her body all at once so to speak.

The mother had now caught a glimpse of the brown minotaur kneeling over Pinkie already as he spoke, “I wonder how your mom’s saliva on my cock is going to feel once I’m inside of your dirty pussy: maybe you’ll feel thankful for it or maybe you’ll be hateful of it; either way, you’re gonna wish that she had been there for you when I’m through with you, slut…”

“Sir, I beg of you, you don’t have to do this; punish me if you will but don’t hurt Pinkamena…!” the old gray mare wept as she attempted to regain some ground thereof, “if you want to, I’ll even let you–––”

“Like I’d said before: it’s too late, cunt…!” he’d responded while kicking his slave aside in an instant before returning to focus in on the pink pony without a care in the whole wide world whatsoever.

As Pinkie started to struggle about underneath with the ferocity of an uncommon mountain lion, the brown minotaur began to work his way inside her directly. The pink pony’s visage alternated between antagonism and repugnance as she watched him moving in and out of her very body with glee. She attempted to regurgitate another attack but felt a large hand clamped over her muzzle; now, the pink coat adorning the owner’s body started to turn a deep purple within only seconds. Pinkie quickly felt a hot tear emerge from her otherwise true blue eyes as she attempted to avert the gaze of the invasive brown minotaur as he’d given off his wide libidinous grin in the process. The pink pony felt her eyes stand on endwise as she started to suffocate underneath the pressure that he was putting on during the entire escapade overall.

The old gray mare who watched the strife that her daughter was being put through at the mercy of the minotaur made one more tearful plea, “STOP THIS, YOU’RE GOING TO END UP KILLING MY DEAR DAUGHTER AT THIS RATE…!”

“Stay out of this, wench; this matter of what I can and cannot do with her should not concern you in the slightest…!” he'd suddenly yelled back in anger before quickly returning his concentration onto Pinkie as it were before, “besides, it is only just a matter of time until––– ACK!!”

“Get the fuck off of me!” the pink pony screeched after biting one of the brown minotaur’s fingers; as a result, this had earned her a slap from him for what had been instantaneously done already.

Now that she bore a fresh red imprint on her face, he grunted at once, “if you think that I’m just going to stop at that, then you’re sadly mistaken to say the least: after when I come inside your dirty pussy, I’m gonna have your mom clean it out with her tongue while I try something with the backdoor; maybe by then, you’ll be able to have a much more clearer respect of your betters!”

“RESPECT THIS, ASSHOLE…!” a harsh reply had came about as the brown minotaur turned to find something that had surprised him: a blade now seared deep into the fabric and flesh over to the left side of his torso, thrust into with little warning by the likes of Rainbow herself; within seconds, blood gushed out from the wound as she spat out, “how do you like that?!”

“Ah-ughkk… damn you!” he spurted as blood leaked from his mouth at once, barely missing the cyan pegasus’ hooves as he slumped down onto the floor.

Rainbow turned to find both mares within her line of sight: of the very two in question, only Pinkie was found to be gasping loudly for some air while the other stared wide eyed at the brown minotaur that now lain aside in a growing red pool; the former spat, “I’ll see you at the gates of Tartarus…”

“Mom, I’m so sorry to see you like this…” the pink pony wheezed as she started to stand back up once more, “are you alright…?”

“Is that you… Pinkamena Diane Pie…?” the old gray mare coughed up a bit before regaining her focus.

The cyan pegasus then noticed that something was completely off suffice to say the very least: the brown minotaur that she'd stabbed earlier bolted upward and caught them off guard with a roar, “STUBBORN CUNT…!”

Rainbow had been grabbed onto by him as they were engaging in an arduous struggle against one another while they were teetering towards the window nearby them; this had made Pinkie’s own two eyes widen in shock already.

“Rainbow, watch o–––” was all that the pink pony could say as the two tumbled over into the glass and out of the house with a shriek, “RAINBOW!!!”

Sure enough, it wasn’t long until the shards had imploded following the force of pressure exerted by the confrontation as they fell right out of the witnesses’ line of eyesight, leaving a large aperture where only a few had remained. Following this, a loud thud came about afterwards, filling Pinkie’s mind with but a few out of many possibilities for her fragile mind to conjure up even as her very eyelid had become instantly shut. Nevertheless, a soft deluge leaked through the fingers as the pink pony sobbed quietly; it'd seemed that such a small odyssey came with a price so invaluable yet so irreplaceable for her range.

“DEAR CELESTIA, THAT’S GOTTA FUCKING HURT!!” a loud scream pierce her ears, giving cause to cease the sorrow that had been expressed from outside of the home she was in.

Slowly, Pinkie started to open her eyes and edged toward the window, mindful of the shattered fragments and the droplets littering near the open frame as she took in the sight below: the cyan pegasus resting over the brown minotaur in a pile of physical aftereffects and solid ground underneath them made the former shout loudly, “ARE YOU ALRIGHT…?”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING JUST STANDING THERE?!” Rainbow answered back quickly, her tone reeking of vexation in the strife, “HELP ME OFF OF THIS FUCKER ALREADY…!”

The pink pony scurried out of the room and left the black collared individual to her own devices at once; afterwards, the latter faltered about and slowly collapsed onto the floor slowly in a mixture of storm and stress.
> Day Five: Resurgence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A complete absence of light dominated the environment, shrouded in mystery and suspense that relied consistently on the element of the uncertain. Although there remained a likely chance of loneliness filling the air itself, the atmosphere was likely enough to clear out within due time for one reason or another. Additionally, there were even at least a few clues providing some semblance of substance that dwelled inside even with the lack of a solid terrain, let alone earth.

Out the very possibilities that were becoming unveiled slowly, only one stood out amongst the darkness: an old gray mare lain straight out like a singular stick upon itself. Donned upon her visage was but a diminutive pair of glasses with a golden frame held securely in place by its petite chains, worn around the owner’s dark green mane. Aside from the obsidian shawl wrapped tightly over the neckline with a matching collar resting in between the fabric and integument, the old gray mare was completely in the altogether as is.

“Look at that shriveled up bitch; sooner or later, she’s going to understand that chastity has no place in the new world…!” a laugh echoed instantly, causing her weary eyes to fly wide open at once.

Within moments, the old gray mare arose from her station, wiping away both eyes as she started to look around to find the source of such an emotion thereof. While that she’d quickly found that there was no one else around within the cold distance, her weary stance on the other hand currently provided the semblance of a solid state society to stand upon. The old gray mare felt her eyes widen in bewilderment as she started to explore the surface beneath her hooves, remaining wary of what would possibly lay beneath them, let alone behind.

As she slowly trotted on over, a hushed voice had now started to permeate throughout the still air, “I know that there's been a lot of questions you were repeatedly asking over and over again: why? Well, I would like to ask you the same thing; there was no need for any of such futile resistance: we’ve accepted our roles but you refused them, they gave you a chance to fit in and you ignored it. Why, I mean, why would you do that at all? You chose this, not us; the only hope that’s left for you now is to accept the new role you were given as all of us had before.”

“Absolutely not…!” the old gray mare soon snapped back, searching for the source of such a small speech but it'd seemed that no one had rose up to the challenge, “what reason should I do so…?”

“It’s simple: the homeland you and your family had lived in is no more; much as your daughters adhered to this reality, so should you…” a reply made its way within only seconds no less; at this moment, a dark figure emerged from the shadows where she'd stood sharing some similarities: height, stance, and so much more in store for her. The old gray mare slowly squinted her true blue eyes at first before it'd quickly split off into three different figures, casting away the cloak of darkness as they started to show their true colors; as soon as it'd happened, they widened in shock for she couldn’t believe that their identities were that of the same species and gender altogether. Out of the three, one of them appeared to be of none other than herself, sharing many likenesses save for a red collar around the neck; in addition, the remaining two shared that item but with differences: one of them had a pink coat and a darker mane donning a halter top and open knickers whereas the other possessed an orange coat and a wide brimmed hat upon the blond mane.

The sheer sight of them alone succeeded in shocking the old gray mare, their uncanny properties providing nothing but a subsistence of their own; even so, what they were doing made her feel outraged as well: the carnation coat mare locked lips with the former’s double while the orange mare grasped the sheath and laughed, “ya ought to be rubbing your clit more often…”

“H–h–h–how… is th–th–that… even p–possible…?” the observer choked up, creating a jaded crescent to bridge her visage as the constant stroking of the mirror image’s body made her look away; however, she took a big gulp and found the strength to speak, “who are you and why are you here; as a matter of fact, what is the matter of this obscenity you’re all partaking in?”

“It’s only expected of mares like ourselves here to do here, all that the king wishes for us to do…” the blonde mare had answered back calmly with but a faint smile as she ran her hand above the waistline.

The old gray mare now watched her double break away from the kiss and chuckled about quietly, “you know, for such a conservative cunt like yourself, it should've been a great honor to have your body explored in many ways that your dear husband had never done before; it’s so tragic that he’s not around to take you as you were back so long ago. Even now, your most favorite of your dear daughter Pinkamena happens to be a much greater kisser than Clyde ever was before Dainn took over the show; I bet it would've been real grand if he'd participated with us as well.”

“My Pinkamena’s a saint compared to you and so are my other daughters; not even he’d allow this to happen to them unlike you!” the observer snapped as anger and disgust now swirled into her viewpoint, contrasting with the libidinous smirk upon their faces, “even the memories of my dear gentlecolt reminded me of what I shouldn't lose in this new world…”

“Poor deluded whore, even I’m started to wondering why you’re constantly resisting when my bestest friend Applejack showed us how it’s done; come to think of it, I bet my sisters might've an answer to that age old question…” the carnation colored mare chirped happily before placing her lips onto the bosom of the old gray mare’s mirror image slowly.

At this point onward, some shrill laughter now cut into the darkness that made her ears instantaneously stand on endwise as she looked away from the three in search for the new voices while saying, “who’s there? Show yourself…!”

“Oh dear mommy; after all this time and you don’t even remember who we are: two of your own other dearest daughters no less…” a high pitched reply served as an answer to the old gray mare’s demand, “but that’s okay because even we've missed you so much, even as much as daddy…”

Another set of figures materialized nearby but unlike the first troika that appeared before the weary eyes, it was another double of herself also accompanied by two more mares without any shred of fabric to cover up their dingy grayscale manes and coats: a light shaded one had a dark mane and purple eyes whereas the other a faint plum coat a white mane and brown eyes. What had now shocked the old gray mare more than just before was the sudden observation that they were wearing some purple collars around their necks, given away by the fact their owners’ irises around the pupils were repelling against each other along with the slender outstretching forked tongues out from their moistened muzzles. To make matters worse, she was now watching two of the three dulled mares in question as they were currently holding each other in a slovenly licentious embrace around her mirror image at once as the red collared folk looked on with a serviceable smile no less.

“I–i–inkie… B–b–blinkie… is that really you two; what has these monsters done to my angels?” the old gray mare slowly stuttered at once as she focused in on the aforementioned two already.

The faint plum listener laughed sensually before replying, “marvelous things, mommy; they’ve taught us how to embrace our true destiny as mares underneath the king’s glorious reign: paying their homage, bearing their young, helping fellow sluts, supporting our masters, and ridding ourselves of such delusions about equality. Once upon a time, you and daddy told us and Pinkie not to go and rush into such things like love and sex; now, we laugh at the fact that your perceptions of them were so liberating ever since they’d stuck their cocks inside of our holes: ever since that day, we can’t imagine going the rest of their lives without taking them into our loud lips, our dirty pussies, or even our slutty butts. Even we saw how far that our dear sister came and gone to such great lengths to show how Equestria became blind to the reality that our benefactors shown us; by then, we’ve both got proven right about one thing: freedom is an illusion and all we’ll lose is the emotion of pride so to be dominated by stags isn't as bad for us compared to the peace of our lies.”

“How could you be saying such things, Blinkie?!” the observer had countered in shock, now on the steady verge of shedding some tears rather imminently, “your father taught you better than this rhetoric…!”

“You’re right; we should’ve asked if our father would’ve filled us up when he had the chance!” the other mare, Inkie, giggled before placing her tongue on the cleavage of the old gray mare’s duplicate.

As the image of the purple collar trio remained on the observer’s line of eyesight, Applejack spoke up, “those little fillies are right about that: why can’t ya get on with the times as they are; besides, it’s only a matter of time until ya get a new master soon enough so why go on resisting anyway…?”

“Ooh… ooh, I know the answer to that question: she thinks that it’s against the freedom of choice or morality anyway; I don’t know why mommy would even consider that thought but we feel free as a bird…!” Blinkie chirped, bringing the sweat off of the old gray mare’s brow to a slow boil, “I wish we can spread this freedom to the rest of the world like every other male has!”

“But we can be satisfied with pleasuring all those handsome superiors of ours anyways, mommy!” the light coated mare tittered happily about before slowly locking lips with the observer’s mirror image already.

It wasn’t long until the old gray mare now watched her duplicate make eye contact with her and said to the former impiously, “I can agree to that; even those little trollops of mine have done a much better job than your Pinkamena has done and without fail no less. None of this would've ever even had to happen if you’d given in to your truest nature like all the other mares did besides your daughters. As a matter of fact, I'd bet that your dearest husband would've been rather more accepting of you had he still been around instead of that stocky master of yours…”

“ENOUGH…!” the observer bellowed with a scream, her otherwise drab and dull coat burning red like the east before cooling down slowly, “I refuse to allow myself into be debased by any means much longer and not even by own minds no less…! If I give in to their demands now, then it would mean suffering the same fate as my daughters: Inkie, Blinkie, and especially Pinkamena deserved a whole lot better than what's being done to them. I must remain strong for my girls; after all, it’s what Clyde would've wanted instead as I have and not even he could've allowed such a terrifying regime to force us into these roles, especially one with a bunch of thieves and whores!”

At this moment, the old gray mare now had found that she had clenched her hands into some fists, unfurling them back up to their previously loosened form. The observer now took some short time to find that her palms and fingers were slowly reeking of perspiration as they fell from the skin upon them. She then slowed down her own breathing as these hands were now lowered to their previous place as the visuals of both mirror images along with its associates as well.

“Mommy…?” a stray tender voice quickly caught the old gray mare’s attention instantaneously, bringing her eyes onto something so familiar from earlier ago: the sight of a pink pony with a red collar around the neck would've left the former reeling the anger and disgust back in; however, instead of a licentious smile, a melancholic frown was worn over the latter’s visage.

With a curious squint, a well–placed observation found that some beads of tears were about to seep out from the true blue eyes; a full beat passed before a response was made within earshot: “Pinkamena Diane Pie… is that really you…?”

This sad visage barely said a word but nodded her head off in response, whatever that could've escaped from the muzzle lost on the wayside; however, one of them from before was none other than, “mommy…”

“My child…” the old gray mare spoke out, cautiously edging forward to the pink pony a bit slowly as a sob seeped out at once, “what are you doing here…?”

“I’m sorry…” the downtrodden figure answered, looking away from the observer at once without a care whatsoever.

As the old gray mare came closer to the pink pony, silence followed her along until they were within close proximity; afterwards, the latter dissipated into nothingness before the former’s eyes, prompting to shout out, “PINKIE!!!!”





A gasp of air escaped out the mouth as she found herself in a room with a view of a starry yet sultry nighttime sky from a nearby windowsill. The old gray mare suddenly looked around to find herself lying sprawled upon a bed over a burgundy comforter furthest away from an open door. Aside from the black shawl and the matching collar still worn around her neck, a dark black trenchcoat was adorned upon the frail body, a stark contrast to the unclothed state she’d been in.

“Oh… you’re up already…?” a stray voice quickly entered the old gray mare’s ears as she then started to look around, “she was worried about you…”

“Who’s there…?” she said, tightly gripping the dark fabric that was upon her body as she found the speaker at once: Rainbow donning the blue sweater and some pants.

The cyan pegasus carefully stepped forward to the old gray mare and answered calmly, “it’s just me, ma’am…”

“Who are you and what are you doing here; are you another one of the horrid brute’s slaves?” the occupant said to Rainbow before the irises started to bounce around from side to side, “come to think of it, where is my daughter?!”

“She’s safe and no, I’m not that bastard’s fuck toy, let alone anyone else’s for now; we’d actually came all this way to save you, Missus Pie…” the cyan pegasus stuttered as she watched the old gray mare rise from the bed at once.

A full moment of silence materialized between the two equines as the younger and colorful one pulled up a chair to sit down upon; soon, the eldest placed her hoof onto the woodwork and grunted, “the pain’s still there after all this time no less…”

“What are you talking about…?” Rainbow asked as the old gray mare shut her eyes in an instant, “what’s still there; the lashes on your back?”

“No, the shoes…” she said, seething through her teeth at once while focusing in on the woodwork beneath.

The cyan pegasus now was dazed and confused as she looked at the old gray mare while peeping, “what shoes…?”

“Mare Shoes, they'd some kind of… trigger that goes off if the wearer… tries to stand up straight…” the elder said, describing what had been said just recently as she gently raised her hoof off the floor, “that fiend had me wearing them on… since the day after I, along my two daughters… ended up with him…”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that…” Rainbow replied while staring at her own hooves as well before returning focus onto the old gray mare; needless to say, the pain in it of itself still lingered onward as it were.

The elder sighed as she studied the trenchcoat that was worn on her body and asked aloud at once, “what happened to him anyway…?”

“Oh, that asshole: he’s dead…!” the cyan pegasus answered quickly, earning a gasp from the old gray mare nearby at once, “at least, you won’t be wearing them anymore now that he’s out of the way…”

“Oh, what’s the point: my daughters are out there at the constant threat of undergoing the cruelty of what the caribou had constructed and I can’t even stop them; who knows how long it’ll be before they find out it…?” the mother sobbed into the fabric at once.

Rainbow looked onward with but a soft look as she started to watch the old gray mare cry quietly, looking out of the window frame where the glass shards still remained on the floor; as the color of the sky started to brighten up a little, the former noticed this and said, “maybe they don’t have to…”

“Huh, what’s that supposed to mean; what are you talking about…?” the motherly figure had then asked the cyan pegasus curiously as if something clicked, “where exactly do you think we can hide…?”

“There’s a cave hidden within the forest where me and Pinkie had came from: it’s not too far and none of the so-called ‘king’s’ guards or hunters have been able to find us...” Rainbow answered calmly.

The old gray mare looked at the cyan pegasus with a hint of suspicion in the blue eyes and spoke, “is it even safe…?”

“For the most part, it is; otherwise, how in Celestia’s name would we have been able to get here…?” Rainbow chuckled brightly before dropping back to an otherwise straight face from long before, “but that’s beside the point: after what had happened to that man, I highly doubt that we'd be safe on our own; as soon as the sun rises, we could have visitors coming over at any moment.”

“I know… I just wish that my Pinkamena wouldn’t have to go and get herself hurt like I'd seen her sisters do…” the mother sighed sadly as she faced the window nearby them with her weary eyes.

The cyan pegasus followed suit and thought to herself silently, “come on, Pinkie; where the fuck have you gone off to now…?”





Meanwhile, not too far from the house but close to the edge of the forestry nearby, Pinkie was found to be trotting along upon the dirt road all at once. Instead of the haltertop that had been worn so long ago, the pink pony was now clad in a gray short sleeve shirt; in addition,  a pair of pants were held up by a leather belt. Donned upon her face was that of hatred and fury in it of itself, creating a thin yet rather dark squiggle of smoke escaping from the forehead centimeters away from her flat mane.

“Ach… my ears…!” Pinkie cried out shrilly as the aforementioned senses flopped around and about so quickly, “okay, that’s it: it’s fucking on; I'm going to take what is left of this bastard’s regime down!!”

“Stop…!” a single word suddenly pierces the pink pony’s ears as they stopped firmly in place already, causing the owner to turn around and confront the speaker; suddenly, the unbridled rage she’d been feeling was tainted with shock when a familiar face from not too long ago appeared with her visage: it was none other than Adam himself in the same attire as before.

The sheer appearance of the slim canine in question did nothing to quell the fire inside of herself as she snarled, “whatever the fuck you want to talk to me about, I don’t have time for any of it; all the fun and games with the others made me deaf and blind so I don’t wish to stick around and wait as they go crazy like me!”

“Be as it may but I wouldn’t try whatever’s on your mind…” he'd said calmly yet sternly, “besides, you’re not at full strength to do so…”

“Why in Celestia’s name should it matter; who said a thing about me not being strong enough?!” Pinkie spurted out before turning away at once.

Adam took notice of the defiance that the pink pony quickly expressed at once and began to talk, “I told you before, you have a similar power to mine but that doesn’t mean you should go out and waste; it’ll change you far too much: you’re becoming angrier, more brutal, but mostly erratic.”

“So what if I'm any those things?!” she gave off a rebuttal while walking away from the slim canine at once, “at least it’d allowed me to stop be a fucking scatterbrain to be used and thrown away by others like some piece of trash: once upon a time, Applejack’s presence gave me comfort and hope in this regime; now, I’m angry at what these bastards had done to her! Now that I’m freed, I can now spread this freedom back by sharing it with my friends and family through my powers!”

“Power is nothing without any consequences: you may have found a way to unlock it from within you but like everything in life, it too has a price; there’s a what and how and this isn’t the way…” he replied.

Pinkie stopped herself in place again to face Adam once more; while the shock from before had evaporated, her anger still lingered on like chemical runoff of a toxic spill as she began to shout, “have you even looked around at what these fuckers had been putting out into Equestria daily?! This is the worst level of Tartarus that I’d experienced, especially after what I’d been going through before in my life! I can barely stomach the fact that Princess Celestia has even lost to the likes of that false king and his cronies; how can this be not the right way to release my inner anger?!”

“Because…” the slim canine exhaled before continuing onward, “this is one of the worst things that you'd seen and endured…”

“I don’t get you…” the pink pony replied as she started to simmer down a bit with her brows loosening up.

He stood still in place as well before beginning to provide an explanation for her to comprehend, “anyone, or rather, everyone has the right to get angry, be if vanquishing a foe or solving math equations but the one who stays calm in the face of evil, or better yet, adversity itself is the one who most often prevails; in some cases, the stronger blow isn’t the one that succeeds but rather the one who sees the weak point in all kinds of battle overall.”

“Right, I was never used to be able in comprehending why people like him would do such things to others…” Pinkie breathe out quietly at once as she replied to Adam’s comment in due time, “there was always this inner big blue ball of hate that’s been growing inside of me ever since, one I could never seem to get out; now, that it’s out, I can’t seem to control myself over it.”

“If you can do it here, you can do it anywhere; you just got to get a grip on yourself while you still can…” the slim canine said to the pink pony almost within an instant.

A gust of wind ran past their warm bodies as the plants faltered along within the code of silence; afterwards, she spoke up another time, “alright, I’ll try to handle it calmly but it isn’t going to be a slice of cake for me like all the other adventures: a lot is riding on the fact that I’ve escaped and found some of my friends; the minute anyone sees me or them and it’s game over.”

“Don’t worry about it…” he chuckled dryly, “as far as anyone’s concerned: they’ve got bigger fish to fry on their hands…”

“As I have for I’m going to take a field trip to the happiest place in all of Equestria: Bitch Busters…” a malicious smile was now adorned upon Pinkie; while that the fire in her eyes were starting to die down, it'd seemed that the real conflagration was now on the horizon in the very making.





Speaking of which, the golden sun was starting to emerge from the event logarithm as its rays of light began to illuminate the diverse land all at once. One of them had just struck the tallest building, a crystalline monolithic castle now sparkling about in the civil twilight as it started to set the atmosphere. The other similar structures that surrounded it had also shimmered about as well in a harmony best befitting a festive light show from the nighttime sky. In contrast, there was emerald green flora within them already well into the process of shaking the glittery dewdrops off of their stems and foliage. In addition, an orderly abundance of concrete had paved out a rather elaborate set of pathways for the travelers to seek out any location whatsoever and get them within reach. Given the time of day thereof, the odds of find a single being that shared the pink pony’s species was slim; better yet, a friendly face was almost out of the question as well.

The woodwind sounds of whistling cut on through the cold morning air as it was followed by the constant percussion of steel parts in rapid succession. Within the distance, an enharmonic orchestra had come in the form of a slender and shiny locomotive that was undergoing the tender process of deceleration. Slowly and steadily, the synchronicity of music came to a gentle end when the grinding of metal was followed by the whooshing of smoke clouds nearby a crystalline platform.

The sliding doors opened the train up to an abundance of passengers now taking their own spot onto the glassy surface brought forth by the sound of a booming voice that said aloud, “ATTENTION!”

The listeners departed from coaches that they were packed into earlier, revealing a bunch of faces in every coat and build imaginable: amongst themselves, there were at least many stallions and stags, most of whom being none other than soldiers armed to the teeth in whatever they'd get their hands on; by comparison, some mares and a few cows were also in the audience as well with a small minority of them barely dressed in a scrap heap of fabric made from many materials imaginable.

“Alright, now listen up carefully ‘cause I’m only going to say this once…” a different person now spoke out, a lone caribou standing out in particular as he currently faced the others, “there'd been reports going on since late yesterday evening about a horde of strange creatures attacking the populace originating from Froggy Bottom Bog. An investigation is undergoing already as to determine the catalyst of these beings in question and therefore will be dealt with by any means necessary; in the meantime, all personnel arriving here are to remain within the city limits of the area until further notice. Security is a top priority so evacuations are still underway and a sharp eye must be kept for lookout of any stragglers and stowaways alike; in addition, it’s highly recommended the same should be done for any wayward whores wandering about in the midst. Until the situation is resolved soon, we're expected to remain in the safe zone provided in the region; keep in mind that few shelters were made under short notice and that more are still under construction at this hour. Any and all emergency supplies are expected to be carried in your possession so if anyone of you've left anything behind, then it’s on you. It’s also requested that this incident thereof shouldn't be mentioned freely as the situation is underway at this very moment in time for the sake of maintaining domestic tranquility. Aside from that, go forth and feel free to carry out your roles given to you as from before and report any suspicious activity whatsoever to the authorities; with that being said, you’re all hereby at ease.”

At this moment in time, a mass departure of individuals came about as they started to meander away from the locomotive all at once; of course, there were a few remainders that stood out in the mix. The crystalline train now started to pull off from the adjacent station, resuming the orchestral movement that signaled its arrival so earlier ago. As it'd moved onward once again, so did the populace as they began to get on with the course of their daily lives harnessed especially by the likes of high school boys with the sun climbing up the big blue skies. Afterwards, they'd started to instantaneously submerge themselves into the cosmopolitan sea of people within the immersive area all around, already far too well into what they were doing as of this very moment in question; of course, little did anyone happen to know, the peace that was dwelling amongst the crystalline community was so close to crumbling within notice. For now, it'd seem to be a good time for many for consumption and merriment, even in a manner not so universal as it were.

One of the individuals stood out however: clad in a dark blue hooded overcoat and trotting about in some steel tipped boots with gloves and a hat, a nearby stallion was gruffly greeted, “morning sir, I’ve heard that there’s a new theme park somewhere within the Crystal Empire…”

“Oh, you mean Bitch Busters, right…?” he replied instantaneously, “you don’t seem to be from around these parts; where do you represent…?”

“Vanhoover, m–my pops done raised me over there…” an answer quickly reached the listener’s ears.

The stallion gave off a faint smile and said firmly, “ah, that city: I was hoping to spend my Hearths Warming over there but it was too damn cold on that year; so, what’s with the get up here…?”

“I have a slight cold: ACHOO…!” the traveling stranger sneezed out at once with little warning, “see…?”

“Oh, then you might want to see a nurse just to be safe; I heard that one of the crystal cunts over the corner can even suck you off real good…” he'd spoken about with a growing beam upon the visage.

This mere suggestion was already met with a quick headshake followed by a sudden response, “thanks, but I have some better things to do in here than worry about some coughing and sneezing.”

“What sort of stallion refuses a trip to the clinic, especially one that'd be sick…?” the loosely clothed stallion asked suspiciously, “are you one of those sympathy heretics that they’ve been warning us about…?”

“Are you kidding me; why would I even be one of them stupid idiots from the past anyway when I want to go a theme park instead?!” an exasperated sigh escaped already within due time no less.

