The Twin Apples.

by Sylif Daring Doo

First published 27th of December, 2015

The Apple family has a secret, one they never speak of to outsiders, even Apple Bloom does not know it, one fateful day however, this secret is revealed.

Applejack is an honest mare, she has lived most of her life at Sweet Apple Acres, she's the Element of Honesty and is friend to many of the ponies at the small town of Ponyville.

But Applejack has kept a secret from her friends, her brother and Granny Smith know it well, but they will not speak of it, to Applejack, this secret means more to her than being the Element of Honesty.

But now, some time after the Changeling invasion, the secret is revealed, and everything changes, but is it for the better?

The birthday that Ponyville forgot.

In the town of Ponyville, there was an orchard, and it was called Sweet Apple Acres, it was a massive apple orchard that was owned by the Apple family, and there was four of them here at the orchard, the elder, Granny Smith, the filly, Applebloom, the silent brother, Big Macintosh, and the honest Applejack, a gentle breeze blew through the orchard and the leaves on the trees rustled gently.

One leaf was cut off from its branch and flew towards an old farmhouse, it was then that a young farm mare exited the farmhouse, she had a light tan fur and had a blonde mane that was tied up in a ponytail, her tail was tied up in a similar fashion, she wore a worn brown Stetson and had a cutie mark of three red apples on each of her flanks, she took a deep breath of fresh air and began trotting off to do her work.

This mare was called Applejack, she was known as one of Ponyvilles most dependable ponies, she was also known for her honesty and her stubbornness, but she was also an Element of Harmony, and she was the Element of Honesty.

Applejack began to hum a tune as she began her work, she set some baskets at certain spots around the first tree, once she was done she quickly turned around the raised her hind legs, she then kicked the tree with a powerful strike, the apples then fell from the tree and landed perfectly in the baskets, Applejack smiled and continued her work.

This process continued like this for hours, with Applejack posistioning the baskets then kicking the trees, then the apples falling perfectly into place, after the sixth hour, Applejack had walked over to one of the trees and sat down for a breather, she looked up at the sky and watched the clouds fly by.

After a while, Applejack stood up and walked back towards the farmhouse, she hummed a catchy tune as she walked, soon she caught a glimpse of a familiar prismatic trail zooming off, she rolled her eyes and continued forward towards the farmhouse.

She soon passed by a familiar apple tree, she stopped and looked at it with a sad expression, everypony had asked her why she kept a dying apple tree, and why she didn't just replace it.....but Applejack had made it clear that it was NOT to be touched, the tree had started to wither and only had a few linving branches, she sighed and resumed her walk. "I can't believe how long it's been." She said quietly to herself as she continued walking.

After a time of walking, Applejack finally reached the farmhouse, she went to walk inside when she heared a set of footsteps behind her, she sighed and turned around, only to be treated by nothing. "....What the?" She asked herself out of confusion.

Applejack simply shrugged and turned to walk inside the farmhouse, she continued inside but a single thought clung to her mind. 'Miss ya sis......we all do.'

____*Five minutes later, the farmhouse, second floor.*____

Applejack sighed as she entered her room, Granny Smith had stated that dinner would be ready soon, after helping Big Mac set up the dining room table, she had immediately gone upstairs.

She walked over to her bed and sat down, she sighed and looked at her cabinet, she stood up and walked over to the cabinet and opened the top drawer, she sifted through the various items in the drawer, and eventually she pulled out an old photo of herself and her family, there was two mares and a stallion, along with one colt and two fillies.

The adults in the photo were a younger version of Granny Smith, a blue furred stallion with a blonde mane and tail along with a golden carrot cutie mark, his eyes were a dark blue, the mare had tan fur and had a brown mane and tail, her cutie mark was that of a large yellow Apple, and her eyes were a light purple.

The colt in the photo was a young Big Macintosh without a cutie mark, one of the two fillies had bright emerald eyes, her fur was a light tan, and she had a blonde mane, she didn't have her cutie mark either, and she was the filly version of Applejack. the other filly was identical to Applejack except for her eyes, which were a dark purple, Applejack smiled softly at the sight of the other filly and put the photo back. "Happy birthday sis." She said quietly as she walked away from the cabinet.

When Applejack walked downstairs, Big Mac was setting food on the table with Granny Smith, Applejack proceeded to help them set the table up.

Once dinner was set up, Applejack and the others ate in silence....the only words spoken that dinner was Big Macintosh saying that Applebloom was staying with relatives in Appleloosa for the week, and that he and Granny Smith were going to Appleloosa for a few days, they were to leave tomorrow afternoon.

When dinner was over, Applejack silently cleaned the table off with her brother, and later, once the dishes were cleaned, Applejack quickly went upstairs and into the bathroom.

Applejack sighed as she stepped into the hot shower, it helped her clear her mind of distractions for the time that it lasted, but once it was over a stream of thoughts entered Applejack's head, she blocked them out until she entered her room, and at that moment, when Applejack laid down on her bed, that she started to sob quietly.

All of Applejack's emotional barriers began to break down, one by one they fell as more memories flooded back to her, and the more she remembered, the more she wept, at the nights end, Applejack had cried herself to sleep.

____*the next day, Ponyville market, 12:21 PM*____

Applejack and Big Mac moved their Apple stall to its usual spot in the market, soon enough, the stall was set up and filled with apples, once it was finished, Big Mac had said his goodbye to Applejack and walked back to the farm to pack, leaving Applejack to tend to the stall.

Applejack soon got to work as some ponies came up to buy some apples, but while Applejack worked, she couldn't help but feel distracted by something....she couldn't place it but it felt like something was going to happen. "Probably nothing." She muttered as continued to serve her customers.

____*meanwhile, elsewhere in Ponyville.*____

Twilight Sparkle walked through the town at a relaxed pace, she was in no hurry at the moment as she looked around the town, Spike had insisted on going out and exploring the rural town, Twilight had even bought a few things along the way, as she explored the town she caught glimpses of her friends, she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes as Rainbow Dash did what she assumed was boasting about her skills, Twilight continued walking around the town and soon ran into Fluttershy, who seemed to be grabbing some things around the market, Twilight sighed and continued her walk.

Eventually, Twilight found her way to the train station, she decided to walk around it for a moment.

Twilight had only walked around the train station for around a minute or two when the train rolled in, and for some reason, she felt like something was going to happen, but she couldn't find out why. "Weird." She commented.

____*meanwhile*____

A mare exited the train and took a deep breath, she exhaled and let out a small smile. "Ahhh......" She breathed.

The mare then looked around and grinned. ".....It's good to be home." She said to herself as she walked away from the train.

The mare had light tan fur and a brownish blonde mane and tail, she