Unbeknownst to the observer, the traveler was running up quite a fever pitch and said calmly, “calm down here: no one’s accusing you of anything; I’m just only concerned about your health here…”

“Don’t be; I wouldn’t let whatever the world I’m having affect everyone here this morning, even as something like this…” a rather faint growl emitted from underneath the blue hood all at once, “like I’d said before, I wanted to see the new theme park around here; where can I find it…?”

“You can’t miss it: just follow your sight towards the second tallest structure of the place and you’ll be there soon enough; it should look like a phallus…” the stallion described to the traveler at once.

With a fervent nod, a barely amicable tone was translated into that of a single reply, “thanks sir…”

“No problem, just bring back a souvenir from there; everyone would love to hear about it…!” he said before breaking away from the traveler at once, “cheers mate…!”

At that point in due time, the two individuals went on their separate ways, seemingly unaware of the turn of events that would come their way so soon. With the stallion walking along in the opposite direction, a key detail that stood out amongst their recent conversation was carefully heeded when something now became the center of attention in the very least. Focusing in onward, the traveler had moved further on in the direction of the crystalline cosmopolitan and caught sight of what was being mentioned: standing adjacent from the castle was a tall construct reminiscent of dominance. Needless to say, a wayward hand reached for the owner’s face and pulled off a pair of sunglasses by only a few centimeters to reveal the true blue eyes burning brighter than the rays of the sun all around.

“I’m gonna make that fucking meanie rue the day he’d made my friends and family slaves; this I swear it...” the traveler growled quietly while facing the structure up in front and returned the shades back over the visage carefully.

A large neon sign buzzed about, its silent voice reciting a short alliteration that made many of the stallions and stags altogether flock to the premises like bumblebees swarming towards a greenhouse. The sweetness of such a simple product was not without its own prices paid: the collective dignity of many quickly becoming subject to corrosion by depravities up in exhibition. Whatever it was worth, they wouldn't even dare to match up the sheer destruction that was to be unleashed today by any means necessary as the observer soon joined amongst the growing crowd.

The blue eyed traveler remained cautious enough to avoid getting swept up by the storm of denizens clustered underneath the sign as many heard the declaration made, “cum one, cum all: get in on a slice of the action by having a free for all with two of the most curvaceous cunts hailing from the outskirts of Ponyville itself! Once upon a time, they were just ordinary rock farmers living on a meager wage to support their own family; now, they’re the latest attraction up at Bitch Busters: Inkerton Cait Pie and Blinkering Ai Pie! Although they look duller than the boulders burrowing at their humble abode and second to run behind the most famous party pussy, these slutty sisters are more than ready, willing, and able to please their audience here at the Crystal Empire with every single technique straight from the books! They are the stars of their own show that barely need an introduction, let alone an exposition, but would only want any cock to fill up their holes until they burst like there’s no tomorrow! Unfortunately, this is one of the certain things in life that many wish would last forever and you'd be crazy stupid to decline such a magnificent opportunity like this; after all, these twats need all of your dicks to please them at once! Do your part as a superior being and a favor for yourself by being all you can be to make them take it up with you all as they satisfy your needs and wants, be if a simple old fashioned blowjob or a nasty threesome with another mare in a mud wrestling match! All you have to do to get in on the action is come straight on over to center field because that’s where these bitches will be at your attention alone along with every one of your fellow drinking buddies! Bring them along and join in on the fun today ‘cause that’s the day these whores like some of your penis and they need it now; don’t wait too late, cum on down and fuck them silly!”

“The only ones who’re gonna get fucked are you guys; I can’t wait to make you all pay for this…!” the annoyed listener had muttered under breath as the masculine crowd hooted and hollered about loudly, “I’ll find them, kill all these fucks, and leave this damn city in the stinking rotting dust.”

The swarm of observers pushed and shoved their way at once as the traveler blended in with them with little problem whatsoever. It'd seemed that the advice given out from of one denizen alone had paid off very handsomely as they entered the aforementioned premises. All that had to be done now was to follow them along and the two performers in question would become even well within earshot in due time.

Crashing through the gates of the park, there remained such sights in which were unlike the very exterior that shined on like a bunch of bright crazy diamonds in the big blue sky above them. Everywhere around was a recreation of some fractured past reeking all too well of previous sky colored days from yore: scenes from a trashy pulp fiction novelized magazine reenacted to the detail. The scent of passion was already polluting the crisp cool air as the sounds of pain and sorrow were instantaneously thrown into the mix like some toppings thrown upon a bowl of ice cream served up in the fray.

“Damn, look at these some bitches go; they’s hauling some ass today…!” a rather loud interjection pierced the atmosphere quickly, prompting the traveler to identify the source and go to it.

Underneath the heavy clothing being worn was but of a stunned surprise, a face rather anomalous compared to the very occupants in the confines; as such, the wearer could barely make out with what was being seen right out in from of the sunglasses: a pair of mares being swept up in the moment, donning only a purple collar around their necks and bizarre faces upon their visages; although they both possessed dingy grayscale manes and coats, they had differences that told them apart from one another. One of them possessed a light shade of gray compared to the numerous others and had a darker mane whereas the other had a faint plum coat with a mane that was as white as the clouds traversing across the sky. In the midst of passions, their eyes were opened wide as to focus in on the participants that were up in front of them: the former had some deep purple circling around the repelling pupils while the latter possessed a dull brown scheme instead. Adorned throughout their coats were many patches of dirt and residue along with some fresh bruises as they forwarded their muzzles over the moistened waistlines: one set of flanks bearing a geode matching the owner's eyes and collar whereas the other got a rock with gold lines. The two performers were held down at the same level amongst the predominantly masculine crowd around them, resting on their hands and knees as they'd been explored by the likes of which were never experienced before. Thanks to the constant pushing and pulling of the spectators at the mares’ totalled expenses, their collective movement was followed by the occasional mewling, adding more to such efforts by the barest minimum. Surely enough, the overflowing ecstasy would end up yielding a great catalyst for the two to experience all at once: one of the stallions from behind the young gray mare emitted a dishonorable discharge, bursting about like a flowing waterfall as it splattered across the thighs; the other participant, a stag, pulled out of the plum performer’s mouth and slapped his appendage around before squirting into it, putting long blasts across the face and bosoms before subsiding.

As the load of spectators was being lightened in the process, the latter mare cried out instantly, “shove your cock inside my whore mouth; I’m a dirty ass bitch…!”

“Can’t argue with a dumb purple collar like her…” a chuckle was heard as the plum performer moaned wildly from the remaining spectators going inside of her, “let’s give that cumslut what she wants already…!”

“YEAH…!” a resounding cheer roared amongst the remaining population of observer as they watched the two grinding against the explorers.

The sight of the mares in such a state of constant expenditure at the merciless whims of their handlers made the traveller fumble the shades a bit as aside from the raucous endeavor were faint voices whispering about, “well well well, look what the pussy dragged in here…”

“Inkie… Blinkie…” the listener whimpered about as the darkened vision became narrow like a tunnel, “don’t tell me that you’re–––”

“The cells in our hostesses’ bodies; wow, even for a scatterbrained traitor such as yourself, you’ve caught on pretty fast, don’t you say…?” a dried round of sardonic laughter came about.

As another stallion took the stag’s place within seconds, the faint voice whispered about again, “it’s kind of nice to see you here again, Pinkamena; shame that you’ve came all this with a red collar around no less…”

“How do you even know that…?” the aforementioned mare said, faltering about in the process, “but I thought you were–––”

“Too fucked up to think straight; you’re a riot, aren’t ya: always finding a way to make people laugh, just like the old days, you know…?” a high pitched chuckle erupted about into the heavily clothed onlooker.

A stream of tears escaped from the shades as Pinkie sobbed, “I didn’t… I’m sorry…!”

“STUFF YOUR SICK ASS SORRIES IN A SACK, YOU BACKSTABBING SLUT MACHINE…!” the faint voice had now suddenly shouted into the pink pony’s ears within only seconds no less, “because of your kind, we ended up losing everything when these bastards came to our doorstep: our clothes, our home, our father, our mother, even our will too! Inkie tried to keep both of our hopes alive even as that fucking bastard of a minotaur who dared to call himself our master gotten us thrown over to the briar patch of vines on a weekly basis at the farm. As we were left to our own devices since the night after they’ve fucked us in the flank hole, I’ve cried so hard that I wanted someone to end my suffering by killing me; because of this, mommy tried to everything she could to keep us together: singing to us, telling us stories, all the things our dear Granny, may she rest in peace, used to do. Even so, she told us to pray and hope for the best as we were left the shithole of a rock farm that used to be our home sweet home; I’ve done those things all the damn time as we looked around for a hero to free us from the nightmare that bastard king put our family through but you want to know what we’ve found instead? You in that fucking collar and trashy cow costume that sprays strawberry breastmilk on a Hearths Warming Eve no less; with no more heroes to hold out for and no hope for the ride to end for just one fucking day, let alone a week to say the least, what’s left for the family of the former Element to rely on? Nothing: not a pot to piss in, a window to throw it all out, a tub to clean off the spunk, a cupboard to eat from, a warm bed to lie in, a roof over our head, a boulder to farm out, a friendly face to trust, a mom to comfort and clothe, or even a dad to make the monsters go away; just cocks, cocks and more cocks everywhere, be if in our loud lips, a dirty pussy, and/or a slutty butt!”

“I wish you didn’t even have to say that…” Pinkie cried softly, placing her hands over her head.

A few people in the crowd noticed the gestures that the pink pony made but not her true identity as she heard the words, “fuck you…”

“Hey, buddy...” a tender voice from that of a nearby grassy maned unicorn in taupe coating, “you’re acting funny, are you alright…?”

“Huh…?” she heard as the sight of that concerned stallion jump into the foreground as the performers and participants alike were reduced to lame background characters from a summertime lakeside camp.

Before Pinkie could even speak to him, the voice spoke to her again, “sorrow is for soldiers who’ve left behind lovers and children and we’re not any of them at all; the lesson we’ve learned is when shitheads hit the fan too hard, there’s nothing that can be done for the lot of us! Not even our princesses can get off of being able to use words or diplomacy to save the day: not Celestia, not Luna, not Cadence, and especially not that fellow traitor of the land you call a friend that dared to be an Element of Magic named Twilight fucking Sparkle! All those overpaid oversexed overseers munching on burgers and fries while whores like you worry about what will earn them some cum on their face; we’re done hearing the likes of your kind even lumping us up with likes of that other famous cockslut! After all, there’s nothing worse than being some cumslave that can’t stop thinking about when are we going to get the next hot dicking so we’ll say this only once: the day of reckoning's coming and there won’t even be a place in the world that'll swallow you whole and live; when that happens, being a former Element of Harmony and a Pie will mean nothing at all…”

“Something’s wrong with this guy…!” the same stallion exclaimed, alerting others to the pink pony’s situation, “do you need a nurse to help you out here…?”

“Help…?” a weak murmur escaped from Pinkie as she found all eyes focusing in on her at once.

The grassy maned unicorn shook the heavily clothed mare and said, “we'd help you with it…”

“I’m fine but I can tell you who needs help around here…” she wheezed onward, “these two…”

Without any warning whatsoever, the muddy soil around the two mares shot up some flames, igniting the brilliant green along with a few stallions and caribou in the process. The spontaneous combustion of the area caused the majority of the audience to focus their eyes on the fire that trapped them inside instantly. The screams of pain and agony overtook the cries of joy and sorrow from beyond their perimeters as they watched the sources of them collapsed to fold in an instant. The crisp cool air that reeked of passion earlier was now polluted with hot smoke and mortality as charred husks formed within the flames.

“MOTHERFUCKER!!” the stallion cried as he watched his peers now caught ablaze by the sudden change of element around his right of way.

The spectators who were indulging themselves into the mares broke off and retreated from them at once, left alone to bask in the sweat, soil, and sap now slathered upon their manes and coats. Their eyes were dazed as they started to look towards each other for some closeness, tongues dangling about while nestling themselves away from the blast circumference around them. Unlike the crowd that started to scream and struggle to put out the flames, let alone attempt to escape them, the performers were locked into a sloppy and salivated series of some osculation.

Pinkie stayed calm and collected even as she remained within the inferno amongst the audience, focusing her attention onto the two mares that began to explore their bodies for a secondhand recreation of what had been dealt to them; soon enough, the former walked up towards the latter without breaking a sweat and said, “go with me if you two want to live…”

“Will you fuck us afterwards, sir…?” the young gray mare stuttered as she and the plum one nearby barely broke away from the libidinous embrace, “we’d fuck us so hard…”

“Not at all…” the pink pony answered as an opening was made within the fiery gate around them surrounded by a band of seven responders armed with fire extinguishers and buckets of water and dirt.

Of the seven was a heavyset brown ginger pony in a black sweater and overalls leading the counterattack against the spontaneous combustion who shouted, “help this stallion get these harlots out from the fire; the managers are gonna have a fucking field day unless we do something about it…!”

“YES SIR…!” the remaining six bellowed, shooting their load at the flickering flames as she pulled the two away; amongst them, a lanky pegasus in a yellow longcoat said, “stay calm, you three; fuck, how does this even happen in such weather?!”

“We will…!” Pinkie replied gruffly, quickly hiding her actual voice away to blend in with the onlookers.

The pink pony walked towards the pegasus as she gotten the performers out of harm’s way; however, this didn’t mean the same for her alone when he’d found something catching his eye: upon her coat was a small ember etched into the jacket from behind, causing him to shout out, “HEY THIS ONE IS HURT; SOMEONE GET THIS COAT OFF OF HIM ALREADY…!”

“Shit… I was so close…” she muttered as a nozzle was now quickly aimed at her adjacently already, “I hope they don’t catch my disguise…”

A dread flushed over Pinkie’s mind and body while a flurry of white foam was latching onto the fabric within an instant, all color hidden away from the outside world. Although that it did stop the wayward flame from growing upon the pink pony’s body, the fear lingered on: it seems that the turmoil she'd caused was now going to end already. Her body shook to and fro as the water ended up clashing with the froth, clearing away the chemicals that doused the ember upon the clothing as they were sopping wet.

“It’s okay; we’re going to get you some new clothes and besides these bitches will still be up and running after we get the fire put out…” the extinguisher toting stallion said calmly as he led Pinkie away from the performers at once.

The pink pony’s sunglasses fell off as she took another glance at these mares: despite the chaos that was claiming their source of pleasure, they still returned to the kiss at once even as the water was splashed upon their coats; in the process, shock and sadness swirled around the eyes as she watched them even as the distance between them increased by the second. A part of her wanted to check up on them and set the stage for an intervention that could restore themselves to their former state; however, the reality that they were all in wouldn’t allow such an event to take place given the atmosphere that persisted about. With the remaining survivors dragging the performers away from the shrinking conflagration thereof, Pinkie found herself at the presence of another equine.

Like the pink pony, the individual in question was but a red collar mare of the same build with cool colors in the irises and warm hues as their coats; of course, they had differences as well. Unlike Pinkie, she had a pale yellow coat with a light blue mane in two different shades and the eyes of harlequin. Like the two mares behind them, she was bare, save for a black cap with a red circle forming the shape of a cross with hearts at each corner over her head. The pale pony had possessed a similar style to her hat upon her flanks but in a different color scheme instead.

The pink pony widened her eyes in shock and squealed, “OH CRAP, IT’S–––”

“Another one…” the harlequin interrupted as a needle pierced through Pinkie’s clothes at once; slowly but surely, the latter stumbled and fall onto the ground after the former pulled it out quickly, “how pathetic…”

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO TO HIM, YOU CRAZY BITCH?!” the pegasus screamed, slapping the pale pony in an instant.

Sliding back by inches but still standing, the harlequin rubbed her muzzle and answered, “that’s the thing, sir: this 'him' you speak of is actually a ‘her’ sir; I saw the eyes clearly.”

“What are you talking about, cunt; what reason was there to stick a needle into him?!” he barked as he grabbed her wrists at once and glared onward, “they’re gonna make you wind up like your slut of a fillyfriend afterwards…”

“Have you checked the coat lately, sir…?” the harlequin grunted as she used a free hand to point towards the pink pony at once.

Muttering angrily, the pegasus shoved her aside again and unfurled the hood over the wearer’s head; in doing so, his eyes widened in shock as an abundance of flat pink mane came about as he said instantaneously, “I DON’T BELIEVE IT!”
> Night Five: Auscultation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

All throughout the way, there was only an abysmal unknown of complete whiteness where such factors of sight, substance, and scent lay buried in obscurities referred to as an ethereal void. The exceptions that gave clues to the location’s identity were surface, sensitivity, and sound: such were the gentle breezes that were being close to comfort anyone that crossed their path. Most importantly, the current occupancy was above from simply desolate, let alone abandoned; after all, this bright light all around the way proved to be outright temporary to say the very least.

A tall pink pony lain supine with a warm face plastered with a straight edge and leaves all across the way. Her darker mane was decorated with a small bouquet of flora, each with an assortment of many hues and styles whatsoever. A colorful blouse was found to be adorned on the pink pony’s very body, a whirl of blues and yellows in a frilly length. Her hooves were bare, being occasionally licked by the fabric of her chosen attire as the winds surfed over and across the way.

“Can you believe that bitch was silly enough to be fighting for her right to be treated like a male in this world…?” a laugh had escaped into the pink pony’s ears, causing them to ring clearly at once.

Within moments, she slowly but surely arose from her station, both eyelids struggling to fly open as the true blue orbs prevailed. With the pink pony alone in the world, she quickly took up a bouncy stance upon the surface beneath that seemingly possessed the semblance of a solid state society. Jumping up and down a bit, she started to explore the very void that was around herself, cheerful but also wary of what would possibly lay in front, let alone behind her current position.

Soon, the hairs on the pink pony’s coat stood on endwise as the eyes darted around to and fro, shivering with a sultry sigh, “Ah, when has it ever been the time I could remember the old days…?”

“Not now…” a soundly snarl sauntered into the void around her, startling the puffy mane at once, “matter of fact, I think now’s the time for a little talk about what’s going on in the world today here…”

“Who are you…?” the pink pony asked, suddenly stopping in midair as she looked around to find herself an answer: a lone figure was standing about a few yard from where she'd remained; at first, it’d seem to be just a random encounter with space invader. She slowly squinted her true blue eyes at first before it'd started to show its true colors; as soon as it'd happened, they widened in shock for she couldn’t believe that the identity in question was in possession of many traits in common: species, build, color, and gender altogether. Of course, even they had their own significant differences: unlike the pink pony who was dressed, the other pony was stark naked, save for a purple collar around the neck; in addition, the coat was darker and the mane was flat.

The sheer sight of her double alone had already succeeded in just bringing forth shock and awe, the uncanny properties providing nothing but a subsistence of its very own; even so, the opposing observer possessed an unhinged glare that responded about rather quickly, “I’M YOU…!”

“You’re… me…?” the pink pony spoke back, initially confused at first before giggling at once, “silly pony, I’m Pinkie Pie; there’s only one of me and me alone. How can there even be two of me here…?”

“That’s besides the point here, pinhead: it’s not even why I’m actually here today…!” the purple collared mare harshly spat out, instantly jumping towards the aforementioned onlooker all at once.

As Pinkie watched a wayward hand reach for her neck, the bright smile upon the visage now started to falter as she grunted about, “take it easy here; what’s this about you being so grumpy with me…?”

“You know what this is about; after all, it’s like what I’d said before: I’m you…!” the darker double hissed, “Pinkamena Diane Pie, the daughter of Clyde and Sue Pie, sisters of Inkerton Cait and Blinkering Ai, citizen of Ponyville, and more importantly, Equestria’s Bearer of Laughter or used to be…”

“Used to be…?” the pink pony slowly repeated, instantly slapped aside at once without any warning.

Then, the mirror image ran her hand down to the collarbone and started gripping onto it before screeching, “Exactly: I used to be you until these caribou cowards came to the homeland and made you into a fucking whore with these accused things around the neckline, something you can relate to…!”

“What does this have anything to do with me here…?” Pinkie whimpered at once towards the double, tensing up from the hot and heavy breath upon the coat, “I didn’t wish for any of this upon you…”

“YOU THINK THAT FUCKING MATTERS, YOU PINK BELLIED TRAITOR; YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT GOES ON IN THE REAL WORLD: ALL THE FAMILIES TORN ASUNDER, FRIENDS DRIVEN APART, THE NEIGHBORHOODS DRENCHED IN SEX, ALL BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU?!” the mirror image yelled at once at the pink pony.

Pinkie’s eyes soon welled up with some tears as the nude double glared back at them, crying softly about at once, “what do you mean by… ‘people like me’; what are you even talking about…?”

“OH CELESTIA, DO I SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD TO YOU HERE?!” the mirror image had answered back, slapping the observer’s face again, this time twofold, “I’M TALKING ABOUT WHAT YOU DID AFTER THEY CAME: YOU TOOK UP THE FUCKING RED COLLAR: I’M REALLY CURIOUS AS TO I WANT TO KNOW WHY!”

“I was scared… I was worried… about the pain… they would’ve caused… to all of us…” Pinkie sniffled about, attempting to conjure up a stable reply to the short yet heated outburst from earlier.

The double then threw the pink pony onto her previous state and landed near the latter’s legs only to straddle the abdomen afterwards to throw out a pointing finger with a singular shout, “they’re causing us pain already: they’ve even blanked our sisters to keep you calm and pleasure on!”

“I didn’t realize that it would happen…!” Pinkie wept, her faltering composure currently being consumed by the flames in the mirror image’s eyes, “even they’ve messed up Princess Celestia here…”

“The ones who took everything from us were none other than you guys and all because of the mentality that you and your fellow fucksluts like Twilight had been spouting out: ‘we must do it for them’, ‘mares need to say yes’, ‘it’s what we’re born to do’; by surrendering yourself to their ideology, it’s like you were wanting a reason to let it happen…!” the double spat back already.

At this point in time, the pink pony began to wail, now letting loose a deluge of tears onto the frilly fabric and their coats too as she pleaded, “I’M SORRY: I DIDN’T IMAGINE HOW BAD IT’D GOTTEN; I JUST DIDN’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO BACK THEN!”

“Unlike me when I’d bit the everloving daylights out of the sorry sad sack shit for brains stallions who’d tried to get me into sucking them off…!” the mirror image hissed at Pinkie without a care of the ensuing sorrow thereof, growing a malicious grin upon the visage, “matter of fact, I should be having no problem in wasting the likes of you...!”

“HEY, BREAK IT UP ALREADY; it’s just as she’d said before: I didn’t even know what to do…” a loud voice had exclaimed, causing the two ponies in question to turn their attention from themselves to find another carbon copy of themselves; as such, there were similarities and differences being shared as they were. Like Pinkie, she also wore a frilly yellow yet otherwise blue blouse upon the very body as well, albeit torn up from the neck up as her bosoms and sheath were currently exposed all too freely; in addition, a collar was wrapped around her neck but unlike the double upon the former, it was painted in lost silver. Even so, the wearer had a solemn look that was reminiscent of what the pink pony beneath the other except there were no liquids seeping from the true blue eyes; also, she possessed both eyebrows being arched more loosely than that of the glaring mirror image restrained above yet keeping a firm glance nonetheless.

Soon, Pinkie had felt the heavy load upon her body being completely lightened by the purple collared double who growled at the silver collared individual instantaneously, “that’s easy for you to say; IT WASN’T LIKE YOU HAD PREDICTED AS MUCH AS THAT FUCKING TRAITOR DID…!”

“Girls, the monster inside of me’s feeding upon all this anger…!” an intrusion of trepidation voiced such concerns, belonging to another mirror image devoid of clothing except for a black collar upon the neck shaking about with a faltering demeanor; additionally, she had a bruise upon the skin and blood trickling down the legs, “I DON’T KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE…!”

“Snap out of it; your Pinkamena Diane Pie, the hero that saved Ponyville from the parasprites, the friend who helped Fluttershy and Twilight escape from the hydra, the young one that even put the Sugarcube Corner on the map as PARTY CENTRAL…!” the silver collar double suddenly interjected as she shook the trembling other still in the process.

As the pink pony looked onward, the black collared equine replied with widened eyes bouncing about, “AM I OR AM I A BACKSTABBER, A CUNT WHO WANTS MORE COCKS INSIDE OF ME?!”

“What is going on here…?” a ghostly wail had pierced their ears, bringing their attention to a speaker: Pinkie found this mirror image to be adorned with a red collar and in a halter top with some open panties thrown into the mix as tears, “I just wanted to play with Applejack again just like the old days…!”

“It’s too fucking late for it now, you rhodium runt…!” the purple collared double groaned, shaking her head in the process as well, “you knew what the consequences would be when you took the red, YOU BITCH…!”

“I JUST WANTED MY FRIENDS SAFE!!” the pink pony howled back, eyes completely flooded by the tears that made the onlooker scream at the former. Soon enough, the other copies of Pinkie joined in, each with their own pitch and tempo that warred against the fading harmony of the environment. The taboo noise that they were currently making was harmful and horrific despite being all alone in the void with none other than themselves.

Without warning, a large explosion shattered the dimension that the pink pony and her mirror images were consumed in, set ablaze in fire. The spontaneous combustion had quickly grew to a size in which had rivaled the likes of an average metropolitan skyscraper at once. Even though the surface around the blast radius was clear of cluttering terrain, the intense heat swirled about without a care whatsoever.

Afterwards, the flames died down and so did the turmoil that had ensued earlier as well; however, instead of some ashes and dust being left over, there was something else found in its stead: Pinkie was laying facedown in the epicenter of the initial impact before, alone and rather silent. The pink pony showed signs of damage from the sudden outburst of what had already occurred: the flowers upon her flatten mane were reduced to dust charred alongside with the very fibers and the blue blouse adorning over the owner’s coat had patches that were already darkened to a crisp. The rest of her body overall remained completely unchanged as if the fires themselves had just kept the owner’s pink coat safe and sound in the very least thereof; of course, the fact that such a constant had remained over did not make a promise for a rather prettier picture to be painted up.

Pinkie cried to herself as she struggled to push upward from her station once again, sighing, “is this it: am I’m going to remain a shadow of my former self forevermore; could this be the end of us, me, Dashie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight reduced to slaves…? I thought that with the Elements of Harmony on our side we would be able to have our friendship prevail against any adversary after Equestria; but, now I’ve seen what will become of our land: a nation centered around self-destruction and nothing more. Rainbow’s right about me: I’m nothing but a red collared traitor, not just to her, but all of what had used to be our home, my family, my friends, my ideals, and myself; I wish I could just fucking die rather than live on as that bastard king’s slave any longer.”

“Pinkamena Diane Pie…!” a distant shout invaded the pink pony’s ears, causing the very listener in question to look forward only to find that no one was there; still, the voice echoed into them again, “are you alright…?”

“Mom, are you there…?” Pinkie groaned, turning around to find that no one was behind her either; however, she found that something had changed: rather than the uniform whiteness itself, a barren homestead was now within the line of eyesight.

The pink pony struggled to crawl over to the patch of earth that was not too close for comfort as the voice replied, “I’m here… I’m still here…”

“I’m so very sorry...” she murmured, climbing her way across the rest of the void to reach the very homestead even though her speed was slowing down to a bare minimum, “please forgive me…”





“Notice the sensuous curve of the breast,” a stray voice emerged from the dark backward that was deemed nothingness itself, a void that soon dissipated within moments at an end when some more colors came into the picture. Most of the colors were dark and steely, possessing the appearance of an industry booming alive in the flowing hustle and bustle of a big stinking city where a pink courageous dog could walk about in the company of its owners. By comparison, even the brightest of which had now already started to stand out in the open as it were, loudly and proudly as they were being a bit more up close and personal than it was previously perceived so earlier ago.

As a matter of fact, these colors painted a visage of what was so up in front of Pinkie at this very moment in time: a pale yellow horse with a light blue mane colored in two different shades and a smile formed upon the muzzle that gave way to the harlequin eyes. Given the overall gender thereof provided by the body type, all that was worn upon the mare’s body was a rather black cap over the head and a singular rubicund collar around the neckline. Accompanying the latter was but a small red box, being held up off the ground in one hand as the other was gripped tightly onto a thick syringe.

Suddenly, the pink pony weakly murmured at once as she was awoken to purity, “ugh… is this the rock farm or…?”

Although that the pale pony didn’t even answer such a question, Pinkie soon slowly looked around to find an answer: locked away in a cold steel cage with the former to keep the latter company. More importantly, the pink pony’s neck had now possessed a black collar instead, an accessory to the fact it was standing out against the rather loud hues upon the owner’s body in contrast. Out of the two mares that were well within eye contact, Pinkie’s state of affairs had exposed a high density build upon her very chest, much to the subtle envy of the visiting observer overall.

“Alas, no: you’re in Canterlot, specifically, the dungeon which I’m in now with you, of course…” the pale pony sighed, sitting down by the bars they found themselves behind at once, “let’s go over the reason why: ever since the whole fiasco at the Games about a week ago, everyone at the king’s beck and call been looking for you; then again, you must’ve already known that. Besides, we’ve lost a lot a strapping good stallions and caribou in the process the day after the catastrophe; as a matter of fact, it was even more tragic when I heard about that fire as well too: the only nice thing that came out of the rain that put it out was that I got to shower with Sweetheart at night. Even though we’ve managed to find most of the crowd that fled from the onslaught, I’ve heard that Dainn’s been throwing a fit about you and that other slipper thief of a friend from the past been hiding away for a lot longer than the others while farmer girl stay behind at the pet show. Of course, that’s where I’ve been able to come in: since that everyone at the Crystal Empire, most of which from the hometown I’m forbid to speak of thanks to the you–know–whats from the swamp, been wary of who was still unaccounted for, the good doctor told me to stand watch at the theme park just in case; he was in his right mind to do so since I’ve found you. One thing I couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around was how in the course of three separate days in that week the spontaneous combustions ensued, let alone rebel from your masters here; then again, a good mare such as myself should need not frustrate my simple mind when working on the job as a red collar. Shame that this will probably be the last time you’ll ever even get to think about what you want to do with your own life: considering what you had tried to do here at Bitch Busters and that you’re unbelievably related to these two, you’re going to end up joining them at the Games first thing tomorrow morning as a purple collar. Until then, have fun with that black collar while you can; I’ve heard that as far as anyone’s concerned here, they’d to put you in the stockade the whole afternoon to make up for all the crap that you’d caused with your escapist shenanigans along with their bodies: yeah, I know all about where the other friends were. To be honest, I would’ve been ready and willing to join you on that special day but they’re going to need a medical staff on standby; besides, the last thing that he wants is for me to return back so late when she’s going to be needing a nightly sponge bath like she always does.”

“Why…?” the pink pony moaned raspily as she stared at the nurse with a dazed and confused visage.

The pale pony stared blankly at Pinkie and repeated, “‘why’ what…?”

“I just… want to know… Nurse…” the pink pony elaborated at once for the aforementioned occupant to listen, “why did we… end up taking the… red collar... all of the… sudden…? We were… so much... better than this; I just want… to know something… about you: what would… get you to… betray us… along with… all of… Equestria?”

“Who said such a silly thing about betrayal here: haven’t you already betrayed your masters long enough…?” the pale pony shot back already, trading in the smirk for a frown at once.

Pinkie struggled to continue onward, “No… not them: I… meant the crown; what did we… accomplish… from such acts…? The sucking… the fucking… the diddling… around; what was it... all for here…? We were so… much stronger… than all this… madness they… forced us to… perform for… them like some… circus troupe; even so… how come we’d… allowed… ourselves to… stoop so… fucking low…?”

“I don’t know for sure but why the fuck should that even matter?” the nurse answered, the vitriol in her voice still kept at an all time low, “as far I should be concerned, it’s irrelevant to discuss it with the likes of you; anyways, it’s almost time for me to leave…”

“Wait…!” the pink pony had exclaimed to the pale pony, quickly earning a deep scorn in the process.

With the harlequin rolling around, the nurse scoffed about, “if this is going to be you begging for your red collar back, you can forget it; Dainn came by here and took it right off of your pretty little–––”

“No, you’d said… that you knew… where my friends… were just right… earlier… ma’am…” Pinkie interjected, subverting such expectations, “what’s going… to become… of Dashie… Fluttershy… and my mom?”

“I’m not at liberty to disclose such info, especially to a black collar like you, but here’s what I’m going to tell you: seeing that you were squirming about earlier, I’ve taken that the relaxant has already done its work for me; I would’ve used the serum on you but I don’t wanna end up spoiling the fun for the others…” the pale pony answered the pink pony with a looser frame.

Pinkie struggled to sit upward but can barely move a finger at the nurse as the former groaned, “what do you… mean by that…?”

“You’ll find out for sure; after all, tomorrow is another day…” the pale pony said as she opened the cage at once, crawling out of there with the red box while leaving the pink pony behind, “night, Pinkie…”

“Mom…” the aforementioned prisoner slowly murmured raspily as she now found herself left alone again naturally. Lying upon her very back, the true blue eyes stared at the interior ceiling and studied it firmly: stripped down to the bare minimum and black just like the collar she was wearing. Pinkie’s eyelids struggle to stay open as a small singular tear seeped out from underneath them before being followed by a few more in the process; sure enough, she had begun to cry softly already. The pink pony barely comprehended what the nurse had said to her earlier so one thing was certain: given the whole course of the events that occurred in the past, the future lying ahead looked dim; no matter what, she could wish that time itself would stop and it wouldn’t do. The end was coming for her and there was absolutely no one and nothing capable of stopping it, let alone derailing it off the unbeaten path she'd laid aside into.
> Day Six: Cessation (Part One)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As usual, the world was awaken to purity by the golden sun where its light illuminated the land and sea; out of many, one area seemed to have stood out the most: a phenomenal homestead that was barren save for an abundance of rocks coming in all shapes and size and some dead trees in the mix. Standing still right below the clean cut skies was but a wooden fence on the solid ground planted neatly all around the way and keeping the stones away from the house and silo within contact. The air itself was so crisp and cool enough to commute many different aromas from all walks of life across the entire environs for people to sniff at and about even to be carried around by a single solitary windmill to provide the residence with it. Lurking about on the opposite end was a mountainside that was devoid of any majestic significance whatsoever and the fauna nearby that would dwell within it. The only thing that would potentially complete the look would be at least one person to immortalize the scenery with a certain set of skills at their disposal.

“We’re almost off the farm here, Missus Pie; as soon as we make it to the forest, we’ll be okay…” a distant voice was heard at the aforementioned location, filling the deadened air instantly.

Of course, there weren’t of legitimate concern as the sight of some figures came onto the scenery: two mares alike in fair dignity at first glance walking about. The pair in question all had possessed certain common traits between themselves: the same gender, the species, and a black collar donned around the neck as their attire. Aside from such physical details, a weary look of concern was also found to be worn upon their faces as they now traversed away from the area at once.

As such, there were some significant differences that the pair had on their own, personal aspects that made them easier enough to be told apart from one another. For starters, one of them was an old gray mare that was lumbering around and about whereas the other was a young cyan pegasus leading the way. Secondly, the former had her mane in a dark green color scheme wrapped firmly around in a prim and proper bun while the latter, although short, possessed every strand of hues best befitting of a rainbow. Third of all, there was also just a slight difference in height between the two mares standing about, off by about a few centimeters no less. Furthermore, the elder was wearing a jet black overcoat that was reaching down to the very cannons while the escort had a dark blue sweater with yellow lightning bolt to give much attention to the cleavage covered by some white fabric. In addition, the cyan pegasus had a pair of pants covering up her legs and some black sheaths upon both wings; in contrast, the old gray mare had some eyeglasses with a golden frame and a shawl that matched the rest of her attire. The former had some worrisome true blue upon the weary visage whereas the other possessed some cautious magenta within instead.

A flow of dioxide escaped into the air as the elder had begun to speak, “where did we all go wrong?”

“Huh…?” a confused reply made its way from her escort, “what are you talking about, ma’am…?”

“The nightmare we’re in now… what did we ever even do to deserve such a thing like this?” the old gray mare had reluctantly described to the cyan pegasus as a singular tear was now forming about.

The escort shook her head and had answered at once, “oh, do you mean their mess here? Absolutely fucking nothing; of course, they wouldn’t have even cared about it either way about what we did or didn’t do. Sorry that you had to go through all of this madness that they did to me.”

“Not at all: my main concern isn’t about what we’re going through, Rainbow…” the elder spoke to her younger and colorful counterpart as they just walked into the forestry, “this regime is not fit for my young fillies to grow up and prosper in, especially after what they did to my dearest Clyde…”

“Come to think of it, I remember that your daughter Pinkie must have been talking about him last night; any ideas as to what could’ve happened to the guy ever since after they’ve came here…?” the cyan pegasus asked her.

Wiping away a few liquids, the old gray mare sighed soundly and gave out an answer, “that’s some train of thought that I’d rather not dwell on, not just because of such obvious reasons alone…”

“You’re right; I understand then…” Rainbow spoke calmly as she led the way, never letting go of her fellow colleague as they became wary of the new environment they were in, “I shouldn’t have gone and pushed you into hearing such a loaded question; damn caribou ruined everything…”

“It’s not just all their fault here now…” the elder responded, breaking the younger colleague’s concentration by a bare minimum.

With the hives and vines still within the cyan pegasus’ line of sight, she spoke, “you’re right, we also have Cadence to thank for this fucked up insanity she’d given us all here, broken horns and what not.”

“That and our complacency in such a peace as long as this; I never thought I’d see the day it could feasibly even happen…” the old gray mare started to explain as she picked up pace at once, “we were so used to living a life full of such things that whenever we tend to see such horrors go on, it’s usually in our nightmares and in printed presses. Ever since after seeing what had happened to my other daughters on that fateful day in the rock farm, I had longed for the tender loving care of his presence and the calm smile alongside it too just like the old days. Even so, these memories I’ve shared with that stallion alongside with our young are threatening to be overshadowed and suffocated by the likes of such brutish beings, especially after what they did to these fillies no less; in spite of what they’re doing, not even he’d wish this fate on the likes of them.”

“It sounds like that you’d really loved that husband of yours here…” Rainbow commented about in a somber tone.

A full beat of silence had passed, save for the buzzing and chirping, before the elder spoke had said, “I did and I still have despite all this; sometimes I wish that all of this had never happened to begin with.”

“Me too… I hate these bastards so much for what they did to us…” the escort had replied as she safely guided the old gray mare throughout the woods around them, “it would take at least miracle to have us get Dainn off of the throne; then again, even if we’re, I highly doubt that things will suddenly return to normal: aside from Pinkie, I’m also worried about my other friend.”

“Who are you talking about, Rainbow…?” the elder had asked the eponymous associate in confusion.

The cyan pegasus looked into the old gray mare’s eyes and answered calmly, “Fluttershy, Missus Pie…”

“Oh, call me Sue…” the eponymous speaker had then quickly said to Rainbow all at once, “I should be thankful that I’m talking to someone who’s not interested in partaking such depravity…”

“Same here, ma’am; I’m just only worried about what they could even do to her in the event we somehow put an end to this E–horror: a pony like her is something that I’m concerned about, you know…” the cyan pegasus explained away already.

At this point, the old gray mare’s lips began to quiver as she stuttered, “y–y–you don’t mean… t–t–that she has… e–e–ended up like–––”

“Pinkie…?” Rainbow interjected at once, making Sue’s eyes become wider at once, “I’m afraid so: every other mare besides us would probably be itching for a bloodbath when this is all said and done; to make matters worse, let’s just say that I highly doubt we’ll be able to get this far away from it either…”

“Oh no… you don’t just… mean that my… dear daughter PINKIE…!” the old gray mare was about to drone on in trepidation before she’d suddenly shouted aloud at once; at this point on, the cyan pegasus was instantaneously caught off guard by the sudden outcry that invaded the latter’s ears.

Of course, as Rainbow turned around to face the source of the terse outburst nearby, Sue was already nowhere in sight; as a result, the former called out to the former all at once, “MISSUS PIE, WHERE ARE YOU?!”

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH…!” a bloodcurdling scream was heard as the cyan pegasus was shaken up by the sharp increase in volume, prompting her to follow it along in due time no less, “HELP ME!”

“DON’T WORRY, SUE; I’M HEADING YOUR WAY…!” Rainbow exclaimed heading off to follow the sounds of pain and panic emitted by the aforementioned mare all at once; at that point in time, the former had made contact with a nearby tree root and fell onto the solid earth beneath her hooves.





The cyan pegasus returned back to her ambulatory stance to find that a lot of things had changed and it was not for the better: as she did so, the source of the horror that the old gray mare was enduring was nowhere within her sight at all; to make matters even worse, the environment they were once in had also changed as well. The vast organic colors of verdures and bark that had made up at least most of the very forest all throughout every step of the way now became like that of an industrial park, murky and metallic for it was completely stripped of all the wonders and obscurities within each of its hues, unlike that of the titular Rainbow’s own mane itself alone. By comparison, the sunlight that was hovering over and above the both of them had been instantaneously substituted with the likes of a harsh solid white all around the cyan pegasus, loud and proud like an obnoxious duo hanging around a joint without so much as any care for the consequences ensued thereof.

Instead of finding Sue in dire need of Rainbow’s assistance, there was another pony standing up in front at once; unlike the former in question, there were perhaps some significant differences amongst the ponies. A colorful yet pale yellow coat was already found to be adorned upon the entire body, made aware of the fact that all that was to be found were a black cap on the blue mane and a red collar around the neckline. Standing nearby the hooves was just a little rubicund box barely touching the thick steel staves of the barred enclosure where the cyan pegasus was currently left in.

With the rolling thunder of harlequin now subsiding, Rainbow snarled at once, “you are despicable… fucking with my mind like that…”

“You wanna know something here, dearie…?” the pale pony started to respond, a frigid smile appearing in contrast to the glower that the cyan pegasus gave out, “I kind of find it cute that you’re able to remember what happened yesterday; it must have been so anticlimatic that you had to be shot in the flank before you could do something about it. At least, they were able to find two more of your kind as well in the process, especially since that the whole farm had burned down to the ground the day before the pet show of course. You could have at least been there you know, especially with how that apple bottomed cunt gotten lucky enough to turn over her red collar already.”

“I heard some bullshit in my life nurse but yours is the best…!” Rainbow spat out, only to find that her target was left unscathed anyway.

Looking around within the confines of the cold steel cage itself, the cyan pegasus came to terms with what was currently upon her very body. Aside from a black collar upon the neckline alongside the sheaths over the wings, Rainbow had another piece of fabric wrapped firmly around her muzzle. Out of the two mares that were well within eye contact, the cyan pegasus’ state of affairs had a density build upon her very chest that rivaled the likes of the visiting observer overall.

As Rainbow started coming to terms with the shoddy attire thereof, the pale pony leaned in closer and spoke, “let’s get some things out of the way for now: since these brave soldiers gone to the trouble of finding your little yellow friend, the good king has decided to host an orgy with you, her, and three others who’ve wielded the Elements of Harmony; in addition, guess why? After I had caught your crazy colleague attempting to steal away the stars of the show from the Crystal Empire, they had decided that she’ll be having her own party as well; it seems funny how genetics can churn out the most random of anomalies when it comes to one generation to another.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, you bitch?!” the cyan pegasus barked through the restrictive fabric at once for the observer to hear, “Pinkie is, or was, the Element of Laughter so how could this even be?!”

“Oh, that’s going to be the fun part here: the other slave you were trying to smuggle off happens to be one of your friend’s mother; even so, all the screaming and crying she’d done tipped off the hunters and they were happy to find her becoming a purple collar already…” the pale pony answered with a sneer at once.

Slowly but surely, Rainbow felt the air all throughout her very body become colder and the sensation within wasn’t going to make it easier; nevertheless, she retained the glower at once and sputtered, “a… purple… collar…?”

“Yes, you heard me right and I didn’t even have to use the serum here…” the observer replied at once, holding up the facial concave without a care, “of course, after what she’d been through, that will be nothing compared to what I’m going to do to your friend here…”

“Hey, Whorentine; the big show’s gonna be starting in fifteen so get your flank in gear and have that pink slut turn purple already…!” a sharp voice quickly pierced the dead air that was surrounding the two mares; unlike the conversation they had, this once was masculine and cantankerous.

The pale pony picked up the red box and sighed, “well, that’s my cue but don’t worry about the whole thing: after when this is over, you’re going be wishing that you were still a Wonderslut; actually, you’ll probably be a different kind of a Wonderslut by tonight.”

“Fuck you, traitor… fuck you…!” the cyan pegasus gargled out and about with such rising intensity, “if I still had my wings, I would’ve rainboomed you and that fucking bastard Dainn alr–––”

“Ta–ta…!” the responder chirped, ignoring the vitriol that had been suddenly cut off as she trotted away from the cage.

Rainbow paid absolutely no mind to the cavalier demeanor that the pale pony had expressed, snorting about under breath, “you… traitor… I swear to Celestia that I’ll end you; in fact, whatever happens… I’ll see to it… that you’ll pay for this…!”

The cyan pegasus now found herself left alone, receding unto her very back to stare at the interior ceiling with anger deep within her own magenta orbs. Her situation as of that moment in time was already made clear just like the very cage itself: stripped down to the bare minimum and black just like the collar she was wearing. Although that Rainbow’s hands were as free as a bird, she’d struggled to touch her very muzzle all at once; this made the anger cement itself further within as one of them slowly turned into a fist. The cyan pegasus remembered how little time she had in her grasp and what awaited her: such wildest fantasies as an escapist character of her heroic daydreams were becoming a thing of the past; in its place, a subdued reality for representatives to act on behalf of villainous nightmares from the present.
> Day Six: Cessation (Part Two)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At ease, the atmosphere had already applied some pressure upon the whole wide world with nothing short of coldness and calculation. The spacious skies that housed the golden sun were now dulled by the gray dinginess that snuffed out the original color of cerulean. While that the air was crisp and cool enough to commute many different aromas from all walks of life, it was musky enough to be reeking of dank and dire straits climbing from below. There were so many flowers that had sprouted from green to witness the rushing waters roar from the cataracts that overflowed nearby them. A wild assortment of cries was also heard off in the distance, possessing many emotions befitting a sentient species. Despite the tenseness thereof, it would have seemed to be a rather normal day for the most part; yet, it had seemed like that something was off by a few miniscule details.

“MY BRETHREN, TODAY IS A GREAT DAY: ORDER HAS BEEN FINALLY RESTORED AFTER ALL THE SHORTCOMINGS THAT HAD ENSUED UPON OUR VERY HOME…!” a loud bellow had echoed out into the tense cold air.

The point of origin had come from a series of surroundings donned with skylines painted in white and gold, housing a whole slew of people as they were found to be residing below them all at once, each currently brewing with excitement while cheering along in such a wild gleeful, “YEAH…!”

“Friends, neighbors, denizens; I ask of you all to do just one thing only: lend me your ears…!” the same bellow was heard again at once, bringing the overwhelming applause to a halt at once, “for too long, our land has lived in a giant lie: a millennium spent underneath the rule of an alabaster whore alongside that bitch of a sister who’d called themselves Princesses of Equestria…! Throughout our lifetimes, along with those before us, we’d watched their false peace being jeopardized by the likes of which never dealt with before, especially during the most recent year: an insurrection led by Nightmare Moon, infestations of parasprites, an invasion of changelings, and the integration of the Crystal Empire; all of which were under their supposed control no less. In between these aforementioned times in question, such domestic tranquility that we’d all grown to love and cherish was constantly being at the risk of gambled away in the very battles for the fate of our homeland at their grasp no less along with our livelihoods and existence as well as theirs being recklessly wagered too! Even so, during that last year where these very sluts had spent on their pathetic throne together, we, the ponies from all classes and estates thereof, alone were compelled to clean up the messes ensued by their blissful arrogance following such crises as soon as the dust had settled quickly: people with lives and/or families all but completely destroyed ever infrequently. Out of them, this ensemble of harlots, led by her so–called faithful student, had risked their own lives and limbs to address these threats unaware of the blindness we’d been inflicted with long before our birth no less with such delusions of equality and fairness. Once upon a time, we were being taught that harmony is what had made Equestria itself great; now, even I laugh at the fact of how pathetic it all was for us stallions to believe in such silly things like this. Today, we now live in a new era for our homeland: never again will we be allowing ourselves to be impeded by the lies that had blinded us to how unsafe, insecure, and, most importantly, inadequate our community was when these foolish foals were in charge. My fellow Equestrians, this is also the day in which we remind those dissenters who are dwelling amongst us of the fate that await them for their futile resistance unless they accept the way things will be from now on.”

“LONG LIVE THE PATRIARCHY…!” the crowd cheered as the location of such noise became far more apparent within earshot; there was a stadium filled to the brim with a whole slew of individuals: many stallions and stags dressed up to the height of roaming fashion whereas the mares and cows were in various states of dishabille.

Out of the many that were currently in attendance already, there were only three individuals who had stood out and about, easily identified within eyesight by their varying choice of attire thereof. The first was a pink alicorn mare with a mane and tail in a tricolor scheme of purple, pink, and gold, flashing a bright bubbly beam underneath the amethyst orbs: aside from the rose red ensemble of a corset, a collar, some cufflinks, sheaths, panties, and stockings with a garter belt, she was completely exposed; in addition, there was even a tiny stub poking out of her forehead. The next one, although another equine just like her was far too different in the very least: with a horn poking throughout the two toned blue mane matching the eyes, its owner a white unicorn stallion clad in a red tunic with golden cufflinks and silver buttons overlapped by a blue sash; still, his lower waistline was also exposed but to a much rather lesser extent to say the very least. Lastly but not least, there was a dark haired caribou and given the choice of clothing, he had shared the same gender as the one before him; of course, he took a much moderate approach compared to the two equines overall when it came down to such: a gray long sleeve shirt overlaid by a metal chest plating accompanied by a combo of russet gloves, pants, and boots.

At that point, only the dark furred individual raised his hand, bringing the bustling audience to a near silence all at once within seconds; then, just as the golden silence had returned, he began to speak, “my brave and loyal subjects, I’m pleased to hear that the heretic threat has now been greatly crippled to the bone; our might and magic alone are proof that our ways have become absolute. With the cooperation of our fellow companions, any and all battle strength that the remaining opponents possess is at this very moment in time of little consequence; in other words, what remains of them are little more than tiny shards. It is with confidence that I hereby declare it impossible for these delusional weaklings to resist us any much further; there’s no other way for these whores to thrive, except by living under the direct control of ‘us’, ‘the true superior beings in Equestria’. Should any amongst us even dare to choose to fight onward against the patriarchy, it’ll pose as a serious for none other than themselves; therefore, we must remind these dullards with our new homeland of the teachings they’ll come to appreciate, like it or not. Even now, the spectacle that these supposed Elements of Harmony will put on for the lot of us will serve as an opportunity for those within you to remind them of their place now and further on into the future.”

“Agreed, my lord and master…!” a feminine voice made its way through but rather than coming out from the pink alicorn, the culprit was a purple mare with a pink stripe running throughout the dark lilac mane; she too had a stub was bare aside from the rose red collar and some sheaths with a smile reflecting the eyes, “even I’d used to be one of the Princesses and not a good one at all. Ever since my birth, I’d been blinded by the reality from whence where Celestia once ruled the homeland; by then, not even yours truly ever thought of it as wrong to be ruled by the likes of her. In fact, not even I, myself ever even considered that what we were doing was wrong by simply having any value as an equal to the stallions in attendance today; of course, that was before our great king Dainn came along: thanks to him, he and Shining Armor had opened my eyes to the truth. Now, we’ve embraced our true destiny as what any mare should do in this day in age: no longer will our delusions of dignity impede their quest to awaken the world from its slumber and join the caribou along in bringing about the new order that Equestria has experienced just only recently. I alone cannot, in good conscience, wait for the others like my dear friends to taste of things to cum; alas, it’s my responsibility as an inferior mare to stay behind and watch our combined forces liberate their equals from their opposite sex just as they’d done for the Zebrican neighbors. Even now, our domestic woes are still present in the fact that there are fellow whores other than myself who are experiencing trouble in appreciating all that these stallions are doing: one thing I can say is that my friend Pinkie has been returned safely along with the others. As such, we shall celebrate this occasion with a huge festival to remind us why our majesty’s reign is preferable to the old ways: the liberty of being brought about with mud in our faces to have us know our place, the pleasure of serving them everything while getting nothing in return, and the appreciation of our masters’ great expectations for us as slaves. In doing so, we can all–––”

“FUCK HER RIGHT IN THE PUSSY!” a male voice interjected, belonging to a bare chested light maned unicorn who came out from the cold only clad in sunglasses and some jeans with a color lighter than his own blue coat.

The fact that such a spectator had suddenly appeared blurting out some choice words out loudly nearby the king and the three ponies rightfully shocked them all at once; of course, it’d turned into amusement when the crowd surrounding them cheered and jeered, causing the pink alicorn to stifle a laugh, “well, say no more sir: at least I’m more than happy to be up for the challenge.”

“Now, now, my little slut…” the white unicorn had chuckled darkly, slapping the blue hearted flank at once as the target instantaneously squealed in delight, “just because my slutty sister Twilight had been given the permission to make a speech doesn’t mean you get to talk too here, okay…”

“Sorry, dear master, I am so worthless to you Shining…” the pink alicorn had replied as she flashed a barely lidded smile at him after kneeling; before long, she begun to burst out into laughter.

Looking away from the licentious equines, Dainn shook his head with a smile and had said, “she’ll having more than enough time to make up for her misstep as will the others, especially since the troublemakers have been restrained for the time being; after all, even a man like him has already said what’s on our minds: LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN!”

“HEAR HEAR…!” the audience roared once more, this time with feeling as the spectator was escorted away from the king by armed guardponies; of course, they all retained their beaming concaves as the cheers raged onward, “ALL HAIL DAINN!”

At that point in time, the calm before the storm had now subsided as the thunderous crowd kept it on the up and up, completely unaware of what was about to be unleashed upon the surroundings.
> Day Six: Cessation (Part Three)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The firmament in and of itself was now an absolute gray area: rather than a golden sun placed powerfully into the blue, it was lined with a mixture of silver and gray in many different shades whatsoever. Instead of any birds traversing along the log horizons thereof, there were small surges of electricity that had slithered on and about as they were being quickly followed along by some rolling thunder. The only thing that came out from there at once was a single droplet falling onto the solid ground beneath before it made a splash; of course, it had been one out of many pitter–patters that came next.

The presence of a rainstorm was usually the scene in which many people scurrying off to find shelter from its excesses; however, what was going on had proved to be not the case in the very slightest whatsoever: instead, it was more befitting for a crime of passion. The entire world was but a stage for recreational purposes of some fractured past time all littered out and about in reckless abandonment scenes from a trashy pulp fiction novelized magazine reenacted to the detail. Within the precipitation, the sounds of pain and sorrow were heard along with some joy and frenzy thrown into the mix like some toppings found upon a big bowl of ice cream being softly served up in the wet and messy fray. Even though that the downpour altogether was but warm light sprinkles, the soil beneath was becoming quickly saturated with it altogether; in addition, the very surface itself also started to gain the texture of tackiness inside itself as well. Accompanying the chemical moisture was the fragrance of such sources thereof; thanks to the misty appearance of the fresh raindrops, the scents themselves had blended in well like a solution swirled in a flask.

Out of the many reactants at this moment in time, only one group of them stood out amongst the others: a quartet of mares were surrounded by an abundance of stallions and caribou in various stages of undress; aside from donning only a purple collar around the necks and bizarre faces upon their visages, even they had their differences. While the three of them had possessed dingy grayscale manes and coats, only one stood out amongst the bunch, she had a loud and proud color scheme upon her body reminiscent of a flower. In the midst of such a storm, the mares’ eyes were opened wide to reveal the repelling pupils as they faced the spectators all at once, each bearing a cooler hue circling around. Adorned throughout their coats were many patches of dirt and residue along with some fresh bruises as they were already held down at once for the predominantly masculine crowd around them to explore in such a fashion. Even so, most of the mares had a thick plastic item lodged within their sheaths, each in a color matching their eyes; the one exception was that the mare in the midst of this had her sheath being occupied by the pink pony’s muzzle. Most importantly, the fact that they were in state painted a picture of what was going on at once; after all, the performance thereof was reflective of the high voltage emotions being expressed at once.

“AH, THAT’S RIGHT: DO ME RIGHT THERE…!” a flamboyant yelp escaped from one of the gray mares, a bespectacled one no less, as she was being entered by a muscular stag the same way that the other remaining three were by different stallions; the difference was unlike her sedentary state upon him, they were focusing in upon the former’s body with their own muzzles.

The sight of them being in such a state of constant expenditure at the merciless whims of their handlers had many of the observers’ attention frontal and centered at once. Aside from the frenzied responder that was being explored with glee, two of the other gray mares were currently drinking out of the former’s cleavage straight from the point. Even so, the pink pony was firmly buried in the whispering eye, grinding against itself as she felt one of the stallions driving into her at once.

Unlike the three whom were too dazed and confused to even care about what they’re enduring, so much was going around in the colorful one’s mind: rather than being filled to the brim of only mindless pleasure, there was a whole lot more beneath the surface; as such, a voice was heard, “Pinkamena… is that you…?”

“Hnng…” the titular subject groaned as she had her tongue stuck inside the old gray mare, “wha…?”

“Pinkie, I know you can hear me…” the same voice had echoed into the target’s ears at once against the pounding rain.

As the stallion explored the pink pony’s flanks, the latter slowly cried out, “Mom…? I’m so fucking sorry for all this…”

“And who do we have here; oh, you don’t like to remember what happened…?” a tender voice was heard, possessing more fluidity than the first one, “That’s okay if we should leave it this way…”

“But I remember: I remember your face since we have met again, Pinkie…” the first voice reached into the listener’s ears.

At that point, the pegasus burst into the plum pony and retreated, leaving behind a hot white trail at once; soon, another voice was heard into the fold, bearing some rough tidings instead, “And I also remembered what you had done: I just want to know why; do you still consider yourself a Pie?!”

“Inkie… Blinkie…” the pink pony cried, her tears reaching down to the sheath at once, “I’m sorry…”

“Do you really believe that you should earn forgiveness for something that was out of our control…?” the tender voice from before said to Pinkie even as the rain began to gain some intensity.

As the pegasus that drove into the plum performer was replaced by a unicorn, the pink pony wept, “What could I have done…?”

“Knowing yourself means to acknowledge your own actions…” the rough voice answered quickly as the unicorn started to drive into where the pegasus had left off, “As of now, you’ve done a lot of terrible things…”

“Please, I said that I’m sorry…!” Pinkie cried as she still went into the old gray mare’s whispering eye.

Without warning, the caribou retreated from his current position and was replaced by another caribou; during that time, the bespectacled performer moaned rather loudly, “GIVE ME MORE…!”

“And I also said it before so I’ll say it again: stuff your sorries in a sack…!” the rough voice quickly responded to the pink pony as the stallions behind the latter now traded places, “Nothing that you do in this world is going to make up for the pain we’d endured; in fact, I want nothing to do with the likes of a traitor such as yourself…!”

“Blinkie, I–––” the pink pony sobbed as she stopped herself in the middle of a sentence even as the others kept on going.

As the young gray mare felt the unicorn exiting out of there at once, the first voice said, “Pinkamena, it’s time I confess something to you: I’m not that strong to be considered a good mother…”

“How could you say that…?” the titular listener whimpered about at once, “You’re like the greatest mom in the whole wide world…!”

“Not at all… if I had known that this would happen, then I could have at least stopped you…” the pink pony heard as she felt some fresh residue being quickly shot on her moistened back and hair.

As Pinkie endured yet another onslaught, she wept, “Please mom, none of us knew that the caribou would invade Equestria…”

“I’m not talking about the invasion, Pinkamena; I meant the collar around your neck: it’s purple just like the rest of us…” the first voice interrupted the pink pony, despite the pounding rain, “If he were alive, I would have just sacrificed myself to protect you as much I could have with Inkerton and Blinkering; unfortunately, this situation reminds me of how I lost my mind.”

“What are you talking about…?” Pinkie asked as she had grunted in sync to the invader’s grinding.

As some traces of white made it to the abdomen, the tender voice answered, “While you were gone, the caribou had beaten and drugged her while we were forced to watch it happen; because of all this, I was the first to end up getting influenced in becoming a red collar not just to forget the pain she had endured but for another reason as well.”

“You mean that you were also a black collar too, Inkie; but what about Blinkie…?” the pink pony sobbed as the rain kept splashing her face and washed away her fresh hot tears, “does that mean…”

“No use beating around the bush here: I ended up crying a lot more than I have ever since the time they’ve fucked me in the ass; in fact, it was a lot harder than when our grandmother died before you left the farm when we were fillies…” the rough voice answered, lowering her hostilities by a minimum.

At this moment onward, the old gray mare had now bellowed, “DON’T STOP; I’M GONNA BURST!!”

“Ever since then, I had truly wanted to die; the shame and humiliation was just far too much for me to take: losing a father, losing our clothes, being thrown to rapists, losing the farm, not to mention being unable to protect the ones we had loved…” the rough voice elaborated on about her reply, “Of course, Ma tried to keep my hopes up about how justice will prevail and whatnot or at least until those bastards took her away and made her purple; ultimately what had made me angry wasn’t that she was taken from us: instead, the fact that we both found you in a cow costume made me sick to my stomach. After what had happened, I tried to escape with my sister in tow to a ship heading on out of the shithole that used to be our homeland; of course, we have barely made to Los Pegasus before they caught up and that’s where we came in: because of what I did, I traded my black collar for a purple one instead just like our mom here which also meant she gave up her red collar too.”

“Oh, Blinkie…” Pinkie wailed softly, as she was ignored by the participants who continued onward with the libidinous onslaught.

As the bespectacled performer felt the changing of the off–guard spectators, the tender voice soon spoke about, “Since we never been able to see each other again in a long time, I want to say that I forgive you anyway; I just wish that we would have been able to meet under different circumstances, sister. I missed you so much since that day you’ve left the farm: mom and dad missed you and he hasn’t been able to forgive himself over it; in fact, I just wished that I could have come with you but I was too scared to leave them behind. Mom told me that no one deserves to have such an experience being wished on others and I don’t know what else to say about it all; then again, there’s something else I need to tell you, Pinkie: my body has changed recently.”

“You… don’t… mean… that–––” the pink pony peeped as she pondered on what had been pronounced before a period of pronunciation pierced her pitter–pattering palate, “Oh Celestia, what have I done?! I’ve just become another harlot for the invaders to puppeteer me and I let them destroy my own family along with many others: Inkie, Blinkie, mom, and dad; it’s horrible enough that my friends had to suffer such a tragedy but why did it have to be them too?! I don’t deserve to be an Element of Laughter, I don’t deserve to be an Equestrian, and I don’t even deserve to fucking live at all! All I just want their suffering to end already before it gets even worse; I JUST WANT TO DIE ALREADY…!”

“You’re broken but I can put you back together…” another voice was heard but had already lacked the feminine traits best identified by the likes of Pinkie or the three gray mares nearby her; in fact, the source of it all didn’t originated from the ones that were already in the heat of the moment.

The pink pony had suddenly stopped in surprise at how this was turning out even as the overall audience around them still used the very mares nearby at their leisure, swept up in a heat of passion that reeked about in the rainstorm. A full beat of silence passed through her mind as she started to conjure up many possibilities as to who else would be listening in onto the conversation: a random unicorn with the ability to read minds or some other being who had bothered paying attention. Irregardless of who or what had entered into the fray, Pinkie had her sorrow turned into ambiguity as the process of elimination instantaneously took place in the recesses of her fragile mind; surely, she already felt her own situation being a jest by such concerns.

Unbeknownst to the crowd, only one individual now just stepped up to the challenging acreage: it had been none other than Adam himself who made his way throughout the rain soaked earth; of course, his presence was not without consequence as there was a wayward voice growling, “you…”

“The one and only, faker…” the canine chuckled, clapping his hands together only calmly than concurrently, “I’m actually kind of surprised that you would stop and celebrate this but not look for me…”

“What the fuck is this guy talking about…?” a stray spectator’s voice was heard in the driving rainstorm.

Nevertheless, Adam found himself surrounded by an assortment of guards, both equine and cervine in nature as they pointed their tools of destruction in his direction; at this point onward, one of them had now taken the time to say, “So this is the heretic that’s been causing us all the trouble earlier; you may have caused us panic here last time, but at least we’re ready this time. Besides, waltzing in here like that without a care in the world, spewing such crap about how such a whore should be treated is exactly the reason why this land had been conquered long ago: they waste it on such risky concerns like politics and society. At least, the entire world will become like our own paradise as soon as we can mobilize out of Equestria; never again must our brethren be subjected to such lies that the likes of those Princess whores and her liar gaming cunts spewing baseless rhetoric about how harmony and friendship sustained the failed state!”

“Hahh…” the canine yawned blustery, stoking the flames of the drenched opposition in attendance, “Kind of like how yours is the failed state or rather will be in the next five or so years, give and take…”

“The only thing that had failed around these parts is your rabble rousing revolution: all these cunts that have fled are now back under control, including the Whores of Harmony that dared to escape; even now, your return is the last mistake you’ll ever make as a heretical scumbag…!” one of startled guards, a caribou spat back at Adam.

At that moment onward, more reinforcements had came and surrounded the canine within seconds; despite the mounting odds heaping over, the latter laughed again, “You know, it’s kind of sad that we could’ve found ourselves in some back alley comedy club talking about a pair of some talentless hacks try to make heroism into an unfunny joke.”

“And what does this have anything to do with what you’re trying to prove to us males here?!” A jet black unicorn had snarled loudly as they all edged forward to Adam rather slowly, “All we can see is some future cum dump talking his way into some deep trouble ‘cause of some sad sack delusions…!”

“Just like what you’re doing now…” The canine retorted carelessly even as the others came on over to his direction.

It was not long until lo and behold another opponent had slowly joined in on the fray with unconvincing dread wafting in through the nose: it was none other than Dainn himself with stature synonymous with an eleven term polynomial; despite this, Adam remained firm and allowed the former to speak, “So then, you’re the one that’s been stoking the rebellion recently. I find this very idea of yours to be laughably pathetic so to speak; after all, why should a lowly heretic hope for such a silly thing like equality? The lowly mares already outnumbered their superior others and the weakly influences had left the homeland vulnerable one too many times to count with their slut of a so–called princess running it right into the ground. This entire festival here will show how much of a masculine presence is greatly needed in this whole wide world: no more will these inferior cunts risk their worthless lives and bodies over such silly notions of worldly responsibilities when all that they should be doing now is serve the stallions and the caribou.”

“And then what: the whole thing implodes beneath where you’re standing upon the high ground…?” the canine had quickly interjected, bringing the animosity around up into a slow and unsteady boil no less, “The way I see it, it would only be a matter of time until everything that makes sense to you becomes undone. Even if you managed to shut out all the freedom from the others in the rest of the world with your army, it would not even prevent the large scale catastrophes from ensuing anyway. Every single species aside from your kind and your allies will become extremely unsatisfied with the way such things are managed through sheer force and manipulation.”

“And how exactly are going to address this problem; haven’t you forgotten that you’re surrounded…?” The king bellowed as Adam watched the mob creeping forward like a gathering storm.

Aside from the torrential downpour and the libidinous orchestra playing about in the background through synchronicity, the canine remained silent for the most part, leaving the observers expectant but wary for the most part; soon, there was a spasm of wheezing that metamorphosed into laughter, “HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!”

“Is there something funny here or are you about to lose your mind along with this fight…?” The jet black unicorn had asked as a few others of his peers were now slightly confused, “Either way, we will be looking forward to fucking the ass off of you as a purple collar; as a matter of fact, you’re gonna become a huge ass reminder of what we do to sympathizers in this day and age. Besides, it was already bad enough when we had allowed our own whores to do whatever the fuck they had wanted with Celestia running things for far too long through such lies, but your reign of terror will end there as soon as it had begun, you heretic…! After all, in a few years’ time, you and the Elements of Harmony themselves will become just a distant memory for our brothers to put out of their minds as we go off to sleep in the nights as long as our king is around…!”

“Which is exactly why I am here today; you honestly thought that I was going to show up all alone, weren’t I…?” Adam snidely remarked at once; of course, it would be safe to say that gravity kicked in.

At that moment, the circle of opponents readied their weapons and hardened their glares; in addition, the jet black unicorn was about to speak once more when his eyes grew wide at something else: instead of a statement, there was growling but it didn’t come from the canine or them in the very slightest. Dainn soon looked around and found a horde of strange creatures slowly materializing from within the solid earth and into the rain right behind Adam: it had the same body types and styles as that of a caribou and equine, together or otherwise; of course, they all possessed their fair share of differences as everyone else. Many of them had a pair of antlers but some had horns reminiscent of a unicorn instead and alongside them were a few with both sets, all that were within various lengths thereof; in addition, there were even others that had none of those things poking out of their heads at all by comparison. While that many of these beings were wearing some sets of clothing, the real matter worthy of concern in the observers’ eyes was how their integumentary systems were showing signs of paleness and darkness in and of themselves, all with some wear and tear thrown directly into the mixture. Each and every one of the members within the very horde had taken on the attributes best suited for the likes of animals, insects, plants, fungi, and, oddly enough, prokaryotic lifeforms; either way, such peculiarities were not of something to be considered praiseworthy or aweinspiring. Even the ones that had remotely looked normal for the most part from their perspectives possessed some traits so uncanny nonetheless: uneven eyes, broad muzzles, long teeth, different appendages, and conflicting odors; of course, there were those that lacked at least one of such sets.

The jet black unicorn noticed that one of those beings was spewing a light green fluid that sizzled when the raindrops had made contact; he squinted and said, “What the… what the fuck?!”

“Oh, I see that you haven’t met my army since you didn’t asked…” The canine had wistfully answered back all at once, “But don’t worry, I trust that it will be a rather short battle for you all anyway…”

“YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD NOW…!” The jet black unicorn snarled as he charged at Adam without so much as even a warning, thrusting a polearm in the latter’s abdomen in the process; as a result, there was a small fountain of blood emerging from the newly formed laceration at once.

In their minds, at least alongside everyone else’s minds, that should have been enough to cause a slow and painful death to take place; of course, such a thing like that did not ensue in the very least, not even so much as a bloodcurdling death rattle thereof but rather something else: at that moment, the canine held firm and coughed out, “Nice aim but not good enough. I take that you were intending to go straight for my heart no less, am I right then; of course, you already did know that such a blow like it could kill some living being like myself no less, don’t it sir…? With such a powerful weapon like that, you were looking forward to killing me after all, rather than making me one of your own slaves like all the others; so, I guess that what happens next is what you deserve…!”

“HOLY SHIT…!” One of the onlookers, a beige pegasus with an axe, exclaimed as he watched something else ensue before his golden eyes: the jet black peer that attacked Adam was struck by a blood red tongue that spat out of the muzzle almost instantly; before long, the combatant’s face sizzled and burned, the fluid already eating away the flesh and fur at once, “DARKEL…!”

“Ah, must have been a friend of yours, perhaps…?” The canine replied without a care in the whole wide world as the aforementioned unicorn now started to bleed as well, screaming about loudly while flailing about amidst the rain in an attempt to cover up the afflicted area within moments.

Both the king and his subjects looked on in shock and outrage as Darkel collapsed onto the soaking soil in pain; among them was the beige pegasus that screamed, “YOU DAMNED CUNT!!”

“And so the plot thickens…” Adam thought to himself as he watched the next attacker make his move at once, “Have at thee, coward…”

“I’LL KILL YOU FOR THIS, YOU FREAK OF NATURE…!” The beige pegasus had bellowed loudly while quickly charging towards the almost immobile canine in a blinding rage against the downpour.

At this point on, the storm now erupted but instead of rain with a few rumbles of thunder from the heavens, it was of bloodshed with a side helping of disarray wreaking upon the earth. While that no sentient being present and accounted would ever dare to admit such a thing personally, an aura of dread now wafted throughout the moisturized atmosphere. The nuclei that emerged within the tempest became a hotbed of fury thanks to Adam’s arrival, a result of such a confrontation from not too long ago between the two parties. The searing pain that had been already felt by the unlucky jet black unicorn was absolutely nothing compared to what was also going to follow afterwards thanks to the sheer ordeal. The sorrow of many, including the likes of the pink pony amongst the quartet still resonated in the background along with the torrential downpour to this passing moment.

Even though that the rain had already begun just only earlier, it didn’t bother to change the fact that the end was now coming soon; as a matter of fact, judging from the copious amount of personnel thereof in attendance, it was going to be a rather short fight suffice it to say in the very least.

As the colleague of the newly slain Darkel neared the canine with little warning whatsoever, one of the members in the horde flew straight at the equine and bared some teeth at the former. It wasn’t long until some streams of blood had emerged from the wound, etched deeply into the neckline thanks to the amalgamated creature. Unlike the jet black unicorn that was left aside, the beige pegasus was currently being eaten alive right before everyone’s eyes. The screams of rage that once spurted out of his mouth devolved into pure unadulterated terror as his flesh was gnashed by the sharp teeth of the attacker’s monstrous maw. The sickening crunches made in the process only served to unsettle the viewers greatly; of course, there were two people that remained firm: Adam and Dainn.

As the creature feasted upon the beige pegasus over the damp soil, the king bellowed quickly, “DESTROY THESE ABOMINATIONS AT ONCE; LEAVE NOT A SINGLE HORRID BEING ALIVE!!”

“UNDERSTOOD…!” a silver earth pony had replied, quickly drawing a crossbow out and about at the rest of the horde at once, “ONWARD!!”

“LONG LIVE THE KING…!” the remaining peers had joined in as they went in the direction towards the opposition at once.

Slowly but surely, the canine then broke the wooden base of the polearm away from the torso, leaving the rest of it all inside; the fact that he had done so now served to validate their objectives at hand. 

As the blood upon the recently assaulted body began to coagulate and stop itself from leaking out from there all at once, Adam chuckled darkly, “Let the war games begin…”

Soon enough, screams suddenly spilled out from onto the center of the standardized structure; the simple sight of such things being reason enough alone to stop the spectacles as they were. Sure enough, the several mares that were being invaded by the participants only recently were now abandoned to their own devices almost instantaneously out in the cold hard rain thereof. Simply residing alone off towards the side was not the end of their expenditure for the most part: while that Pinkie was able to get away from the remaining three, the rest had continued onward.

“Hah hah…” the pink pony panted as she gain an opportunity to look at herself freely: all that was clothed upon her body was the raindrops upon her coat along with the residue being washed away, “I should’ve just at least told Twilight about the caribou sooner before the whole damn mess…”

“COME ON, MY LITTLE TROLLOPS; DRINK UP THAT MILK MAMA’S GIVING YOU…!” the old gray mare loudly moaned at once, causing Pinkie to turn towards the former; at that point, the sight of the latter’s peers still engaging in such a command became briefly averted in the process. It wasn’t long until the petite pink pony in particular had instantaneously flashed a thick line of jade across the weary visage, contorted and scrunched up at once to the point where even her own very cheeks puffed up in expectation of what had came of such a ghastly convergence like no other. Surprisingly, nothing had happened at all to even stain the moistened soil that she was simply standing upon; of course, it didn’t dare bothering to change the fact of the matter in which the gravity of the very situation itself that everyone was now thrown into just only recently.

Pinkie swallowed about at once and thought to herself, “I got to find Rainbow and the others; there’s no telling what will happen if one of those icky things reach them. Of course, I can’t just leave my mom and my sisters alone either; it’s bad enough they had us fucking each other but I can’t let them be killed in the process.”

“HEY PINKIE…!” a loud voice had shouted into the eponymous listener’s ears at once, causing her to snap out of such train of thought; the culprit was none other than Rainbow herself, standing there with nothing on her body, “don’t just stand there; we gotta go and help the others...!”

“You’re right…!” the pink pony said as she closed her eyes and returned focus onto the recently abandoned performers, carefully separating the three all at once so as to avoid the resumation of debauchery.

As Pinkie did so, one of the gray mares came into her line of sight: it was the bespectacled elder from before but different than the other in front of the viewer; instead of fluids and moisture adorning the coat, a dark blue dress was found along with a brooch upon the latter who said, “Pinkamena…”

“Mom…” the titular witness replied in shock at the weary figure in question, “you look… different…”

“Who said I was…?” the figure responded, bearing a tired visage in contrast to the one from much earlier.

A single tear escaped from the pink pony’s eyes as she said only timidly, “I’m sorry for putting you all through this; I can’t believe that–––”

“Pinkamena, listen clearly…!” the clothed being had soon interjected, holding firm to the touch for the aforementioned listener, “we all know and we understand; there’s no use in repeating it anyway…”

“But what about the ponies I have–––” was all that Pinkie tried to speak before a loud noise crackled about throughout her ears.

Quickly, the pink pony awoken back to reality as she heard, “ALL PERSONNEL ARE TO EVACUATE THE STADIUM AT ONCE; USE THE APPROPRIATE EXITS IN AN ORDERLY FASHION! DO NOT ENGAGE COMBAT WITH THE ENEMY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER!”

“What are you doing just standing there…?” the old gray mare gurgled as she spread her lower hooves apart, “finish this little harlot off already…!”

“Oh dear; Ah take that this must be Missus Pie here…” another voice was making its way through; as a result, Pinkie soon turned away from one of the performers to find someone else in her line of eyesight: it was none other that Applejack with a red collar instead of black one that the cyan pegasus had on.

The orange mare looked at the three gray mares with a soft and shaken look as the pink pony said, “never thought I would see you again; I was worried that you were about to become a… a… a–––”

“Ah know…” Applejack said as she hugged Pinkie tightly with little warning whatsoever, “let’s just focus on getting them out of here already; whatever in thunderation these things are, Ah rather not stick around and wait for them to reach us…”

“Same here…” the pink pony simply said as she quickly broke away from the orange mare all at once.

As many individuals now scrambled to escape the ensuing carnage all at once, the opposing forces went all out on one another like raging waters in the midst of the perfect storm: while there were many stags and stallions on both sides of the battlefield, only the canine’s presence thereof served to show the kind of a difference they’d possessed amongst themselves. The rather lightning fast clashing of metal gear from the royal forces were already being countered all at once by the various appendages of the amalgamated beings that had given their own reply about almost instantaneously within the pouring rain. Out of the many, some of the combatants that were already in attendance had quickly taken flight and then caught some big air whereas the unicorns soon conjured up auras and dished out some magic at one another, all in a concentrated attempt to help their own comrades in quashing the common enemy. The uproarious outbursts of yelling by the guards was being instantly contrasted with the guttural emittance of shrieks made by the creatures, all of whom were lacking the dread and horror emitted by the civilians who were still fleeing the maximum carnage. The sheer overwhelming determination between the two factions was reaching at an all time high, blood and gore now staining the rain soaked soil but instead of being an unsettling uniformity of red, there were also some traces of orange, green, blue, and black thrown into the mixture all at once. With all the fighters in tow, it was like, without a doubt, a duel of the fates for the most part; as such, many would be entitled to ask such obvious questions in the process: who lives, who dies, and then what?

Dainn had taken up his hammer and took his time in swinging it at the aggressive Adam, holding firm as the others were. With every strike being made by the caribou, it was either being dodged or countered by the parrying of the canine’s swift strikes. Neither side refused to falter first even as the moisture ridden air absorbed most, if not, all of the blows made by them at once. Dainn became incandescent whereas Adam remain drab, twisting each other’s attacks into even handed interceptions between one another.

As the onslaught was taking place all around them, the caribou opened his mouth and said, “so, it seems you’re not as slow as my subjects had theorized but surely you have your limits as these females had in the new order; won’t be long now…”

“Don’t be too modest about yourself; even I have been able to keep myself on edge…” the canine replied icily as they both flung each other into the rampage, “grinding and camping is all that I could do for the time being…”

“Time is something you don’t have; besides, the fact that you’re still here won’t change a thing or what you are…” Dainn retorted, using the hammer to push back Adam’s untimely barrage in the process.

The canine jumped back from the blunt strike and began to return the favor as he struck at the caribou at once, this time procuring some sickles in the process. This move shocked Dainn for, up until that moment, Adam was basically unarmed but still dangerous; nevertheless, the former refused to let the latter crack. After all, the caribou was already adorned with an abundance of musculature while the canine hid right underneath the stabilized fabric of speed and ambiguity.

Despite breaking a sweat within the downpour, Adam said, “at least, I’ve been making the best of it: all I had to do was stoke the fire of rebellion quickly just to make myself known; besides, I’m going to make each and every second I have on me count in destroying you and your regime whole.”

“The only thing that will be destroyed is you; much like how this whore crumbled in a matter of minutes earlier that year, so will you and every one of your followers…” Dainn countered as he avoided the blades in the process; at this point, his antlers lit up and began to radiate, “after this, you and every poisonous idea associated with it will be a thing of the past: no more gender equality, no more squandered peace, no more filthy lies, no more false freedoms, no more rebellions. Last year was already oversaturated with a series of calamities, all the product of female imperfection; as such, it has left this land of theirs vulnerable to one catastrophe after another. Our presence alone is proof of how far they have truly fallen into their actual nature, willingly or otherwise and the fact the light with shine amongst this new reality as it were: one ruled by a brotherhood of strong males.”

“What a pathetic lie it is: even though that there are weaklings in your world, they’re far from powerless as you may claim; even a single being has the ability to bring the planet to ruin as you have…” the canine snarled, his voice now bearing rough tidings than the caribou compared to before.

Soon enough, Dainn’s eyes glowed an eerie white and he bellowed, “SILENCE! WHAT ONLY MATTERS NOW IS YOUR DESTRUCTION AND I WILL SEE TO IT HAPPENING ALL AT ONCE!”

It wasn’t long until the caribou’s antlers grew whiter and brighter until it sparkled about with a deathly sheen; soon, a large orb formed in the very middle. Then, it had happened at once: a powerful blast had emerged, concentrating into Adam’s position as it became a wide beam of energy unleashed. The smoke that had emitted from there was proof of how hot it became, burning brighter than the flower, sun, and rain all present in the whole wide world. Slowly but surely, the heatwave of energy had soon started to subside in about a matter of seconds, only leaving everything in its path without a trace.

“Ugh…” a gasp came out from there as the situation made itself clearly, belonging to none other than Pinkie herself with eyes widen in shock; at the same time, her body was shuddering about, “Adam…?”

“Pinkie, what’s wrong…?” Applejack asked as she watched the eponymous individual holding herself with both arms; in contrast, the former was in the process of dragging the old gray mare over the shoulder.

As the shaking stopped, the pink pony had soon answered, “it was, or is supposed, to be a doozy…”

“What doozy?” the orange mare instantaneously responded at once, “what do you mean by that, Pinkie…?”

“I should have had that doozy before the whole thing went down, but that meanie nurse must have drugged me when I had been asleep last night in the dungeon; could this be it instead?” the titular equine answered as she was currently clutching her chest in between the cleavage at once.

Applejack slowly turned her eyes away from her friend and looked towards where Dainn was: below him were at least several dozen corpses littering the ground in reckless abandonment, each of them, either being purebloods or amalgamations, directly over a pool of their own blood. The fact that the caribou from before was still up and running in the orange mare’s weary eyes had left in disbelief; even though that there were many others still fighting onward, a sense of enragement was coursing throughout her soaked body with each passing second thereof. Rather than succumb to the outburst building up within, Applejack was quickly reminded of the accompanied performer that remained closeby and the fact that the others needed to be brought to safety nevertheless; after all, the situation at hand was not worth the outpouring of emotions.

The fact that the canine was nowhere in sight amongst the casualties shocked the orange mare; however, something strange had soon suddenly happened before her very eyes all at once: almost instantly, there were many particles quickly gathering on and about nearby Dainn. Before long, they had all manifested itself into a rather outworldly being that was unlike the creatures that were at contention with the guards: it bore both horns unlike that of the unicorns and wings even more unlike of a pegasus. Unlike many taking the form that the others had already possessed, this being was composed of a naked and solidus shell lacking in color, save for many traces of blue, green, orange, and yellow trailing from underneath the illuminated eyes in overwhelming radiation. Out of the two eyes it had bore, one of them burned a bright red with a scratch over it being bled into; the other however was but a faint hazel dot being slowly shrunken into the nothingness thereof.

The caribou that had been able to notice this peculiarity was shocked at first to say the least but soon became quickly outraged at this point, growling deeply at once, “how… is this… POSSIBLE?!”

“Who said it wasn’t…?” the winged combatant had replied at once, bearing a large feedback that resonated all throughout the way, “it is time to pay for your heinous crimes against nature, Dainn…!”

“HERETIC SCUM…!” the aforementioned king yelled as he fired yet another beam at his opponent; unlike last time though, it wasn’t a direct hit that was super effective but rather instantaneously avoided.

With little warning whatsoever, it’d appeared nearby Dainn once more and whispered coldly, “my turn…”

At this moment onward, the winged being soon made a counterstrike, bearing qualities unlike the hordes beneath them. With one swift sleight of hand, it reached for the caribou’s muscle; in the process, a bright pink spark was emitted from there with blue bolts of lightning thrown into the mix. While that no blood came out from Dainn’s body, he clutched onto himself at once, unable to fire another blast of energy at his attacker. Upon the seventh hit, it had relented at once, keeping a restrained position devoid of graphically depicted fantasy violence.

“Gurkk…” the caribou gurgled as he tried to concentrate on the combatant’s location for an attack, spitting out some blood, “you bastard…!”

“You’ve underestimated the power of free will and nature; now goodbye…!” the attacker spoke before laying another hand upon Dainn; at this point, the former began to shine an eerie afterglow unlike the one before.

All of the sudden, the winged combatant charged into the caribou and dragged him downward towards the topsoil where the others were fighting to the death. Dainn felt himself being led against control as the gravity bore down onto his shoulders as he soon descended back onto the solid earth in a matter of seconds. Terminal velocity suddenly increased as the proximity from the heavens became distant, the connection to earth almost rather imminent in a matter of seconds. Soon enough, it had happened: the moment when the caribou touched down, it was done with so much force being applied that a powerful blast was made. It had created a dome that surely obliterated the bloodstained battlefield in which the fighting herds were upon, shining bright like some diamonds in the sky. While its immense power didn’t reach the edge where Applejack and the other mares resided, it’d created strong winds that had nearly knocked them aside. As such, the ordeal had resulted into it quickly piercing a large hole into the cloudy skies above that were raining upon the solid ground far too earlier ago.

When the blast subsided, all that had only remained was a crater that dug too deep into the soil; because of this, a few of the stragglers had took the time to catch a breath and take a look at it: even the cyan pegasus opened her eyes to say, “sweet mother of Celestia… what the fuck was that?!”
> Day Six: Cessation (Part Four)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The gray area that crowded up the sky was being cleared up by the golden sun, producing powerful rays that descended upon the ground. With the healthy blue shades now emerging from there all at once, it soon had held a vision of a rather promising future upon the log horizons. The only thing that came out within there at that moment was a flock of random birds flying about freely like a fleet of airships from another world.

The soaking wet soil thereof was starting to evaporate already, a sign that the solid earth was ready to restore itself to its dry state as it were from before. Of course, it would be rather safe to say that all was not well, for the most part; the storms from before were proof of how much had been previously done. The heat had brought an abundance of fear and fury to a slow simmer, no doubt the work of the populace whom were already found trudging all throughout. The moisture of the passing storm was now instantaneously at risk of being lost in the echo found deeply within the silent voice that was evaporation. Despite the newly changed atmosphere now meshed into the spacial fold, the fragrant scent from before had still lingered onward into every single being.

Out of the many individuals found at this moment in time, only one group of them stood out amongst the others: several mares were surrounded donning only a red collar around the necks and timid faces upon their visages, all with their fair share of differences. Every single one of them had possessed manes and coats with a loud and proud color scheme upon their moist bodies. Their widened eyes were opened to reveal only cooler hues circling around their straightforward pupils as they stared into the innumerable crowd already in the growing inflammation thereof. Adorned throughout their coats were many wet patches of dirt and residue along with some fresh bruises as they were already kneeling about at once for the predominantly equine crowd around them to observe in such a fashion.

“So what’s it going to be: are you with us or with the enemy; which is it…?” a small question quickly randomly burst into the once golden silence, its origins coming from within the enormous crowd.

Standing firmly in between them was but a single solitary mare: a simple cyan pegasus no less. The subject in question had on a jet black collar along with a set of matching sheaths that were set in place of these very wings. The cyan pegasus had a short mane, though stained with a few patches of dirt possessed a color scheme reflecting a rainbow with thin racing. She sported cuts and bruises throughout her body from top to bottom, each possessing significant variances in shape and size including one in between her magenta irises.

The cyan pegasus took one look at one of the red collar mares behind her: a petite pink pony with a panicky palate plastered upon herself; then, the former retracted the gaze from the latter and said, “there’s no reason to beat around bush already: this whole standoff is a waste of time; we’re better off rebuilding Equestria…”

“Rainbow…” a voice emerged from behind the titular individual, belonging to a white unicorn with a bewildered composure, “you dullard…!”

“The caribou have been considerably weaken with Dainn out of the way… that should mean they should be not much of a threat to us for the most part, not to mention, Equestria’s–––” the cyan pegasus only found the time to continue onward as someone emerged from the crowd, stopping herself in the process.

At this point, someone soon emerged from the group in question: it was but a single pale tan mare. Like Rainbow, she had on only a jet black collar but nothing else was being donned upon her very body anyway though. The tan mare also possessed a short mane but it was pink like the pony behind the pegasus albeit in a brighter color no less. She had even sported some glasses lined together with but a thin gold frame on top, holding firmly over her deep blue irises at once.

The tan mare came face to face with the cyan pegasus and said, “don’t misunderstand your position: you were here as a slave to the caribou just like the rest of us, nothing more; you’re not my neighbor, or a native, or a Wonderbolt, understand…?”

“Well, what about the others, especially that… one, Madame Mayor…?” Rainbow replied at once, “even though that I hated how there were traitors flooding Equestria, I started to see what was going on in their minds that made my friends this way, for the most part: even Applejack wanted to protect her family…”

“What about the other families many of us tried to protect since they came; did you stop to think about them…?” the Mayor had quickly shot back with a rather intense look almost instantaneously.

A full beat of silence now returned to the area as the cyan pegasus looked around, finding an abundance of her own peers bearing similar looks upon themselves; then, she had returned to find the several other mares in question as they were, still kneeling right behind her with only timid gazes put firmly in their own place. Rainbow started to contemplate the current situation thereof, pondering on the words that the speaker had left in both of her ears just only recently; although that she was keeping calm on the outside, her thoughts spoke only otherwise to say the very least whatsoever. As the faces popped in the cyan pegasus’ head, the only thing that reminded her of them was the droplets of water that were once upon themselves as is with everyone else.

Of the five that were in attendance, the pink pony started to develop a pocket of air in her throat and swallowed it whole, choking out, “Dashie…”

“As a matter of fact, I have and with good reason; even without those behind me, I can see why…” the eponymous mare had now answered all at once to the tan mare, “I used to have a big brother that looked out for me ever since my parents died, long before the caribou came along of course. As far as anypony is concerned, I swore to myself never to give in to the teasing the others had done to me since that day. Now that I think about it, I also thought about what could have happen if they were alive long enough to experience what I had felt. Sure, they would have done everything in their power to protect me; then again, I’m relieved that they didn’t suffer what we had been through: the beatings, the fuckings, the brainwashing. Even he would have been switched into my gender and made into a purple collar, just like the some of us were and what I could have been into. As much as I hate what the caribou had done to us with Dainn around, I don’t think anarchy should be the way to solve our problems, especially after what I had seen.”

“Oh, Dashie…” the observing mare sobbed as she stared at the soil beneath her hooves at once.

The Mayor took note of the clamorous crowd around them and said, “even if that were the case, Rainbow Dash, have you forgotten what has also changed around us since these monsters came here…? This invasion has left a whole slew of problems for Equestria that can’t be solved with some empty words here and there, especially not after what they did to our Princesses here, mind you. Besides, aside from the caribou that screwed us all over from the beginning, we still have to deal with the traitors in the midst of our society; sadly, the fact that these former Elements of Harmony are among them makes it no different.”

“Then what about Princess Luna, for, pardon my tongue, fuck’s sake?!” the cyan pegasus exclaimed to the tan mare, earning some gasps from dozens of observers, “not even she was willing to go along with the others like Celestia has, especially concerning that other traitor of a Princess Cadence.”

“I understand your anger but the facts still remain: the Princesses failed us, the Elements have failed us, our Harmony has failed us, our futures are in danger, our families are broken to pieces, our friendships had failed, the whole land’s in danger, our futures in danger, and we had failed; letting them live will make things worse…!” the Mayor said at once.

Rainbow was now becoming aware of the audience that started to talk amongst themselves already and said, “I understand that allowing these bastards to roam around is too much but why should they suffer too…?”

“It’s like what I have said before and probably what the others will say anyway: the risk is just too damn high…!” the tan mare had quickly answered to the cyan pegasus all at once, “after all, the fact that they could have killed us slowly is proof of what must be done: getting them out of the way will be just insurance…”

“In that case, then I’ll choose my friends, not just as a citizen of Equestria but also as an Element of Harmony that failed everyone; even though if we weren’t in some different universe, I can’t live with what we all had become in the process because of the fucking caribou…” Rainbow said as she soon trotted on over to the red collar mares only slowly.

This move surprised many that were watching it unfold, including the pink pony who screamed, “RAINBOW, DON’T–––”

“Pinkie…!” a nearby voice interjected quietly, belonging to an orange mare who shook her head, “please…”

“I see then; I guess you know what going to happen then…” the Mayor sighed as she retreated from her current position at once.

Sure enough, the surface tension began to escalate at once: a full salvo of words were being thrown at the six mares whom flinched at them, except for Applejack despite finding a new acquaintanceship. The whinnying and neighing from the majority was laced with hostility, ranging from terse expletives to elaborate accusations as the cyan pegasus knelt down amongst their mainstream peers. As if the heat from the sunlight above them wasn’t enough to say the very least, even the shouting thereof threatened to destroy their collective hearing; at this rate, it even rivaled an enormous explosion.

Rainbow remained silent for the most part despite the deafening noise; in spite of the loudness, a tender voice squeaked out: it had belonged to a tender butterscotch pegasus, “what have you done, Rainbow…?”

“Something I should have done a long time ago when I had the chance…” the titular listener had soon answered about already, shedding only a small singular tear in the process, “I’m sorry, Fluttershy…”

“Fair enough, then: it seems that even after all this time, you’re no better than those red collars that you have defended; oh well…” the tan mare commented on, bringing the raucous crowd back to stability.

The orange mare scooted on over nearby the cyan pegasus and said, “Rainbow, but Ah thought that you didn’t care for us…”

“Only because they were traitors, but considering what we had been through together, I too am one…” the eponymous individual spoke back slowly, “the only reason it came up was how I had abandoned you guys at the Festival so quickly; I wish that I could have stayed behind instead and helped…”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it; at least our families won’t have to suffer as we had: I just wish they didn’t drive mine insane…” Pinkie spoke about as well.

At that point, the Mayor began to speak at once, “Equestrians, country mares, and colleagues! Hear me for my cause and be silent for that you may hear: believe me for the sake of honor and have respect to it; censure me in wisdom and awaken your senses so that you may better judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of theirs, to her I say that their devotion to Harmony was no less than theirs; then, that friend shall demand why it was necessary to restrict them. The fact that they are restrained here today of all days is not without reason: not on the account of loving the Elements of Harmony themselves less but rather that of loving Harmony itself more; would we rather have Dainn live while we all die as slaves instead of the other way around? As they had defended us, I wept for them; as they were fortunate, I rejoice at it; as they were valiant, I honored them. Alas, they were malleable which has caused us a great deal of emotions: tears for our love, joy for our fortune, honor for such valor, and death for his atrocities; who is here so base that would be a bond mare? If there are any among us, speak for her I had offended; who is here so willing that will not love her homeland? I repeat: if there are any among us, speak for her I had offended; what is the reply?”

“Nay…!” the crowd answered loudly at once, “there are none amongst us…!”

“Then it seems that I have offended nopony for I have done no more to them than you shall do as citizens; the question of his death is enrolled in Canterlot, his glory not extenuated for wherein he was worthy, nor his offenses were enforced for which he suffered death…” the tan mare continued onward.

The pink pony looked at the sea of faces, each of them bearing angry wares in the process; this made her shake and sob at once, “what’s going on here…?”

“Here are the traitors, assembled here for although they were victims of Dainn’s tyranny shall receive the eternal reward of their roles, a place in the shallow grave; as which of you shall not?” the Mayor had said, “with this I declare that as long as he’s dead, we must not allow ourselves to make the same mistakes as they have for the sake of our home.”

“LONG LIVE EQUESTRIA!” they had cried in response.

Amongst the audience were ones crying out phrases such as follows: “hang them all high!”, “draw blood from them!”, “let’s quarter them!”, and “send them to Tartarus already, will ya please?!”

“Oh, woe is me…!” a sob escaped from one of the mares surrounded by the fiery civilians: a white unicorn with a purple mane possessing a large bust rivaling that of Pinkie’s body, “I can’t watch…!”

“CEASE…!” a voice boomed so loudly that the crowd shook about along with the earth they had stood upon.

At that moment, there was a shuffling of hoofbeats going about as they made some sort of a safe space; as a result, the identity of the new speaker came about: it was a dark blue mare. Unlike the others, she was but an alicorn; as such, she had a thick stub poking out from her forehead, inches away from the long hair that bore a lighter shade than her own coat thereof. Given the overall gender thereof provided by her body type, all that was worn upon it was a jet black collar around the neckline and some sheaths, the same one that many like Rainbow wore. Both of the dark blue alicorn’s flanks were already painted in an amorphous splotch of black, save for a contrasting white epicenter that had took the shape of a diminutive crescent moon.

While that there were many who felt their eyelids become more open, the cyan pegasus was the one who soon took the time to speak out, “Princess Luna…?”

“This whole predicament that we’re all in is not of their doing!” the aforementioned being commenced dialogue, “not even we, the ponies, could have dreamt of it happening to us of all times!”

“But what of Cadence and Shining Armor; haven't their actions alone led the caribou over to our home?!” one of the members in the crowd responded at once, relighting the flames in several countless others.

The dark blue alicorn looked at the six mares and answered, “if thou desires recrimination, keep them alive: even though they’d brought the tyranny of the false king along, they too were also victims just like we were, nonetheless; after all, if what had happened earlier was a miracle, then it should serve as an opportunity for many of us here to restore and replenish ourselves at once.”

“Your Highness…” Rainbow started to unleash vocal wording, “forgive me for saying this but I thought that you hated them and the red collars, relatively speaking of course…”

“I never said such things: even my sister protected Equestria and her subjects, for the most part; and yet, there are some amongst us even more depraved waiting for the blood to flow, just to prove how treachery can’t exist in our land, even though that they can earn and have earned forgiveness…” Luna replied at once.

The tan mare soon intervened and spoke back to the alicorn, “Your Excellency, how can it be done; what can sparing their lives prove in the process?!”

“If we end their lives now, then it’ll end the legacy of the caribou and their ideals, but at the expense of this peaceful way of life that Equestria itself was built upon…!” Luna answered within only seconds, “we can resolve this ordeal just as they have will all the others: through harmony and friendship to others.”

“But Madame Mayor is right: our betrayal has made lose a lot more than we can get back; what can we even do about it at all?” another mare amongst the several others had slowly exclaimed already, a purple alicorn dressed in a red ensemble all too similar to her dark blue counterpart up in front.

Luna looked at the smaller individual in the matching eyes and said, “we’ll find a way to fix this; after all, we have much worrisome problems to consider: considering what had happened in Ponyville, I believe the worst is far from over.”

“You’re right…” the Mayor said at once, “after what had went on the night before, so much is to be done: the beasts that had attacked Canterlot today were no doubt the same ones that came from Froggy Bottom Bog; of course, there’s also the matter of the fauna that the caribou brought along as well.”

“So where does that leave us; what should become of them…?” another member of the audience said at once.

Sure enough, the dark blue alicorn turned to face the crowd at once and then answered about, “I’m not sure to say but the least we should is do for now is focus on the task at hand; as of this moment, we have to count ourselves fortunate for the most part: we may have regained our freedom but the quest for peace is far from over.”

“I agree…” the tan mare replied almost instantaneously, “in any case, let’s start by getting the purple collars to safety and find some help; I believe that this objective will be less difficult now that Dainn’s out of the way so who’s with me…?”

In a matter of seconds, the crowd went wild with agreement and began to disperse, reducing the population to a minimum in due time as all that remained were Princess Luna and the main six themselves.

“Pinkie, you’ve been shaking about since this morning; what ails you?” the dark blue alicorn asked.

The eponymous being slowly stood up and said, “it’s starting to make sense now: whatever’s been causing these doozies weren’t the drugs from last night at all; I wasn’t even supposed to have Dainn killed today to begin with.”

“What has happened with that despot shouldn’t be of much concern now…” Luna replied calmly as the crowding became less dense, “thou art safe for the time being so there wouldn’t be much of a threat now to your lives.”

“It’s not that…” Pinkie retorted.

This simple statement thereof earned a reply from Applejack who then said, “then what’s wrong here?”

“Haven’t I told you already…?” the shaking pink pony spoke back at once, “ever since I had that doozy, every single unexpected thing that happen turned out bad for us: the invasion, Celestia’s defeat, the Crystal part, my mind being restored, even that time with Missus Cake back on Hearth's Warming Eve; they’re all being connected.”

“What do you mean by that…?” the cyan pegasus had quickly asked.

Pinkie then responded to Rainbow, “I’m saying that they were all terrible and every one had changed in the process besides ourselves: friends, families, neighbors, even business partners became like that nurse from last night; what if what happened long ago happens again just like that?”

“You need to stop thinking about it too much; what happened was far beyond our control…” the orange mare said laying a single hand upon the pink pony’s shoulder, “the arrival of the caribou wasn’t even your fault to begin with, let alone something we had all truly wanted in the first place…”

“THAT’S NOT THE POINT HERE…!” Pinkie screamed without warning.

Applejack flinched and began to speak, “either way, we’ll be fine; if the whole purpose of invading Equestria was to kill us all off, then it would have been different as it were the same. Just promise me that you won’t destroy yourself over something like this ever again; Ah don’t want to lose you again.”

“Alright then; cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye…” the pink pony recited slowly, moving her right hand over her face before switching out with a left and cover the respective body part, “there…”

“Let’s go on and end this madness, just like old times…!” the cyan pegasus replied, earning an immense abundance of agreement like from before, albeit only smaller in comparison nonetheless.

It wasn’t long until Pinkie was finally left alone, watching her associates walk away as she remained in the same position as before. The pink pony had ignored the sunlight above her as she closed both eyes, images of past events flashing before them all in due time. A flood of tears escaped throughout the lids they were being pulled down by the gravity around herself in short thin bursts only slowly.

Sure enough, Pinkie took a deep breath only slowly and then screamed out, “AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHAHHHHHHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
> Night Six: Sensation (Part One)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There were black skies overhead, filled to the brim with clouds traveling across the log horizons at once. A light drizzle fell onto the solid earth below them, moistening every inch of terrain beneath them all. The environment thereof was remained the same save for an almost complete lacking of illumination all throughout. The dead air currently smelled of smoke on the water as it was being penetrated by the miniscule droplets.

Out of the many surfaces drenched in such an elemental substance, only one stood out and about: a left hand was stretched out towards the sky, belonging to a butterscotch pegasus. The moisture that had been acquired was used to run her hand across the light pink tresses upon the owner’s weary head. The butterscotch pegasus used her teal eyes to take note of what was standing out in front of her: several small fires off into the distance as it overwhelmed the downpour. She observed what was also upon herself: aside from a red collar and some matching sheaths, a blue silk tunic peered into her body along with some green leggings over the owner’s very hooves.

“Hey, Fluttershy…!” a loud voice pierced the butterscotch pegasus’ ears as she jumped up a bit in the process.

She recoiled instantly and turned around to find the speaker’s identity: it was another pegasus with a rainbow mane, fully clad in steel armor over her cyan coat; the former replied, “oh, it’s just you Rainbow…”

“Wow…” the armored individual spoke, “I can’t believe that you’re awake now; you were sleeping like a foal the whole afternoon ago…”

“Please leave me be, Rainbow; I’m trying to staying awake but it hasn’t been easy, not with everyone still mad at us…” Fluttershy yawned as the drizzle gone on.

The cyan pegasus went on over to the butterscotch counterpart and asked, “it’s the haters again, aren’t they…?”

“Worse…” the silk clad wearer answered about, “have you ever seen like a pony on fire…?”

“You mean Benny Blazer: the earth pony stallion who caught on fire one night about several years back when we were close; isn’t he still alive and well…?” Rainbow spoke out slowly all at once.

Fluttershy shook her head and said, “no, not him; I meant Pinkie, our friend…”

“Her…?” the cyan pegasus responded in confusion, “that’s who you mean…?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen her every time I’ve fallen asleep since we had met again; she’s always showing up in my dreams, naked and surrounded by a ring of flames but she’s been keeping me safe…” the butterscotch pegasus spoke.

The armored Rainbow muddled about and said at once, “keeps you safe… you mean that Pinkie…?”

“Yeah…” Fluttershy answered, “from all those monsters that keep popping up in them just like my mother and father did…”

“I’m sorry…” the cyan pegasus said as she watched her peer stare back into the open world all around them.

By then, Rainbow wiped her face clean of rain and left Fluttershy to her devices, staring at the stony surface beneath the hooves. As the cyan pegasus was now walking away, the choice of her attire was reflective of the situation they were both in at that time. Despite keeping a straight face already, she could feel but a small teardrop escaping from underneath her own right eye at once.

Rainbow soon started to abandon loneliness when she managed to catch sight of two mares nearby: a gray one with a darker mane and an orange one with a blond mane. The cyan pegasus was quickly aware of the sudden observation in that they were both lacking a set of wings unlike herself and her little yellow friend from just before. Of the two ponies in question, the orange mare was clad in a blue jacket and a long makeshift skirt with a hat above the blond tresses; in contrast, the young gray mare wore a comforter over her very body, save for the timid face thereof. While the latter was already standing wide awake, the former was locked into a deep sleep.

The orange mare turned to find Rainbow at once and said, “so how’s Fluttershy holding herself…?”

“She’s still tired, Applejack; not that I can blame her: she’s always been asleep since me and Pinkie found her again a few days back…” the cyan pegasus replied as she looked at the eponymous individual, “any word on Pinkie though…?”

“Barely: she couldn’t even come out of her room; Ah tell ya, she’s been crying ‘bout her mother, Missus Pie almost nonstop…” the orange mare answered as she wiped some sweat from from the younger gray counterpart with a cloth.

Rainbow’s eyes slightly widened at once as she replied, “you mean that she was talking about Sue, right?”

“Huh… that’s actually her name?” Applejack said at once, “Ah can’t believe that this is the poor gal that gave birth to her, let alone Inkie…”

“Inkie; what kind of name is that…?” the cyan pegasus asked as she looked at the aforementioned grey mare before her.

The orange mare sighed and then spoke out, “Ah believe that it was short for Inkerton as in one of her sisters that were up at the theme park yesterday; Big Mac and Ah had to travel all the way up from Appleloosa since those monsters hit us the night before we returned home. Ah can tell you one thing though: at least Sweet Apple Acres went down in peace; no more rape vines here anymore, Ah tell ya what.”

“Same here: I can’t believe that she had to suffer like this; as much as I hate to say this along with these fucking plants, it could’ve been me…” Rainbow said clearly, “it’s all my fault that Sue became a purple collar yesterday; I can still remember that fateful morning: taken before my very eyes in broad daylight and crying for some cock like Miss Harshwhinny. I don’t want to know what would have been worse: snapping like Pinkie, being broken in by these vines, or shot up with that damned serum some nurse made up; then again, the caribou would have cared less about how it would have gone down.”

“At least that bastard king's gone for good; all that’s left now is fixing up the mess they'd left behind…” Applejack sighed, now retracted the small cloth from Inkie’s now dried brow at once.

When the orange mare stood up, the cyan pegasus had now asked, “where are you going now…?”

“To Big Mac: he’s cleaning up Blinkie in the bathtub; we'd just gotten through with their mother earlier that evening…” Applejack said as she walked away slowly at once for the time being, “Pinkie’s room is just about across the hallway if ya want to see her but be careful: there could still be some of Dainn’s traps we've yet to disarm; at least, Princess Luna’s helping us out with the efforts.”

“That I can appreciate; after what happened, there’s no doubt about it: just stop the bad guys, like old times…” Rainbow chuckled lightly.

The orange mare looked back, removing her jacket and handing it over to the cyan pegasus while saying, “give this to Inkie when she wakes up; we haven’t been able to find some clothes for her yet except for some bra and panties.”

“Okay then, but how are you going to go deal with them?” Rainbow asked as she soon looked onward at the titular young gray mare only about slowly, “we’ve still got the others to worry about…”

“Ah ain’t too sure about it, sugarcube, but trust me on this one; Ah have mah wits about how it’s going to go down…” Applejack answered as she walked away, leaving the two alone for the time being.

The cyan pegasus was now aware of the plain tee shirt that was upon her friend as the former stood still. She looked solemnly at Inkie who slightly shivered about within the thick covers drape upon the frail body. Rainbow couldn’t help but think of the situation they were all in together as alongside their fellow peers.

Sighing about with care, the cyan pegasus started to think silently, “I can’t that we were even able to escape the mob’s wrath; I had thought for the most part that we were goners. It’s nice that Luna was able to prevent them from trying to kill Pinkie but how in the fucking world are we going to fix this mess? If what the Mayor was saying is true, then there’s no telling what future Equestria’s going to hold; why did you have to run away from them, Rainbow Dash?! You’re so fucking stupid, just like those bastards that had made Spitfire and Lightning Dust into Wondersluts like you; not even they could've accepted you in there if the caribou hadn’t came along.”

“Mommy…” a voice squeaked out that snapped Rainbow back to reality, belonging to the young gray mare, “don’t leave us with that minotaur…!”

“Poor gal, she reminds me of Pinkie; can’t believe they’re even sisters… not to mention that she reminds me of Fluttershy even more now that I've mentioned them…” the cyan pegasus had whispered about only slowly under breath, gently placing the blue jacket upon Inkie with tender consideration.

At that point, Rainbow started to walk away at once, leaving Inkie to her own devices at once; needless to say, it was, without a doubt, the beginning of the end upon this waking hour for the most part.
> Night Six: Sensation (Part Two)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was currently a deadening calmness that had permeated throughout the stony surroundings of the very room all throughout the way. The ceiling possessed a rather small bright flame suspended ten feet from the solid ground while acting as the main source of illumination within the looking glass. The flooring was basked in cryptic woodworking more befitting of telling a tall tale within every step of the way thereof. A small table rested upon them in the center, made completely of metal and with a bolder color shade to go alongside with it. There were also some matching chairs nearby both of with various handles creating a different style than the rest.

A blue alicorn mare had stood out and about nearby that circular table as she were, tender and vigilant for the time being. The long dark blue tresses upon the owner’s weary head lay flat upon her own body as its lustrous sheen faded alongside. The blue alicorn had her big bright eyes already filled to the brim with resilience and reserve peering outward from the sockets. Her body was adorned with a large olive overcoat, covering up most of it save for the hands and hooves; the former had thick leather gloves upon them whereas the latter were covered up with some boots.

Within the blue alicorn’s line of eyesight were only three different mares: Rainbow, a cyan pegasus armed to the teeth save for her face and hands; Applejack, an orange mare sitting down on her luck; and, at long last a sobbing rarity of a white unicorn perched against the door frame.

“Any fortune on dearest Pinkie…?” the overcoat wearer soon asked as she took one step forward.

An answer reached the blue alicorn’s ears, coming from one individual who was already seated, “not at all, Princess Luna; Ah gotta say: Ah have never seen her so devastated in mah own life but Ah can’t blame her. Ah was there when she was at that whorehouse back at Ponyville: the way she suddenly snapped into purple, it'd felt like that she became a different pony in a heartbeat. She warned me about what would happen if Ah abandoned that black collar around mah neck; Ah never figured that it'd be even that bad enough for something like this to happen. What in the world could Ah ever expected from this: every single Element of Harmony a red collar, for the most part?”

“Thou mustn’t hold thyself against such needless torment for what hast been done against thee and thine friends and kin…” the aforementioned individual had replied somberly, “my dear sister didn’t become a red collar purely out of choice; in fact, she too lost her own mind in the process…”

“You mean like that fucking traitor, Cadence, right?!” the armored equine interjected, slamming her fist nearby a wall in the process.

Luna noticed the newly formed crater upon the surface and answered, “nay: when that fiend took over Canterlot all too long ago, Celestia alongside myself were forced into their experiments as test subjects when the caribou realized how we'd still refused to adopt their depraved ideology. Since that day, they and those whom became corrupted under their influence were doing everything in their power to bend our resolve until they were finally contorted into Dainn’s ideal forms: out of the two, she'd proved to be more stalwart than myself. Given my rather recent return to this very world, I was reluctant to rally against them for in fear of Nightmare Moon taking over and risk destroying everything in the process of saving the land. Even with all the drugs, brainwashing, and outright brutality they had served me, I'd refused to let myself falter; of course, everything had changed when she'd suddenly cracked under pressure: at that time, she was just like one of thy friends but only for a brief interval nonetheless.”

“Ya mean to tell me that Princess Celestia was also–––” Applejack started to respond before stopping herself in the process, “but that’s impossible; she has too good of a head upon her shoulders to let that shit happen…!”

“Don’t be too sure about it, darling; if there’s anything we'd learned from this ordeal, it wouldn’t be from some trashy erotica in a red light district these bastards would've written up: we’re all foals for letting this false dichotomy overtake our individuality!” a nearby unicorn spat out instantaneously.

An intense glare was shot from Rainbow who snarled, “correction, Rarity: you were the foals who chose to take the red collar like Roseluck did; I stayed in the black just like Spitfire despite what Soarin did to us.”

“We already got that…!” the eponymous listener sobbed, “I’m sorry, do you remember the fact that every one of us had somepony close enough to risk our neck out? You can’t go out and make such a bold generalization because of the fact I hadn’t gone with you all to the cursed Festival that day…!”

“Rarity, why do you think that it should be the case here?!” the orange mare replied in the process.

The white unicorn gasped out, “it’s obvious as the collar around my neck, remember Applejack…? Besides, even I remembered what had became of Twilight since she escaped from Spikey–Wikey’s clutches…!”

“Even so, Spike’s not here to cover up for our mistakes…!” the cyan pegasus spoke up, “these bastards did a damn fine job for us!”

“The real mistake made around these parts was Dainn’s crap: ponies disappearing into the ground, the suicides that followed after the reign, not to mention what they did to our families; Ah been putting up with their sick game just as much long as y'all gals…” Applejack retorted within only seconds.

At that point, Rainbow turned her eyes onto the orange pony and replied, “and why is that? I have no family, no friends, not even a partner to stick it to those stupid stags; how do you think they would have treated us regardless of such facts? If anything, you all ought to be lucky that we hadn’t ended up like Miss Harshwhinny earlier, craving for some stallion’s cock like the whole world depended on it…!”

“FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA, WE’RE YOUR FRIENDS; WE'D ALL SEEN HOW IT'D STARTED…!” Applejack shot back in anger, jumping upward out of her seat in the process, “even if Dainn hadn’t won this fight, let alone came here, tell me this: unless that was the case, then what the hay did we go on these adventures for in the past year; can ya tell me just that?!”

“To be frank, I’m not sure anymore: I highly doubt that we would've gone all this way to see our world turned into such a nightmare all this time; after all, it’s only a matter of time before somepony decides to blow everything back to Tartarus again…!” the cyan pegasus answered the orange mare.

Sure enough, tensions were reaching skyward as both Applejack and Rainbow were locked into an intense staredown with Rarity looking onward in fear. Even though that the white unicorn was out of their sights, she wasn’t pushed to the back of their minds either to say the very least. A deluge of tears escaped onto the cold hard floor below her as she heard the two growl at one another.

Soon, the blue alicorn broke the silence and said, “I agree with thyselves and thine opinions: the recovery process requires rebuilding and reinforcing every aspect of our lives before their arrival. The fact that our friendships had been tested by such forces is reminiscent of the current situation right this waking moment: monsters lurking around every corner, their spells in dire need of reworking, and the traps hanging amongst us. Either way, they all require our complete attention; if we are to remedy these afflictions besieging Equestria at once, then it’s imperative that an alliance must be formed once more with a common goal. Never should we allow such weaknesses to embed themselves into our society like what Dainn had done long before; after all, self–destruction is something that he would've looked forward to anyway had he lived.”

“Luna’s right: as much as it pains me to say this, we can’t argue and fight each other to the death…” the orange mare said, quickly breaking away from the cyan pegasus’ line of eyesight, “besides, there’s still work that needs to be done and doing none of it'd only make it worse.”

“Fine then, but I’m still keeping an eye on her and Twilight; after what happened, we can’t afford to have another bastard tyrant taking the helm…” Rainbow sighed as she walked away from Applejack at once.

Luna watched as the orange mare trudged past Rarity and sighed, “I haven’t experienced the populace expressing such overwhelming disarray when the Sirens had came to be; perhaps, it must have been long since that very day. Even without my own horn, I can see it clearly: families torn asunder, friendships in upheaval, neighborhood littered with upheaval, our ideals all but destroyed; they’re almost at each others’ throats thanks to such a great evil that Dainn wrought upon Equestria. Unbeknownst to my little ponies, I was still able to observe their dreams but not as much as I was able to intervene thanks to what the caribou had done to me and my sister.”

Applejack found herself in a hallway and walked alone, leaving the other equines to their own devices at once. The orange mare became well aware of how many doors there were within her sights: two on one side and three on the opposite. She was calm on the outside but thinking throughout this time: given the situation at hand, the red collar around her neck was echoing back to the conversation recently.

“Please, stop this…!” a faint voice invaded Applejack’s ears, causing them both to stand on endwise, “no more… no more…”

“Ah believe that sounds like Pinkie…” the orange mare thought to herself as she began to move onward, now driven to find the suspected source.

With each step taken, the voice had increased in decibels as she walked alone, piqued to make a discovery to confirm her suspicions at once; of course, she had gotten an answer when a nearby door was opened: laying in front was a pink pony propped upon a patchy berth. Her dank dark mane and tail had lain in a great state of utter disorganization: its internal discoloration was running rampant along the shortened locks with an edgy texture all too reminiscent of razor teeth. Aside from a moistened comforter upon the dull body, the pink pony lacked a shred of clothing save for a red collar around her very neck. Donned over her two forearms were at least several small scars freshly sewn over the pink coat like if they were some soddenly slapdash stickers.

The pink pony turned around to face Applejack at once, the former’s weary blue eyes facing the latter’s brilliant green while whimpering, “go away…”

“Pinkie…” the orange mare replied, walking towards the titular individual slowly, “what’s wrong with ya…?”

“Just look at me: I can’t stop the damn voices from getting into my head; they’ve been all screaming at me since they been raping my mom and my sisters this morning…” the pink pony sobbed.

Applejack watched a flood of tears escaping from Pinkie’s eyes and said, “that must be all the crazy talk these caribou put you through since they took over Equestria; they should have been gone by now.”

“Then why aren’t they even leaving me be, Applejack; can you at least try to tell me just that?!” the pink pony still wept, raising her voice towards the orange mare only about much slightly than before, “ever since the rain stopped earlier, I've been hearing how it was all my fault, internally and externally no less. Everywhere I'd went about in Canterlot, I couldn’t walk around without hearing someponies call me awful things like ‘sellout’, ‘pet pony’, and even ‘secondhand slut’ to my face every several minutes. The worst part about it was how I can’t help but I agree with them without question; after all, my own dear family suffered because of what I'd done: Mommy, Inkie, and Blinkie ended up into a purple collar while Daddy’s rotting away in parts unknown. I bet that she would be willing to disown me for what happened to her and my sisters; I just want for her to live on and not get killed because of the whole ordeal that meaniehead put us all through.”

“Now, now, Ah bet that Missus Pie will understand you; she’s your mother for Celestia’s sake…” Applejack replied as she sat down upon the bedside nearby but still far away.

Pinkie turned away and sighed, “not for long I’m afraid; even if she does forgive me, I highly doubt about the others: Inkie would probably run away from me and Blinkie could even consider trying to… trying to… trying to–––”

“It’s going to be okay; ya got me to live for…” the orange mare said, placing a hand gently onto the pink pony’s shoulder at once, “besides, what would even make ya say something like that…?”

“Do you remember that commercial about a theme park few days ago…?” Pinkie asked Applejack slowly.

A full beat of silence passed before being broken away by orange mare, “oh yeah, it was Bitch Busters, wasn’t it…?”

“Mm–hmm…” the pink pony answered with a nod, “I'd went there yesterday to go and save my sisters…”

“What gave ya the idea that they were both up there…?” Applejack had asked Pinkie, prompting the latter to face the former again.

The pink pony took in a breath of fresh air and replied, “it’s easy: the night before last, Rainbow and I made the decision to go and rescue her; had it not been for that, she would have been simply left to rot at the mercy of some mangy beast like I was. Ever since I'd seen her again, I'd the prospect of saving her pop into my mind while remembering my foalhood days upon the rock farm; it was as if a voice was beckoning me to return there. Anyways, we’d ended up killing the guy that was hurting her and stole his clothes; Rainbow suggested the last part since she hated going out in the nude now. I was able to find out about it from some flyer that was on the top of the cage in what had used to be the dining room table: it'd read, ‘CUM SEE THE PARTY PONY’S SISTERS PERFORM THIS MONTH ONLY AT BITCH BUSTERS!’ I felt like that I'd wanted to go to sleep but after seeing them both on there with a fucking purple collar upon them, I couldn’t find the strength to do so; even worse, I almost burned down the kitchen because of it.”

“Now, ya just scaring me; there’s no way a gal such as yourself could do something like this…” the orange mare said calmly, holding firmly without a doubt, “you’re an earth pony just like me, remember…?”

“But what kind of an earth pony just sets something on fire without the means to do so…?” Pinkie retorted uneasily, looking further upon her own two trembling hands with a shaky gaze no less.

Applejack held onto her friend’s hands and said coherently, “would it be a pyromaniac Ah presume…?”

“Anypony can be a pyromaniac in this day and age, even a unicorn but not one without some matches or gasoline…!” the pink pony retorted tearfully to the orange mare, “I’ve killed ponies since they’d tried to rape me and I’ve killed even more before I ever seen Mom again by burning down Fluttershy’s home…”

“How in the world could ya even do that…?” Applejack asked with fear slowing rising within her own eyes.

Pinkie now attempted to regain her composure and began to come up with only her answer, “when Rainbow was being beaten in front of me by that caribou, I'd screamed for him to stop; instead, I saw him catch fire and then the house caught fire alongside him too. The moment that happened, I soon felt the whole wide world suddenly stopping before my very eyes; it was as if countless voices were all crying out in pain while screaming really loud into my ears. I know who they'd all belonged to: friends, neighbors, strangers, partners, all gathered around to make some tainted milk being put out of their misery; no, being burned alive because of me. I didn’t mean to kill any being this time but after what went down, I don’t think anypony in this city would even be willing to see it as that, especially given our reputation now no less.”

“Have ya forgotten the fact that Luna was the first pony to stand up for us when they were about this close to hanging us all out to dry…?” the orange mare then said to the pink pony with a firm look, “better yet, can ya even remember why ya had first came to Sweet Apple Acres the first day when Canterlot nearly went up in flames?”

“Now that you mentioned it, you’re right but that was because you were the only black collars around these parts that haven’t given up yet at the time…” Pinkie answered Applejack, only for the tears to decrease in volume.

At that point, the orange pony looked into her friend’s eyes and said, “and that’s the one thing we’ll never even do, no matter what: as much as the stress of the ordeal is a large problem for the lot of us, rolling over with any of the punches that they threw at us would have proved otherwise; besides, we didn’t come this far to do any of that…”

“Then what should be the only way to convince me to keep on fighting back…?” the pink pony whimpered about but softly, “I know that there are some other questions that would be better off not left unanswered but my body feels like that I want this endless nightmare here to fucking stop…”

“Maybe perhaps this will help...” Applejack whispered slowly but surely to Pinkie’s face without interruption. 

It wasn’t even long until their own eyes were closed with both faces burning bright red as they'd shared such a tender gift with one another that had grown stronger in every step of the way. The pony pair grew more eager as their hands slightly moved around in complete synchronicity; therefore, they both explored each other’s warm bodies with such overwhelming ecstasy. In due process, the two of them had then also started to place their very lips upon each other slowly but surely, a kiss almost imminent at best.

Sure enough, the pink pony quickly broke away from the orange mare and stammered about, “A–A–Applejack… I…”

“Ya right: it's too soon for a grown up kiss anyway, Pinkie…” the eponymous listener interjected slowly, edging back as well from the target all at once in turn, “we’ll do the rest later when all this is over, if ya want to of course…”

“Don’t worry about it; I’m just happy to see you again and not end up suffering like my family and me…” Pinkie replied as she stood up straight now, showing off her frail yet petite form in contrast to the fully clothed Applejack.

The orange mare placed a blanket over the pink pony’s body and said, “Let’s go on out of the room; it’s likely that Luna’s going to be needing us here for a complete rundown of the game plan.”

“Alright, Applejack…” Pinkie sighed gradually before she had started to take her very first step forward away from the bed, “I just hope that we get to bring Fluttershy and Twilight out of there too now…”

“Ah think that it would be wise to let them be for now; Ah heard that Twilight is still having a fit over what happened long ago, not that Ah don’t blame her now that she’s come back to her senses slowly…” Applejack said as she too also took it to the stand, no longer burdened with such previous concerns.

The pink pony nodded and began to make her way to the exit where the orange mare had went into, the latter following suit when the former opened the very door. As the two managed to leave the room behind, Pinkie wrapped the comforter around herself, covering up her cleavage and sheath while Applejack held it in together. A full beat of silence had just went in between them as their own eyes were locked firmly towards one another before being quickly broken away once more.

The pink pony said to the orange mare, “Okay Equestria, no more games; let’s… get… dangerous…!”

“Ah could even drink to that…” Applejack had responded no less, “it's time to take our homes back just like old times sake…”
> Night Six: Sensation (Part Three)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Dearest denizens…!” a voice bellowed, belonging to a blue alicorn mare standing out and about from nearby the stone structure.

Within the dead of the starry night all around the way, a large crowd had started to gather around her, coming forward from all walks of life as they soon heeded the call already. Many of them were all mares but there were also some stallions in the audience too; even more, there were other beings of a different species aside from ponies: donkeys, griffons, oxen, and even a few dragons as well. For what it was worth, many of them were a bit worse off to wear, regardless of their current attires or lacking thereof; even so, out of many that were dwelling within the sea of people, only a few of them wore a face that shone bright like a crazy diamond in the darkness altogether.

In fact, further compounding the gravity of the situation was a lone timid voice that spoke quietly, “Princess… Luna…?”

“Friends, Equestrians, Denizens, I ask that you loan me thy ears…” the eponymous figure spoke out, this time at lower decibels, “tonight, we meet at a urgent time: many of us have watched atrocities go on and spent many moons partaking in them, including some who are amongst us at this moment. They hast bore witness to such crimes far too often; we now continue to face adversity on the account of that tyrant who hast made things worse than when Discord was in power, when I as Nightmare Moon terrorized the land. There art dangerous beasts still roaming all across the land along with everything else that has been supported by his peers and their ideals.”

“AD AVERNUM…!” the crowd cried out in venomous fervor, raising their hands skyward almost instantly.

The blue alicorn took a deep breath and continued onward at once, “we've now realized that in spite of the intolerable acts that Dainn's regime has committed against us, Equestria still remains strong enough to be graced by a miracle no less. Had it not been the sudden retribution that dealt a blow to the regime, we wouldn't be here to cherish this moment; nevertheless, the quest for peace hast just begun, real peace: rather than the absence of war, ‘tis the presence justice be remembered onward. This millennium hast seen many obstacles that came our way on that very quest thereof: should these challenges failed to arise, beings like Chrysalis and Sombra would've never came to light; conversely, even an era of inequality that they made wouldn’t have last this long.”

“HEAR HEAR…!” the audience cheered as several of its members soon began to flash a smile, “LONG LIVE EQUESTRIA…!”

“If there was one lesson to be learned from the return of the Crystal Empire, the first nation conquered was none other than the Crystal Empire itself: Sombra’s influence was proof of how tumultuous Dainn’s grip upon the land could have been and why many red collar natives came to be…” Luna spoke up as well.

At this point, there were still many that were grumbling angrily amongst themselves: one of them, a simple peach coated pony with a black collar in simple silk poncho said, “but, your highness, the Elements of Harmony that we had relied upon were also red collars: even our Princess Twilight has fallen prey to such influences thereof; why must we allow them to live?”

“‘Tis simple, thy fair maiden…” the blue alicorn began to answer firmly as she looked at the commoner with but a tender gaze, “we must remind ourselves of how we'd all fallen prey to the tyrant’s evil and the fact that like many were influenced by the desire to protect their families and friends. The fact that they’d suffered at the hands of their cruel actions wouldn't be used as an opportunity to simply end their lives; no amount of blood in whole wide world is going to make the pain go away, especially not theirs. Besides, the true monster behind the scenes wasn’t even Discord himself, let alone alive to say the least: even now, the monsters themselves that are lurking within the land art a byproduct of his influence; therefore, ‘tis time for that evil to die already.”

“Agreed, I’m sick and tired of losing sleep day in, day out and waking up in strange places all throughout Equestria because of bastards like Dainn; tonight, this shit ends here and now so I have one thing to say: are y’all fucks with me?!” a loud voice came about as it belonged to a unicorn stallion with black crescents underneath his eyes.

At first, the sudden declaration from one random bystander had caused only confusion and delay throughout the sea of people; of course, they all had unanimously voiced their approval and agreement: one of whom, a beige pegasus mare who had said, “I’m with you; fuck this mess and fuck him too…!”

“AD AVERNUM…!” the crowd cheered on once more with gusto, raising their upper limbs in support towards the nighttime sky before dispersing all at once, “LONG WITH EQUESTRIA…!”

It wasn’t long until they assembled away from Princess Luna, charging onward and about with thunderous furor that slowly faded in every single hoofbeat of the way. Every single being that had been in attendance earlier all throughout the blue alicorn’s line of eyesight started to shrink up at once within several seconds. The light of their collective newborn fury was soon becoming replaced by that of the singular moon and countless stars shining above them all from long before.

“Princess Luna…!” a voice shouted, causing the titular listener to turn around and find the speaker directly nearby: a cyan pegasus was currently within eyesight, armed with only a torch in hand.

The blue alicorn then looked with a smile and said calmly, “Rainbow Dash, I was just about to seek for thy presence; pray tell what has become of the remaining five allies were with before…?”

“Not so good, I’m afraid: it seems that we weren’t fast enough in getting the band back together; we may have gotten lucky enough to see the bastard tyrant fall but we’re still having problems…” the aforementioned bystander called definitively, “Twilight hasn’t come out of her room, Rarity still refuses to even put on some underwear, and Fluttershy went back to sleep. The only people that are still out and about are Pinkie and Applejack themselves other than myself; still, I can’t help but constantly remember the situation we’re in: Equestria is, pardon me for being harsh, a failed state now. I can even imagine that there are still others out and about wanting to end us after all is said and done, not that I don’t blame considering they’re similar to how I had acted before ever since.”

“Thou detests thyself for events beyond one’s own control…?” Princess Luna asked, earning a nod in the process from the cyan pegasus.

A small teardrop escapes from Rainbow’s eye as she began to answer, “when the caribou came here to this city long ago, I left my own friends at the mercy of these trickster bastards; aside from myself, only Twilight was lucky to escape from the madness of that so–called king Dainn. Before she'd ended up like Cadence, I could sense the fact that she'd been through much worse than me: for fuck’s sake, she watched Princess Celestia lose to that guy; at first, I thought Twilight was joking about it but the way she was shaking up, it looked like she was about to cry again. I'd felt bad for her before because of what had happened at Canterlot earlier but I'd never expected that it would end up so fucking badly when they came to Ponyville; it was a whole hot damn mess the caribou had served us: rape, torture, suicides, murder. Ever minute of it spent in that town was making me sick to my very stomach; it was as if I could see what was behind all of Ponyville within a thousand yards despite being obscured by buildings no less.”

“I could even reminisce that similar ordeal from the thousand years I hast spent on the moon: fatigues, melancholy, and lethargy doeth not glad tidings for a normal being, let alone a pony…” the blue alicorn replied to the cyan pegasus, “giving in to vengeance and ambition even made things worse for my health.”

“I knew that: no offense but that made you become Nightmare Moon in the process; everypony has been told of that story…” Rainbow interjected at once, cutting sharply into the deadening atmosphere.

Princess Luna soon took her gaze off of the cyan pegasus and looked upon the nighttime sky, sighing about, “yea, yet thou and thine friends were able to purge such feelings and aid me into redeeming myself since that day a year ago.”

“Now, I wish that would be easy to do the same with the mess that Dainn and his cronies left us with…” Rainbow groaned as she turned away at once, “why did that bastard had to come all this way to screw us repeatedly…?”

“That has been the question everypony had been asking since he took over; even without my horn, I could still hear their cries ever since from everywhere past the capital: Manehattan, Cloudsdale, Ponyville, even Vanhoover…” the blue alicorn had replied to the cyan pegasus at once.

Rainbow scoffed lightly and said, “please don’t remind me of it; I already know who a few of these voices belong to…”

“I knew them all well too, dearest Rainbow…” Princess Luna said to the eponymous bystander, “besides, I recommend that thou goeth to where thy friends remain; their help is most needed from you.”

“Okay then; besides, Fluttershy needs my help more than ever and leaving her be has left me with a lot of work to be done about it…” the cyan pegasus replied, turning to walk away from the blue alicorn already.





At this moment in time, Rainbow had found herself trotting away in the moonlight, going in the adjacent direction where the audience had dispersed. The light of the cyan pegasus' very torch had given its owner additional guidance as to give out a clear and present path to tread upon without the fear of trouble. There was also a fire deep within her magenta eyes, albeit colder and smaller than the one upon the consumed wood; nevertheless, it had persisted on without anything to snuff it out.

Rainbow soon started to catch sight of three ponies nearby, each with a fair share of differences: the first, a straight green maned earth pony in a hazelnut coating; the next, a spiky blue maned pegasus with a taupe coating; the last, a purple afro maned unicorn with a gunmetal coating. The cyan pegasus was quickly aware of the observation of the trio standing front of the doors: the lacking of certain functional attributes within the two and their faces had deemed them all to be of the same gender as the former. All of the three mares in question were clad in heavy steel armor, sharing the same style as Rainbow herself; of course, they had little of it compared to the latter that had arrived in front of them.

Already in the same light, one of them, a unicorn no less, had came to speak up about calmly, “oh hey Rainbow, we were wondering when you’d have been back; any word on Princess Luna…?”

“Not much, Starburst: she had this speech about what had happened already; saw a few griffons in the audience too…” the cyan pegasus answered as she spoke to the titular individual in an instant, “gotta admit, it reminds me of what Twilight used to be before they got ahold of her months ago; anyways, how is she though…?”

“You mean her: no improvements according to the nurse; of course, after what they did, it’s a miracle that she didn’t end up with a matching collar like my mom…” the unicorn said at once already.

The nearby pegasus opposite of Rainbow interjected, “a miracle; how can you call a Princess coming to her senses a miracle…? I mean look at me: I used to be an up and coming flyer in all of Vanhoover; now I’m nothing more than a fucking slab of meat that the caribou had enjoyed and passed around like a gift basket…! Having Celestia take in two new ponies as Princess was a mistake, no offense: I mean Twilight I could understand being a hero and all just like you but Cadence; that damned traitor ought to count herself lucky we’re not in the same room with one another…!”

“I see what you mean by it, Zephyr; even I’d wished to see her and Shining Armor burn for this…” the cyan pegasus said to her peer slowly, looking farthest away from the very three in the process, “still, I couldn’t help but feel that this is partially my fault for what had happened long ago…”

“What do you mean by that…?” an earth pony asked, staring at Rainbow with a curious gaze no less.

The cyan pegasus began to reply, “about over several months ago, Twilight told me to go and get some help in Ponyville; I didn’t want to go but with all the caribou and the stallions swarming the city, I had no choice. During the time I'd spent flying away from Canterlot, I couldn’t help but cry about all these ponies who were left behind in there, including my own friends no less; in fact, I’d wanted Celestia to save them all. Seeing these three being caught after what had happened made me sick to my stomach; the only one that made me shocked the most was what they did to Fluttershy: having these warbeasts fucking her up and down like the whole world just lost their damn minds.”

“Don’t remind me about the warbeasts…!” Zephyr started to whimper, her faltering now causing the three to focus in on her, “it’s just too fucking much…!”

“Calm down; they’re not here anymore…” Starburst began to whisper softly into the taupe pegasus’ floppy ears.

Sure enough, Zephyr ended up shedding a few tears and sobbed about, “I know, it’s just that I still keep getting these nightmares about them from the farm: every single one of them ganging up on me like a bunch of ants. It was absolute madness down over there: they had us making that awful milk by having these damned freaks fuck us day in and day out like we were completely nothing but toys to be passed around. I just wanted to die because of what they were doing to ponies like me; of course, I nearly got my wish a few days ago when that fire broke out: ponies, caribou, and warbeasts were running from the blaze like their own lives had depended on it while others didn’t make it.”

“You’re telling me; I was there: saw the whole tree burn down myself…” Rainbow said, earning some gasps in the process from the remaining two, “there was a rainstorm that followed a few hours later; never expected something like this to happen but as well: at least we won’t be seeing anymore of them now afterwards.”

“Heh…” the third associate choked out, struggling to say something but stopping herself in the process.

The gunmetal unicorn noticed this and said, “Brass, what’s wrong…?”

“It’s nothing, Star: I was going to say something but I don’t want to cause Zephyr some pain again…” the aforementioned earth pony answered about at once, “not that I do blame her, of course…”

“I’ll say; anyways, where can I be able to find Pinkie…?” the cyan pegasus had now suddenly asked.

Brass ended up giving Rainbow a rather straightforward answer almost instantaneously, “last time that anypony has seen her, she was in the third door on the far left hallway past the entrance…”

“Thanks…” the cyan pegasus said, walking past the three at once, “I’m sorry about what happened though…”

“Don’t worry about it; no one ever said it was your fault anyway, unlike some ponies though…” Starburst quickly replied as Rainbow entered the stone structure only slowly but surely nevertheless.

Before making her way across, the cyan pegasus spoke to the hazelnut pony, “I’m aware of that…”

At this moment, Rainbow found herself away from the moon and stars above; still, there was some light in that new location, giving her a reason to put out the torch. As the singular flame were being snuffed out, she could recognize the numerous scraps of paper and fabric that had clung unto the walls like they were dying leeches. Hanging far from the ceiling above was a chandelier with some abundant crystals, each of them coming in many different colors reminiscent of the cyan pegasus’ mane and tail. The flooring had numerous patches dug into the surface, each varying in shape and depth: one of them even had possessed the shape of a sundial imprinted into there. More importantly, there was a small series of doors that stood on each side for Rainbow to observe instantly, complete with a hallway already after the fifth door no less.

Taking heed to the advice that Starburst gave out earlier, the cyan pegasus started to find someone approaching from the left: a pink pony clad in a comforter wrapped over her body from the cleavage to the hooves.

“Oh, Rainbow…” the inhabitant spoke to the eponymous traveler calmly, “you look like that there’s something on your mind; are you alright…?”

“Yeah, Pinkie; I am…” Rainbow answered tiredly.

The titular individual slowly walked past the cyan pegasus and said, “can I ask you a favor, please…?”

“Sure Pinkie…” Rainbow agreed with a simple tender yawn, “what is it that you want me to do…?”

“It’s simple: please look after my family in case I don’t return…” the pink pony had slowly choked out, causing the cyan pegasus’ eyes to widen.

Rainbow felt her heart skipping several beats and said to Pinkie rather quickly, “huh, what do mean ‘in case you don’t return’ here, Pinkie; you’re not suggesting that you’re going to… d–d–d–––”

“Look, I understand your concern about my wellbeing but this isn’t about me anymore; it’s my family now, something I should have protected a long time ago…!” the pink pony interjected at once, “after what they did to me, I was unable to focus on my parents or my sisters since they sent me back to Ponyville. Seeing them again has given me more than enough tears to go crying out from there; I may no longer care about what happens to me but I don’t want them to suffer any further because of my actions. Therefore, I would like for you to do so: you’re the only pony I know of that could do this; besides, I have a feeling that they would be better off without me around when this is all over.”

“Stop thinking such things like that; I’m pretty sure that she’ll still understand you anyway, that’s all…” the cyan pegasus had said as she slowly placed a hand on the pink pony’s shoulder at once.

Pinkie looked away and replied, “but she’s also a pony just like you and me; there’s so much that everypony can to take, willingly of course: what that minotaur did to her the night before along with what she had gone through just this morning made me feel even more sorry for my mom, Dashie…”

“You don’t seem to know that…” Rainbow responded quickly at once, “we talked yesterday about you when we attempted to reach the hideout: she had felt very worried when she found out that you’d left the house; she was even afraid you would've became a purple collar just like your sisters.”

“Yeah, I’d already found out about them on that day; I just wish that my disguise didn’t get burned in the process…” the pink pony sighed sadly to the cyan pegasus, the former’s blue eyes on the verge of tears.

Rainbow then asked, “what did you mean by that…?”

“Never mind, just focus on keeping my family safe please; I’m going to be heading out now…” Pinkie interjected, shaking her weary head away at once, “my Pinkie Sense tells me that something bad is going to happen soon; no use in ignoring it this time after what the caribou did to everypony.”

“Is it that bad…?” the cyan pegasus asked.

The pink pony looked at her hand and exhaled at once, “that’s something I don’t even want to know but I can’t sit around any longer; anyways, if my mom wakes up again, tell her that I’m sorry…”

“You’re not suggesting that you go out on this alone, are you; have you forgotten that they caught you yesterday?!” Rainbow exclaimed at once, “what if something like this happens again or worse they–––”

“Don’t worry about me; I’m sure that things will turn out great in the end but I feel like that I must handle this alone…” Pinkie interrupted instantly, leaving her friend alone as she walked away only slowly.

As the pink pony was sliding away from the cyan pegasus’ line of eyesight, the latter started to think silently, “sounds like she the real deal after all; wait, what in the name of Celestia am I saying?! Pinkie wouldn’t just go and risk her own neck by going out alone again; she may not have her head screwed on tightly like Twilight did but not even she would think of something like this. Besides, I can’t keep quiet about it; I gotta tell Applejack about this anyway: there’s no way in Tartarus I’m gonna live with this mistake if something happens again, not after what they did to her of course.”





“READY… AIM…!” a loud voice declared in an instant, cutting into the dead nighttime air, “FIRE!!”

At that moment as if on cue, a full salvo of javelins were thrusted into the air, launched from the ground with rigorous vigor no less. The bladed objected were drenched in a burning flame as they soared into the open air before descending back to the solid earth at once. When they did, many beings were waiting below, each in various shapes and sizes thereof; what had happened next was rather predictable to say the least.

The targets that had made contact were a horde of amalgamated creatures slowly catching ablaze from the sudden impact. Many of them were starting to scream loudly in the process as the weaponry were poking into their bodies, blood spilling outward. Each of the afflicted beings were writhing about in a sea of confusion and delay, besieged by the fire and flames that were delivered to them. Every one of the members within the very horde had taken substantial damage from the initial onslaught at once.

“BULLSEYE…!” another voice cried but rather than belonging to the targeted beings, it had came from a teal pegasus with a charred denim mane.

On the opposite end, there were many ponies of all shapes and sizes being bound together in a large cluster all at once. Each of them were packing some tools that had the potential to end the life of a sentient being with swiftness and ingenuity. Many of the ponies were mares but there were also some stallions thrown in the mix as well, wary of the situation thereof. Despite this, the full frontal force of fury was flying firmly at their newfound foes that falter about within a few seconds no less.

As one of the unscathed creatures started to charge forward at the innumerable equines, one of the mares, a buttery maned unicorn, said, “THERE’S A STRAGGLER CLOSING IN ON OUR WAY…!”

“Finish them off; don’t let these beasts get anywhere near you…!” a yellow earth pony had declared while tossing a glass bottle at the monstrous runner, “we mustn’t allow their presence to overrun Equestria…!”

“LONG LIVE EQUESTRIA…!” the crowd bellowed at once as the straggling invader burst into flames upon contact.

As the small explosions took place amongst themselves, Pinkie was roaming the streets armed with a bow and arrow at her side. Although the pink pony remained calm on the outside, the rather uneasy look upon the visage left her thinking all throughout the way. Her face was moist but showed patches of dryness upon the owner’s coat as she was wiping it freely against the gentle breeze.

Pinkie looked around and watched the art of fighting unfold from the shadows: ponies like herself of many different backgrounds squaring off against the horde; as she did so, she started to think only silently, “look at everypony go: I never seen them defend Equestria like this; they may not be the royal guard or even Princess Celestia herself but they’re still at it. I can’t imagine how we have managed to fight back again after we had popped the pinata up with Dainn and his meanies; we’re still in a war… I’m fighting in a war. My family and friends had almost gotten destroyed because of ponies like me; what kind of a hero am I to let something like this happen to Equestria no less? If I had just taken my Pinkie Sense seriously, then we wouldn’t have to be in these collars; if I had just gotten Fluttershy and Applejack to follow me with Twilight, then we would have been able to save everypony from this damned mess. One thing is certain though: I can’t let what they, my friends and their families along with my family be in vain because of the evil the caribou did to us; I have to find out what’s causing my body to shake and finish this once and for all.”

“HEY, I HAD JUST FOUND SOMETHING…!” a harsh voice invaded the pink pony’s ears, causing her line of thought to be stopped at once, “PLEASE HAVE A LITTLE LOOK AT THIS…!”

“Oh no, what if it’s the caribou who are still lurking around ready to rape me back into a purple collar like before…?” she whimpered to herself, attempting to ready the weapon at once as a precaution.

Some hard sudden hoof beats made their way to Pinkie’s current location as she had silently started to hypothesize the potential identity of any wayward observer who'd cross paths with one another. The true blue eyes were locked in a squint and the ears standing on endwise as the possibilities of who could it be now swished and swashed throughout the rather troubled mind that belonged to the pink pony herself. She slowly started to shake about near the edge of the shadows as the sounds nearby seemed to have increased in decibels; at the same time, beads of sweat were pouring from the forehead.

Pinkie’s answer then came in the form of several ponies, each with their own choice of weaponry: amongst them was a simple mare with a pink mane and tail, just like the former; of course, that’s where the similarities ended. Unlike the pink pony, the visitor possessed a pale but tan coat, bearing a long trenchcoat with a color so jet black it reminded them of the dark void thereof. A pair of golden rimmed glasses was instantly found to be donning upon the owner’s visage, already overlaying the deep blue irises that were peered far throughout the framework all at once.

The tan mare took a good long look at Pinkie and said, “it’s alright, it’s just her; stand down, my little ponies.”

“Madame Mayor; I wasn’t expecting you to pop up…” the pink pony spoke up, “I thought you were one of th–––”

“Not at all; I almost thought the same thing…” the eponymous witness had quickly interjected instantaneously.

Pinkie eased up on the bow and retracted her weapon, finding the time to speak to the Mayor, “is everything okay though…?”

“Barely…” the tan mare answered calmly, holding her sword and slingshot away as well, “we may have managed to regain control of Canterlot but we're still dealing with some major trouble approaching from the south; we believe these must be the beasts that came from Froggy Bottom Bogg the night before.”

“Any way we can stop them from at the source…?” the pink pony asked, putting the bow and arrow away at once.

The Mayor took a deep breath and replied, “if you mean at Ponyville, then it's possible; the only way through to the swamp would be by train but we're severely understaffed: aside from the fact that our main method of operating it is, for the lack of a better term, uncomfortable, there's a likely chance the locomotive would be besieged by attacks at this rate. On the other hand, the city still has some hot air balloons sturdy enough to carry at least seven ponies but only few of them are left though; even so, they too stand the risk of being attacked as well aside from the darkness itself to. Of course, even walking straight onward from Canterlot to here is obviously out of the question, considering the inherent risks of that option in the context of the situation alone.”

“I see then…” Pinkie said before walking away towards the others, “then we should take the balloons; I'll provide cover fire support from here…”

“How are you going to do that; do you even have enough to take this many head–on…?” the tan mare said to the pink pony at once.

Pinkie then turned to face the Mayor instantaneously, pointing to the large batch of arrows upon the owner's back and said with a faint beam, “don't worry about it; it's about time I should be fixing to make amends for what I did: no use in sitting on the sidelines while everypony suffers in silence.”

“I understand then; there's no use in arguing about what happened any longer…” the tan mare had spoken up firmly in response, “we'll have to head on out to Ponyville now; the horror stops tonight…!”

“YES, MA'AM…!” the other ponies responded, following the two along into the very city at once.
> Night Six: Sensation (Part Four)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The acute sounds of shrieks filled the air as the moon and stars had bore witness to the onslaught that ensued below them. A faint pillar of smoke now climbed from ground where the bright fires were roaring about in a state of fury reminiscent of a cold war. All throughout the very city were scenes of a frank nature involving the gripping conflict between the hybrids and the equines.

Speaking of equines, there were at least several of them that came about: two pegasi and two regulars, all of whom were mares no less. The pegasi in question, as colorful as they were, had their differences: one possessed a cyan coat with a mane and tail bearing properties of the rainbow in a suit of armor; the other was in a butterscotch scheme with pink locks in a set of silk clothing that peered into her body. As for the remaining two, the differences were even much more obvious: one was a young blonde with a jacket and skirt over her orange coat standing straight up; the other was an old gray mare with dark green locks residing in a bed with a comforter over her body.

“What… you meant to tell me that my daughter Pinkamena is out there all alone once again and yet you did nothing to even stop her?!” the eldest individual exclaimed with little warning whatsoever.

This statement thereof prompted a reply, coming from the cyan pegasus who nodded, “Pinkie told me her body was giving her all these messages saying that something was going to happen soon. She had acted like that she wanted to do this alone, even after everything that had occurred to us over the past few days. I thought about stopping her anyway but she told me to keep you and her sisters safe instead; after all, I didn’t want to risk watching someone getting raped in front of me again.”

“That may seem mighty noble of you to care for her but why didn’t you give her your armor anyway before she left, Rainbow…?” the orange mare asked the eponymous target in front of her, “besides, Ah don’t think that Pinkie can’t last this long out there without it after all the trouble they’ve caused us…!”

“I’d left a spare in her room earlier today, Applejack; it seems that she didn’t take that chance…” the cyan pegasus answered.

A full beat of silence came about before the titular individual replied, “You’re right, I remember; must have been nearly exhausted considering what had went down though: scary stuff though…”

“You’re telling me; I was there when they made me watch those vines hurt Sue yesterday, you know…” Rainbow replied reluctantly, “even heard her cries though; not like the ones from before when the Commander had work me, Spitfire, and Lightning over: they were like cries of pain and fear.”

“Mm–hmm…” the butterscotch pegasus yawned.

At this point onward, Sue began to weep in an instant, “OH PINKAMENA WHY?! WHY COULDN’T I HAVE STOP YOU FROM RUNNING AWAY WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE?! WHY DIDN’T I, WHY DIDN’T I GO ON AFTER HER?! SHE COULD HAVE DIED ALONE; I SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED HER! WHAT DID WE DO TO EVEN DESERVE THIS FATE? MY OWN DAUGHTERS ARE NOW TAINTED BECAUSE OF DAINN AND HIS EVIL! THEY COULD HAVE ENDED OUR LIVES LIKE WHAT THEY DID TO MY HUSBAND BUT INSTEAD THEY MADE THE WHOLE FAMILY SUFFER! And now she’s going to die because of all this madness here, because of me…”

A deluge of tears now poured over onto the fabric as the old gray mare faced downward, away from the remaining three no less. Out the trio that was watching Sue at once, Applejack couldn’t help but imagine the former in a much clearer color like the latter. Although that they were alone, the river of sorrow that the old gray mare constructed was permeating beyond their current position.

“Now I’m starting to see the resemblance already…” the orange mare thought to herself quietly, “she sure does take after her mother alright.”

“No, she’s not…” a few simple words came out, but it didn’t come from the old gray mare or Applejack herself though; instead, the cyan pegasus stood by with her mouth slightly agape no less.

Sue felt her ears stand on endwise instantaneously and replied, “what are you, daft…? My daughter's out there risking her own life on something so dauntless; she could be getting herself killed by then.”

“Ah highly doubt it, Missus Pie…” the orange pony replied to the aforementioned occupant quickly, “we may have been in numerous slip–ups here and there but she’s way too quirky to let herself get killed just like that. After all, she was a Bearer of Laughter just as we used to be bearers of the other Elements; Ah just wish that it hadn’t have to come to this as much as the next pony. Besides, we shouldn’t be standing around; Pinkie might need us anyway since she went out all alone nonetheless.”

“You’re right about that, Applejack: Pinkie may have told me to keep her family safe but that doesn’t mean she has to go out alone; as much as I hate what they did to all of us, she doesn’t have to throw her own life away because of it…!” Rainbow responded, clenching her hand into a fist all too soon.

Soon, the tired colleague suddenly spoke up without warning, “Then I got one question: what in the flying feather are we doing just standing there? The least we can do for her is help out a friend; if it weren’t for what happened a few days ago, then I wouldn’t be talking to any of you girls. Besides, it’s time that I return the favor for Pinkie Pie, that something we should be doing; no more sleeping around like a narcoleptic…!”

“Fluttershy?!” Applejack exclaimed at once, taking note of the eponymous target now departing from the herd, “where are you going…?”

“Wherever she could be going; at least, anywhere but Canterlot…!” the butterscotch pegasus answered the orange mare at once.

As Fluttershy then began to leave at long last, Applejack then started following after her while saying, “The least ya could do is wait up for me though; none of us want to go about and risk losing you too as well…!”

All that had remained were the cyan pegasus and the old gray mare when the dust had settled; of the two thereof, only the latter had sighed quietly, “Pinkie, please don’t go and do this to me again…”





A fountain of blood spurted into the air, propelled into the air by such high pressures before being subjugated by gravity instantly. Its source had originated from an amalgamated being, shrieking about with a rather high earsplitting pitch before subsiding. The massive body slumped into the fold, stumbling onward at first as it soon collapsed onto the solid earth in a puddle of its own fluids.

“EAT THAT!” A booming screech came from one of the equines, a unicorn stallion with a slingshot and knives in tow, “LET’S MOVE, YA FUCKING FERALS… YOU WANNA LIVE FOREVER?!”

Following alongside him were many others, each with their very own assortment of weapons and gear at their disposal no less. The griffons were twirling their flails in a mostly circular motion, careful enough to avoid attacking their allies yet ready to strike their common enemy. The oxen held their grip onto their hammers, easily prepared to launch a hard blow upon those unfortunate enough to be close enough in their range. The rest were common ponies whom had a collective stash of javelins and torches reserved for any being that were to be posing a threat to themselves.

“I can’t believe these damned creeps are still lurking around; where are they coming from?!” A dark feathered griffon muttered as more of their opponents were firmly within their line of eyesight.

A moderately heavy bald bull of blue provided a reply, “I’m not sure but we’re not going to stick around and find out if we don’t fight…!”

“That is just about good enough for me; at least the caribou scum had a clear origin point though…!” A opal pegasus mare armed with a long sword snarled, slashing the neck of a nearby being at once, “wish I could simply hunt them down and wipe them off the face of the planet for what they did to us!”

They had concentrated their efforts onto the fight ahead of them, refusing to waste even a second of it all. With the amalgamated beings gearing up speed and ferocity, the entire crowd made attack preparations. Needless to say, the preceding scenes of carnage from before had just started for the lot of them basically.

“GET READY…!” the unicorn had said loudly, instantly loading up the slingshot with a dagger no less.

As the united crowd did so, they were unable to pay attention to a small fleet of hot air balloons which were flying quickly overhead. With the help of the moon and stars plastered above them, it was somewhat easy to identify the color palettes upon their envelopes. Regardless, each of them had all found themselves propelled onward into a uniform direction within a single file formation anyway.

Out of the several hot air balloons in question, one of them happened to be none other than a pale yet plainly pink, occupied by at least three ponies. The dark green stallion had took control of the valve already beneath the very deadening center of the floating gondola he was already inside of no less. The tan mare had kept her own true blue eyes focusing firmly upon their very surroundings with the utmost vigilance she had offered thereof for them. The pink pony used her current position to fire away arrows upon the monstrous horde that was simply rampaging beneath the occupying trio at once.

The archer started to sweat about and panted, “Is there any way we can get to Ponyville much faster, sir…?”

“I’m trying; I haven’t been able to fly these things since several months ago…” the pilot answered, carefully retaining his position on the valve, “my hand had to take a long time to heal…”

“Understood…” the watcher snorted about.

The balloons found themselves engaged with about several dozens of winged opponents, no doubt the same ones as the others below. Although many of them were sharing some traits belonging to pegasi, the wings upon their very backs were anything but equine in nature. The light of silvery moon deep within the backdrop of the battlefield already painted a picture for the pink pony to take aim and protect.

The archer swallowed a lump of air inside and opened fire, sending one of the arrows flying fast at the amalgamated being within due time no less; sure enough, it had landed into one of its very dark eyes altogether. A loud screech had instantaneously radiated from the being’s open muzzle as one of its appendages were used to cover the afflicted area that formed over upon the pink pony’s quick attack all not too long ago. Not wanting to risk leaving herself out in the open for a brutal counterattack, she’d pulled out two arrows and had then repeated the same process she had just done before, this time piercing the flyer’s forehead. It wasn’t long until the target in front of the archer in question soon descended into the ground, its earthbound impact now almost imminent due to the predicament she had already put the former in from the very ordeal.

Still, it didn’t change the fact that there were still others within the ponies’ line of eyesight closing in upon them; out of the three, the pink one had taken the time to mutter only one word anyway, “crap…”





A lone blue alicorn mare was found to be trotting about within the very darkness of the otherwise starry night all around the way. For what it was worth, she didn’t even pay any mind whatsoever to the near lacking of visibility that was already provided for her. Despite the controlled chaos going onward anyway, the blue alicorn nonetheless remained vigilant as to avoid some ongoing strife.

Soon, she felt both of her ears standing on endwise to a sound that quickly invaded them at once: rather than the clashing of weapons against flesh, it was a shrill resonance of sobbing filled the dank and dire atmosphere at once. Despite its low decibels, the blue alicorn paid heed to the peculiar sound with reason to believe that it would match the species, language, understanding, or gender thereof to translate it properly with the most delicate care. Speaking of the source in question, its point of origin came from nearby, giving off the first impression of a defenseless mare in a rather greatest state of pain and sorrow convulsing about. As such, it would be safe to consider that loneliness was quickly this close to being abandoned anyway; then again, these emotions emitted in such a fashion overall clung onward like an abundance of barnacles stuck onto a capsizing vessel. Either way, the ambiguous identity gave her the perspective of a strange being from another worldly plane different from the current one thanks to its otherwise tender sobbing made at once. After all, it wasn’t like that it would have been unfriendly to say the least, but instead not in the right mindset or even mood for the blue alicorn to take any chances whatsoever.

Sure enough, she'd then turned at the corner to find a lone mare cowering about within her line of eyesight. Each of them all had possessed certain common traits: sharing the same species, gender, and some wear and tear here and there. Of course, there were some significant differences that the blue alicorn had taken notice: in fact, she was able to recognize an all too familiar face from before, this time under the most unpleasant of circumstances thereof.

Speaking of which, the other alicorn had a fashion that was more disheveled than the one the observer had chosen for herself, something that the latter had used to identify the former quickly. For starters, one of them had possessed a bright purple coat and a darker mane roughly adorned across the tresses, save for a singular pink stripe amongst the very countless locks thereof. Secondly, there was also a slight difference in height between the two alicorns standing out and about, off by a few feet no less despite their stances: one sat on the haunches while the other stood by. Third of all, the purple mare bore some clothing upon her very body that were left much worse for her to even be wearing: a dark brown cloak in tatters and a light grey skirt with some patches of blood. In addition, the blue mare took note of the startling fact that one of her hands was covering the owner’s face whereas the other had a simple dagger with its very metal tainted in a dirty crimson. Widening those weary blue eyes almost quickly, the observer had then come to find that the weary subject in question had some pained irises matching her coat, leaking with their falling tears.

“Twilight…?” the blue alicorn said to her lowly purple counterpart, “what art thou doing with thyself…?”

“What do you think; can’t you see that I've already failed Equestria, Princess Luna?!” the targeted mare sobbed, refusing to let go of the knife.

The titular observer moved forward slowly and answered calmly, “That is not true, dearest Twilight; thou hast not an idea that something so unforeseen could happen, especially such a threat…”

“So fucking what?!” the aforementioned alicorn spat out, crying onto her attire at once, “contrary to what everypony has been thinking since that day, I never wanted for any of this to even happen in the first place! If I hadn’t been so stupid enough to let them get anywhere near my own friends, then we would've stood a chance at fighting back against Dainn, just like we've before with the others! Instead, I've betrayed everypony along with all of Equestria by letting him win my friends and family; even worse, I lost my magic, my wings, my own hope no less because of it! Even with that frozen bastard off the throne, I still can’t go anywhere in Canterlot, let alone back to Ponyville without everypony, especially the other black collars, calling me and every other pony close to me damned dirty traitors! It’s a fucking nightmare that I can’t seem to wake up from, thanks to the fact the caribou have wreaked havoc upon what used to be our home! I just want to do more than wish for it all to go away: I just want to fucking die already; at least, they can be satisfied in knowing that I won’t make things much worse with the likes of me around Equestria!”

“Twilight Sparkle, canst thou hearken to me…?” Luna asked as she knelt down nearby all at once.

The eponymous alicorn looked up into the princess’ eyes and stuttered, “What for…? Can’t you see that everything that my friends and I have stood for since last year are ruined because of all this?! Once upon a time, we used to be the defenders of our homeland; now, we are nothing but mere traitors enslaved by their desires! I can’t even fathom what kind of mare such as myself would dare to think of wanting redemption after everything I had done under Dainn’s hooves no less…!”

“It’s because ‘twas the most tumultuous strife thous hast endureth…” the blue alicorn said to Twilight, outstretching a hand in front of her gently, “something that even I can relate to all too well…”

“How?” the purple alicorn whimpered about.

At this point on, Luna began to wipe away Twilight’s tears and said calmly, “Ever since mine return to this world, I had a difficult time readjusting to the new society before me. Aside from the constant slumber that left me weary, even the light of sun that my sister brought tears to mine eyes. Despite the protection of her royal guard, everypony had treated me with trepidation and suspicion but not thee, Twilight. Thou hast shown me kindness in introducing me to the way of the new era been born from mine absence from the past millennium. If ‘twere not thed encounter from Nightmare Night, the worst that could have ensued from the ordeal would have been a sudden relapse to my villainous persona. Over the passing months since then, the times I have spent in my bedchamber started to waned in the process, though I regret not being able to intervene at the royal wedding. Of course, these two events weren’t my only ones: much like yours and my sister’s collaborators, I too have failed Equestria in the worst way possible. The black collar I wear around neck was not simply a symbol of defying Dainn’s decadence; in fact, 'twas proof of my further strife in the new world. Nevertheless, the fact that he's no longer of this world anymore means that many of us have been granted a chance to earn our forgiveness and be at peace with ourselves.”

“Then what should I do, Luna…?” the purple alicorn slowly asked the titular princess slowly, “I've allowed the caribou to destroy everything and everypony over the months while I sat there and took their very genitals inside me with a smile: my friends and family are all traitors because of me.”

“Do what you have done before when you had first came to Ponyville earlier: solve the very problems like all the others with friendship and forgiveness; after all, nopony would ever come this far just to surrender to the pressure…” the blue alicorn answered with a faint smile now appearing upon her muzzle.

A full beat of silence emerges between the two mares before the smaller one took her time to stand upward, exhaling at once slowly, “Thanks, I’ll see what I can do; as much as I fear their rejection, I can’t allow this mess to risk killing my friends any more than what he could have done to the lot of us. I may have lost the use of my magic and flight but I still have my brain: the least I can do is improvise somehow just like the earth ponies have done before; I just gotta find myself a way…”





The sounds of crackling against the integument were sharp enough to resonance amongst the hectic night. A small flurry of blood were staining the soil along with walls that were sometimes within the short range. The source of such discharge came from the small amalgamated trio, all of them struggling to at least survive. The last of them gurgled a rattle that went on for several seconds before subsiding into the fold all at once.

Standing before their freshly made carcasses was but a lone butterscotch pegasus mare, carrying a slender whip in her hands. A blue silk tunic and some green leggings were found upon her, bearing a few splotches of blood but otherwise clean as a whistle. A fierce look appeared upon her visage, eyes burning bright like perdition despite being also capable of moving heaven and earth.

“Fluttershy…!” a voice called out, belonging to an orange mare that made the aforementioned listener turn around, “what in tarnation are ya doing here all by yourself?!”

“Helping the ponies take back the city…” the butterscotch pegasus had calmly replied to Applejack, the latter whom was also accompanied by a trio of ponies: Starburst, Zephyr, and Brass.

The orange mare looked at three dead bodies briefly before asking, “How is that even possible…?”

“Why should it be of any concern…?” Fluttershy had said to Applejack without so much as a care anyway, “I can’t stand by and allow my friends to die at these monsters’ grips while I sleep about…”

“Funny you should mention that; you’d allowed other monsters to fuck us six ways to Sunday months ago since they’d showed up…!” the taupe pegasus snarled and was restrained by the remaining two colleagues.

The butterscotch pegasus noticed this brief spectacle and had said, “I regret the role of a harlot that I’ve played on behalf of their actions; have you come all this way to avenge yourself, Zephyr…?”

“What…?” the eponymous pegasus choked out in reply, stopping in place no less, “that’s not what I'd meant, not at all…”

“Let’s just focus on the big picture in front of us; Ah am sure Fluttershy didn’t really to say it like that…” the orange mare chuckled nervously at once.

A dead silence came in between the several mares before it was broken by Fluttershy, “I’m surprised: I’m a lone mare with a red collar around my neck and yet you haven’t taken your time to end me; why is that…?”

“What are ya even saying; should it be obvious?!” Applejack responded all at once no less, “the fact that we have all suffered greatly under that bastard king’s reign must at least sound reasonable enough for you; even with a different collar, the safety of Equestria should at least come first…”

“And you’re just gonna let that beastmaster’s defeatist slut get away with the horrors that we’ve endured, not to mention that she’s also indirectly caused my friend’s mom to be blanked; may I also need to remind you that you used to be a black collar yourself…?” Zephyr whimpered in anger in the process, pointing towards the orange mare’s attire.

Applejack sighed sadly as she focused in on the red collar around her very neck, a stark contrast to the dark denim upon the body. Given what has happened all this time, the orange mare was understanding of where the taupe pegasus was going on with nonetheless. Even so, she still also refused to lose sight of the situation they were all currently in, already established by the corpses of these beings.

Before Applejack could even say anything, the hazelnut pony quickly exclaimed, “LOOK OUT…!”

At this point onward, a winged invader had soon charged at the five mare band very quickly, catching even the butterscotch pegasus among them by surprise. While that none of the ponies were found to be screaming out in fear, their own eyes were widened far enough to see the amalgamated being’s overall form. Nevertheless, such a startling presence thereof was in dire need of being dealt with; after what Fluttershy just did, this was not to be any different whatsoever.

“Take cover…!” Starburst commanded as the invader attempted to strike, chucking a spear into the latter’s face as it had slowly created a shower of blood before gravity took hold; this move shocked the others in attendance but not as much as the former’s responded loudly, “BRASS…!”

“AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” the eponymous individual soon had screamed out in pain as she was drenched in the cadaver’s fluids, its first contact searing into her flesh and fiber of her being.

The remaining four looked to find thin strands of smoke etching from the afflicted victim as she instantaneously dropped to the soil, struggling to relieve herself of the outer torment thereof; out of those who were watching, the taupe pegasus cried out, “Dear Celestia; how is that even possible?!”

“I’m not so sure about it: this is actually the first time we’ve seen any combat other than the invasions…!” the unicorn answered while Brass started to shed her armor all at once, “Not even caribou blood would do something like this; it’s like some freaky sci-fi shit found in the comics…!”

“PUT IT OUT; IT FUCKING BURNS…!” the hazelnut mare wailed as she started to bleed some fresh wounds where the fluids had made contact.

The butterscotch pegasus felt her face being painted a seaweed green as she was watching Brass’ injuries become apparent. Even though that the skies above them were dark, Fluttershy felt her vision swirl around in front thanks to the screaming thereof. A sickly sour patch of lukewarm hues appeared beneath the butterscotch pegasus’ muzzle, startling the orange mare all at once.

As Applejack watched Fluttershy convulsing about, the former patted the back of the latter and said, “it’s okay, sugarcube; yer safe for now…”

“It seems that she needs medical attention; go and find somepony ASAP…!” the unicorn had quickly told the two startled mares at once, “Zephyr and I will do everything we can to stop the pain…!”

“R–right…!” the orange mare said as she took the butterscotch pegasus along for the trip away from the trio.

Even with the screaming subsiding upon every step of the way, Fluttershy couldn’t help but think back to the scene she had witnessed much earlier, “is this it, the true fate of Equestria in and of itself; are we to remain just in the shadows forever, unable to make things right with the world…?”





Speaking of which, the silvery moon and the crystal stars in the sky were starting to illuminate the diverse land with their rays of light all at once. Many of them had just struck the tallest building, a deadened tree with all of its dimensions now warped into a state of decay and desolation. The other similar structures that surrounded it had also reached about as well with its lack of harmony best befitting of an apocalypse war. In addition, there were numerous dark bristling thorns within them, all that were already well into the process of shaking about with reckless abandon. An orderly abundance of soil turned out a rather treacherous set of pathways for the travelers to be wary of regardless of any location whatsoever. Given the time of day thereof, it would seem that the stakes were set at an all time high and the bar was climbing even higher as well too no less.

Several balloons were instantaneously found within the distance, sailing saliently across the sky by the airstreams all around them. Accompanying them were some amalgamated beings flying in their direction like insects on a long hot and heavy summer day. Despite such severe disarray throughout the land and air, they all had taken minimal damage as the arrows from the bowstrings fly.

“Shit, there’s too many of these monsters; I’m running out of arrows…!” the archer gasped as she noticed a wave of reinforcements going at them, “it looks like that I’ll have to fight every single one of them at the source!”

“But, Pinkie, how will you be able to do so?!” the tan mare asked the titular peer who then pulled out a rope from the latter’s locks.

As a knot was quickly being tied around the gore sections, the steadfast archer replied all at once, “just leave everything to me, Madame Mayor; you go on ahead and return to Canterlot until it’s safe…”

“How will we know that it is…?” the passenger said to Pinkie at once, “Will you even be alright…?”

“Yes…!” the pink pony answered instantly before sliding down the rope towards the surrounding horde.

Sure enough, she felt her own two hands burning inside as gravity guided downwards to the solid earth beneath the hot air balloon. Despite all of this, Pinkie had kept herself under control, closing her eyes intently as to avoid causing further strife inside rather than out. The pink pony realized that the scarcity of her arrows was made apparent; while still sizeable in quantity, the ratio was far too different.

Soon, she had remained there to take in such sights in which were extremely tumultuous unlike the very exterior that shined on like a bunch of bright crazy diamonds in the big blue sky above them all. Everywhere all around Pinkie, the monsters were there right up in front of her, recreating a scene from some fractured past that had reeked all too well of previous sky colored days from long ago no less. The crisp cool air grew warm around the pink pony as she took in a deep breath already, concocting the next probable move to be taken at once as soon as possible given the situation thereof.

With as little as much any warning whatsoever, the soil all around herself had shot up some flames, igniting the first layer of the surrounding horde in the process. The spontaneous combustion of the small area had caused the majority of the remainders to focus all their attention on the fire that startled them almost instantly. Screams of pain and agony quickly overtook the amalgamated beings from beyond their perimeters as they experience the burning sensation upon their bodies. The atmosphere that reeked of tenacity earlier was now instantly polluted with hot smoke and mortality as the charred husks formed within the flames around Pinkie.

Out the sounds of disarray that came about, one of them made the pink pony’s ears stand on endwise; it was unlike that of the creatures before her: it shrieked a loud piercing, “GAOOOOOOOHHHH!!”

“Oh crap…” she muttered as the flames spread themselves throughout the horde, “I never heard them scream earlier today…”

“UUUUURRRAAAAAAHHHH!” the scream pierced Pinkie’s ears again, followed by the shaking of the earth beneath her hooves.

In spite of the sudden conflagration before the big blue eyes, the pink pony stood still and grunted, “there it is again; where the fuck is it even coming from: is it one of them right behind me?!”

Sure enough, she had gotten her answer all at once: rather than another amalgamated being sharing the same size, it was a larger creature that had instantaneously surpassed the former’s height by at least several times. Unlike the ones that had possessed their own traits reminiscent of either equines or cervines thereof, this one was of a draconian style, bearing countless dark purple scales full of rough tidings and tumble dry sheen. Deeply into its very numerous abs, there had bore a big red orb resting firmly within one of them in the epicenter, shining on brightly like a perfectly cut diamond but with its hue already corrupted by some blood nonetheless. The gargantuan being’s other features also stood out and about as well: a toothy muzzle rough around the edges, claws pointy like a freshly sharpened pencil, and a tail with three prongs dipped in the brilliant green. Even its uneven eyes had proved to be very fierce for Pinkie to handle: one of the eyes was green but the other was just gold; in fact, one of the sclera was blackened out in darkness too shady for the night. 

“That will be all for now…!” a voice had said but it didn’t come from the pink pony or the gargantuan right up in front of her, “it must be a pleasure to see you again, isn’t it, Pinkamena Diane Pie…?”

“Huh, how do you know my name; are you my friend or family…?” the aforementioned listener had responded in confusion looking around for more answers, “There’s no way that could even be possible… unless…!”

“Unless, I happen to be connected to you somehow, like as if we were that close no less?!” an otherwise shrill laugh erupted into the dank and dire air, revealing a form that made her recoil in shock.

The individual in question was but a mare of the same build with cool colors in their irises; of course, they had some differences as well though. Unlike Pinkie, this mare had possessed a rather pale blue coat with an otherwise darker plum mane, flatten and straight like a bundle of sticks. Like the pink pony before her, she was clothed but a lot more elaborately: a silk ensemble of a scarf, dress, and some gloves adorning the body. The pale pony had a malignant smile upon her very visage, already complemented by the sea green within the eyes peering out towards Pinkie.

The rather startling discovery thereof had only gave little time for the pink pony peep out, “oh… no…”





Rainbow simply stood by and watched Sue sleep upon the bed as if untouched by the concerns of the waking world before them. Even though that things simply remained calm for the both of them, the collars around their necks had provided a cold hard truth. Still, the cyan pegasus was relieved that the old gray mare in front was safe from potential harm from a relative stance nevertheless.

Soon enough, Rainbow found herself in the company of two alicorns, Luna and Twilight; as a result, the former said calmly, “hello…”

“Dearest Rainbow, I’ve noticed that one of thy friends is nowhere in sight…” the blue alicorn had quickly replied to the cyan pegasus at once, “pray tell, what has become of her and her whereabouts…?”

“That’s the same question that my friends and I have been pondering, your highness: last time that anyone has seen Pinkie, she had left the castle earlier; I know this because I was there with three other ponies, Starburst, Zephyr, and Brass…” the eponymous watcher had answered at once.

The princess stared into Rainbow’s magenta eyes and spoke, “I see then and the others I presume…?”

“Rarity’s still not doing so well and Applejack went after Fluttershy; I'd wanted to after the two but I can’t risk letting Missus Pie getting hurt again under my control…” the cyan pegasus had said as she then turned her attention towards the purple alicorn facing adjacently near Sue at once.

Luna then said to Rainbow, “now that thou mentions it, what of Rarity herself; hast thou also taken a glance at her state too…?”

“Yeah, I’ve checked up on her…” the cyan pegasus had slowly responded to the blue alicorn already, “she hasn’t been able to stop talking about betraying her friends and shit… not that I don’t blame her, of course…”

“I can understand her sentiments; after all, remember what I'd talked to you earlier about when we were captured under that despot’s reign…” the princess said as Twilight began to cry softly.

Soon, they turned their attention towards the purple alicorn who had said hesitantly, “you don’t have to remind me of that, Princess Luna; after all, I was there when they came. I just can’t believe that I was able to let this happen on that day no less; couldn’t stop thinking about it, you know.”

“Me neither…” Rainbow said at once, “after all, I couldn’t believe it either too: a mighty nation brought down by a bunch of foreigners no less; not even Zecora or her kind would harbor such an intent…”

“Who said the zebra would do any of this; matter of fact, why Zecora would want to anyway…?” Twilight sniffled about.

The cyan pegasus looked at the purple alicorn and thought to herself, “you’re right, why would she…?”

“Nevertheless, the situation at hand needs dire attention: with Pinkie’s absence, I fear greater trouble will arise; Dainn may have been destroyed, but order has yet to be restored…” Luna stated firmly for the two mares to hear, “given that these creatures are still roaming around Canterlot, it’s imperative that we must find her at once. We must arrange a search party: it’s only a matter of time before these beings get to her at such a high risk; after all, Equestria is still a dangerous place at night. Is there any chance that Fluttershy and Applejack will be safe and secure in the event they return…?”

“Yeah, they will: they are after all, the closest of friends, more closer than I was with them in the past; they can get through anything…” Twilight answered clearly at once, wiping away her very tears.

Rainbow looked onward with melancholy and said, “yeah, you’re right; after all, Applejack is a strong, proud, earth pony mare: with her by Fluttershy’s side, they could do anything… maybe they could be heroes…”

“Indeed, they could be…” the blue alicorn had replied tenderly to the cyan pegasus at once, “after all, the night is still young and the opportunities are still open; Equestria could still be saved…”

“Right… right…” the purple alicorn stammered onward at once, turning her gaze away from the observers present.

At this point onward, Luna took her time to vacate the room at once, leaving the three mare to their own devices. The sleeping Sue remained motionless save for some small breaths; the crouching Twilight still trembling on and about; Rainbow just standing there like a simple orange. The nighttime sky in front of the cyan pegasus left her in a state of worry that even the two were free from despite their situation.

By then, Rainbow spoke her thought silently, “why didn’t I have to promise Pinkie to keep Sue safe…?”





“Hah… hah…” Applejack panted fervently as she looked around the city streets with her colleague in tow, “there’s gotta be a way for us to find Pinkie faster; why did they had to mess Fluttershy’s wings?”

“Applejack…” the butterscotch pegasus whimpered, getting ahold of the titular mare’s attention at once.

Looking into Fluttershy’s teal eyes, her friend had said, “what is it; is there something ya want to tell me…?”

“I just want to know, Applejack…” the butterscotch pegasus had replied, “what are we doing here…?”

“Excuse me…?” Applejack said to Fluttershy in confusion.

The butterscotch pegasus answered to the orange mare, “why are we even here in Canterlot…?”

“Ah think it'd be wise to skip the details concerning yesterday…” Applejack had spoken only somberly to Fluttershy at once, “besides, it’s not safe to return home to Ponyville until we get the okay…”

“That’s not what I had meant, Applejack…” the butterscotch pegasus said to the aforementioned associate at once.

This reply had made the orange mare’s green eyes widen and made her say, “then what’s wrong…?”

“I just don’t seem to understand why they would let us go after what happened this morning…” Fluttershy had replied to Applejack tremblingly, looking at all the corpses littering the scene, “the way everypony was glaring at us, they just about looked like they were ready to kill us back then…”

“Ah don’t even blame ya for thinking that way; Ah had those thoughts back since yesterday since Ah got that red collar worn around mah neck: as a matter of fact, Daisy and Lily had some uneasy looks upon their own faces but my big bro reassured them…” the orange mare had stated calmly.

The butterscotch pegasus yawned and then said hesitantly, “if you could call it that; my master hasn’t even spoken so much as a word ever since–––”

“It’s okay: after what mah brother and Ah heard about the day before, it’s a miracle that yer still alive…” Applejack said, taking her sweet time to hug Fluttershy tightly, “Ah don’t know what Ah would do with myself if your number happened to have came up; almost woke up crying last night…”

“Then tell me something: why do I feel like that I want to die instead…?” the butterscotch pegasus asked.

Sure enough, the orange mare had choked out a gasp and asked, “ya don’t mean that… yer not suggesting that ya want to–––”

“Why not; have you even look at where we are now?!” Fluttershy interjected, shocking Applejack in the process, “ever since my home burned to the ground, I’ve been thinking about all the ponies who've died because of me! I may haven't wished for the caribou to invade my home but I can’t help remember the fact that I played a role in servicing them while everypony else lost their minds and bodies! Some of them either were pregnant before they have been dragged here or gotten pregnant since their arrival; nonetheless, I have caused them all pain just as much as they have to us…!”

“Only because of what Dainn had done: now, Ah expect this from any stallion here in Equestria but not you; you wouldn’t even consider the thought of hurting a fly…!” the orange mare shot back at the butterscotch pegasus.

Despite this, Fluttershy looked away and whimpered, “but I've done worse than just simply hurting a fly… I bet even the fly would not find the strength in his heart to forgive me for the pain that I have caused.”

“Well, Ah still forgive you and it’s not just because Ah am yer friend; it’s because you’re a forgiving pony…” Applejack had simply sighed sadly, quickly wiping away a small wayward tear right upfront in the process, “even though that you may not always even see yourself as such, we have all seen you as kind and compassionate. They may have beaten us down time and time again but they didn’t even beat the kindness out the lot of us; after all, Ah have still longed for concerns over your welfare ever since that day. Ah don’t want to risk waking up to live in a world where you or any of our friends are not among us just because of one terrible event after another.”

“What are you trying to say…?” the butterscotch pegasus had sniffled in front of the orange mare.

Applejack took a deep breath and then said, “look, Ah would just like to see your warm happy face once again, a pure one, not the one forced upon like some generic facade. You have so much more to live for as much as Ah do and many friends who care about you enough to be the true pony that Equestria now desperately needs. We need the old Fluttershy, the one that was never afraid to stand up for her friends even in the face of a contemptible enemy no less like before.”

“Then you know what…?” the eponymous pegasus peeped out at once, “I have one thing to say here…”

“What’s that…?” the orange mare had said.

Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy soon said to Applejack, “My name is Fluttershy, the Bearer of Kindness and will not let Equestria suffer ever again…!”

“Me neither and Ah will stay by yer side to the very end like we all have before…” the orange mare responded with a smile, placing a hand on the butterscotch pegasus’ shoulder in the process, “our very families didn’t bring us into the world just so we end up being forced to learn the so–called evils of equality but our friendships will show to triumph over such evils. This homeland has prospered under the rule of Princess Celestia and while we, let alone our grandparents haven’t been able to see it in the beginning, she has already provided us an opportunity to make it a better place for other ponies to live in. We can all make Equestria go back to the way it was before this nightmare ever even happened, a place where everypony like the six of us can move on with their lives and put this out to the back of their minds. She was able to pass onto us the Elements of Harmony and alongside with them the opportunity to protect the very world and those who dwell in it from such dangerous threats here and there. Now, what do ya say: are ya with me on this one?”

“Yeah… that would be nice; I just want the screams to stop at once…” Fluttershy yawned with a gentle nod.

Applejack turned to face the moon and said, “then let’s go and put the screaming to a rest already…”





At long last, Pinkie stood out and about in the warring states of the decay field; on the opposite side, another mare sat upon the gargantuan being’s shoulder.

“How do you like the new look I gave to this town, Pinkie…?” the pale pony snidely asked, addressing the titular visitor at once, “no more caribou running around town like they own every damn thing imaginable…!”

“IT’S HORRIBLE; CHANGE IT BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS…!” the pink pony cried out with overwhelming rhythm emotion.

As countless onlookers of the horde surrounded them, the overseer in front of Pinkie replied, “oh, you mean with storefronts displaying lollipops in the shape of penis, people going around to town fucking one another, and these disgusting beings destroying everything in sight…? You’re really living in a dream, a dream that’s going to end very badly and with good reason: even with the dastards out of the way, this land will end up tearing itself apart and become vulnerable to repeat! With these monsters at hand, we can make sure that it will never happen again: no more invasions by a foreign power, no more traitors in the mist, no more people placing themselves in charge over another, no more ponies crying in their sleep, no more ponies losing their fucking minds, no more death and destruction at their own devices, like long ago! It has already been made established that Equestria was formed to protect themselves from the dangerous influence of the Windigos and without that bond, it’s likely that they will come back once again, this time with a vengeance; therefore, it must need a defender! With you at my side, we can protect everypony from the aftereffects of the damage that Dainn has wreaked upon this very land; that way, there will be absolute nopony ever even suffering in silence again! In addition, Equestria will have its own very army capable of sustaining itself and defending ourselves from those who would dare to take advantage of our vulnerable state of being with or without the Princesses around!”

“So what you are saying is that you want me to join forces with the likes of you…?” the pink pony had asked, earning but a sly nod from the pale pony in the process, “the day I do that is going to be the one day that Tartarus freezes over; I have friends and family that care for me whether I live or die! Since its birth, Equestria has proven to be great place to live with the Princesses around in the past millennium, for the most part, and it'll become great again even after we are gone from this world! However, much like Dainn, I refused to allow the likes of you to make the ponies suffer from your influence; you may have driven us out of our of Ponyville but I won't see these creatures overrun all of Equestria like a bunch of Parasprites! I may like to see everypony closest to me no longer suffering at their expense but not like this; the suffering that has been caused here in the past cannot be done with such vile tactics of terror in the future! Princess Celestia has never dare succumbed to such an idea and I won’t allow this idea to be put in practice no matter what anyone, pony or otherwise, says, does, thinks, and even so dreams of!”

“Humph, very well then, Pinkamena: I was hoping to convince you to join me so we can control Equestria and keep the populace safe but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears; in that case, I must have you taken out of the picture… permanently!” the overseer replied before snapping her fingers; as a result, the creature began to open its jaws and move towards Pinkie.

The gargantuan seized the pink pony with its big, meaty claws and started to licked its own maws in the process; in doing so, the latter struggled to escape them and thought to herself tearfully, “no, they got me and I can’t even be able to set this beast on fire; I guess this is it, it’s all over for me, no… all over for Equestria, for everypony, for my friends, and for my family. I was such a fool for thinking I could ever live a carefree life, either as a free pony without collar or a sex slave in red; I guess this is my retribution for living a lie. Mother… Father… wherever you guys are… forgive me…”

At this point, Pinkie entered the monster’s jaws like it was nothing, the saliva hitting her body amongst other things no less. The gargantuan being’s maws closed down upon the pink pony but instead of being met with weeping and gnashing of the teeth, a lump formed around the former’s neck. Sure enough, Pinkie was no longer within the monster’s grip but rather inside of it instead, no longer struggling about; this made the pale pony sigh with a grin.

“It looks like that Pinkamena didn’t even want to help me; how disappointing…” the overseer commented as the gargantuan slurped about, spitting out some arrows in the process, “at least, she won’t leave a footnote of her very existence whatsoever; besides, life is indeed a party and partying is such sweet sorrow…”

At that point, the pale pony started to chuckle to herself, a steady pace of random tittering cutting the air before metamorphosing into a hectic cackle amongst the moans and groans of other beings.





“Your highness, I wasn’t expecting your presence…” the mayor stated, her body tilted in a downward right angle no less.

Standing in front of the tan mare was none other than the blue alicorn who has replied, “‘tis natural to say the very least; nevertheless, I must asketh thee: what has become of Pinkamena…?”

“We took her to Ponyville using the balloons earlier…!” the mayor said, pointing to the airships nearby them at once, “we were able to return safely but we had lost about a few of them as soon as we started returning to Canterlot; I’m sorry…”

“I see then; how many of these contraptions in question are still active…?” Luna had asked firmly.

The tan mare had then simply answered at once, “two I believe; but I must ask: why Ponyville of all places…?”

“‘Tis simple as I hath saith before, Madame Mayor: the safety of Pinkamena is of dire need…” the blue alicorn made her reply at once, “even two of her dearest friends desire such grave knowledge…”

“Pinkie shouldn’t have to go at this all alone; if Ah had known she would sneak off, then the least Ah could have done was try to stop her…!” the orange mare exclaimed, droplets forming upon her very eyes already.

Accompanying the crying Applejack was the butterscotch pegasus whom simply just comforted the former, “there there, don’t cry AJ; I’m pretty sure that Pinkie is still alive over there anyway…”

“But how will we be able to know that she’s alive…?” the orange mare asked, wiping away her tears in the process, “last time Ah recall, we had to leave the night before on the account of the monsters swarming Ponyville…”

“Yeah, I know: I was in their nightmares not too long ago; even in mine state of helplessness, I was still under Dainn’s beck and call…” Luna said, looking upward into the nighttime sky with a somber gaze.

The mayor had then said to the others within due time, “nevertheless, we've barely escaped anyway thanks to the hot air balloon’s high speed but I highly doubt it'd survive another return trip; these beings are relentless and had it not been for her arrows, we would've all been dead.”

“Then if what has been said of Pinkie is true, then ‘tis likely that there’s still hope for her survival: for what ‘twas worth, time is short anyway; no use in wasting it through idleness…” the blue alicorn stated as she turned her gaze away from the heavenly bodies above them, “she’s in dire need of attendance given the gravity of the situation we’re all still in. We the ponies, may have managed to eradicate the beastly horde that has here in Canterlot, but ‘tis still likely that these beings will be residing nearby Ponyville. Aside from air travel via flight teams and the machinations simulating them, all other methods of safe ventures are still inactive. Even more so, the very fate of Equestria itself rests on her survival; therefore, ‘tis the reason as to wherefore we must leave: we have lived under a brutal oligarchy that starved us of our personality. Would I have dared to make an unequal treaty with the brute who cradles, plunders, and scourges mine own kind with the lash until the soil is red with blood? Never, and simply more at long last we must depart…”

“Well, now that you mention it, I can’t see why not: it’s truly an honor to provide such services in Equestria to a member the royal family; this balloon has proven to be the fastest so far in the land…” the dark green stallion had firmly replied, tilting his head forward in an angle to Luna only briefly.

Taking a step towards the basket, Applejack said, “then we oughta get a move on and fast; Ah don’t want her death to break me into pieces…!”

“Understood…!” the pilot said as he followed the orange mare inside with the blue alicorn trailing behind him, “let’s move out…!”

“Shouldn’t I come with you, Applejack…?” Fluttershy asked the aforementioned passenger as the stallion started up the heat at once.

Applejack shook her head and replied, “just take the mayor to a safe place; she must be kept out of harm’s way…!”

At that moment, the flames shot up into the envelope at once, hissing on and about like a pit of snakes. The weight of the world’s sediments were being relieved by the trio of equines inside the basket at once. The gravity of their situation became less density as the surface of the basket left the brilliant green. Even the light within the contraption became visible for the two to witness from where they stood about.

“I see then…!” the butterscotch pegasus replied loudly, looking towards the hot air balloon, “please be safe, Applejack… good luck!”

As the hot air balloon began to take flight all three of the ponies stayed calm and pursued out from the dark city beneath their very hooves, no longer pulled down by earth’s gravity or by mortal strife. Out of the trio in question, the orange mare had possessed a fragile look upon the visage, already illuminated by the moon and stars that glistened and gleamed into the jade orbs before them. While that Applejack didn’t show it currently, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of negativity wearing down upon herself, threatening the peace of mind that was being clung unto by herself thereof. Staring into the walking distance of the road not taken, the orange mare watched as another city had started showing up, breathing with dread and desolation in contrast to one they had departed from earlier. Images of the other ponies popped into Applejack’s point of view: first, the fragile Fluttershy she’d left behind; secondly, the rueful Rarity that left a bitter taste; next, the restless Rainbow that reminded her; then, the timeless Twilight she wished to forget; finally, the polar Pinkie who was at the peak.

Suddenly, a tall pillar of fire had shot up into the nocturnal sky, originating from an enormous explosion coming within the rather cold distance. The massive shockwave had also ignited every single thing, animate or otherwise that was caught in its path before subsiding about within due time no less. The resounding boom then burst into the eardrums of those unfortunate enough to hear its rather terrifying results being received at once. Afterwards, it'd disappeared into the spatial fold and taking its place was but a cluster of smoke and ash that shielded itself from the fresh air.

Even though the balloon remained untouched by the sudden impact, it had tilted slightly, shocking the occupants in the process.

“GAH… what in tarnation was that?!” the orange mare exclaimed in shock, wide eyed at what had taken place.

Taking a firm stance once more, Luna then began to give out her answer at once, “could it be a petard of some sort; then again, what sort of device would conceive such a sudden impact no less…?”

“No, it can’t be; there’s no way that…” Applejack stuttered as her face began to scrunch up before breaking down in tears at once, “PINKIE…!”

“Applejack, restrain thyself…!” the blue alicorn barked as she held the eponymous passenger back by a single hand.

The orange mare nevertheless cried out, “BUT WHAT IF PINKIE WAS IN THAT EXPLOSION?! SHE PROMISED ME NOT TO DIE EARLIER THIS WEEK; SHE CAN’T DIE… SHE JUST CAN’T…! SHE WOULDN’T LEAVE US ALL BEHIND JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT THESE BASTARDS DID TO US…!”

“Now calm down, it’s likely that she be smart enough to escape the explosion; I would know: I used to be the reserves a few years back…” the dark green stallion had responded instantaneously while calmly regaining control of the hot air balloon, “besides, it won’t be long now until we reach Ponyville; of course, we still need to be careful anyway.”

“Indeed we shall; besides, these monsters would still be lurking about in this desolate wasteland that used to be their town…” Luna replied as the vicinity of ground zero within the titular town grew further into distance.

As the smoke was clearing away, feelings of dread flushed over Applejack’s mind and body while the contraption got closer onward to the source. Although that the wayward flames failed to damage the balloon, fear lingered on nonetheless: it would seem that the turmoil the orange mare had claimed more than the structure. Her jade orbs were welling up with water all at once, impacted the clear sights that she recently had possessed as they were now becoming sopping wet.

As shock and sadness swirled around Applejack’s eyes, she had then came to find a rather strange sight: a pair of lone figures were currently permeating all throughout the slowly fading smoke and fire from before; as a result, some words slipped out of her mouth all at once, “is… that… really… her…?”

“What, pray tell, dost thou mean by her…?” the blue alicorn asked the orange mare, “Applejack…?”

“Pinkie Pie…” was all that Applejack could say as she pointed towards the figures up in front of them at once.

Outside in the coldest distance unveiled a pink pony, kneeling over onto the ground as she was completely covered in a thin layer of warm fluids but otherwise alive. The clothing worn upon herself was mired with fluid and showed signs of wear and tear all across the way yet remained firm enough to cover the rest of her skin. Held within Pinkie’s two hands was but an unconscious drake, clad in purple scales with deep green spikes sticking outward; unlike her, he was perhaps unclothed.

At this moment in time, the pilot had announced firmly, “we are about to make a landing shortly…!”

“PINKIE…!” the orange mare had called out to the aforementioned peer, “HANG IN THERE; WE’RE COMING…”

“Applejack…?” the pink pony peeped out and held her head out towards the descending balloon, dazed and confused like an academy award winning newcomer on the campus wing.

The moment the basket reached the soil, Applejack jumped out and hugging Pinkie tightly while sobbing joyfully, “Ah had thought that we had all lost you for just a moment right there; thank Celestia yer alive…!”

“Alive…?” the pink pony had repeated at what the orange mare had said to her, “you mean me…?”

“Yeah…” Applejack sighed soundly with relief.

Pinkie then dropped her face away from her friend and said only slowly, “who said that I ever was…?”

All that remained of the five figure was the cold air all around themselves, free from the presence of such hostile relations yet still uncertain. Of all the wonders that had once flourished throughout the town, they were all long ago in some brief long spring, in a place that is no more. In that hour, a shower of shooting stars descended throughout the skies and the closeness between the two ponies became the strongest.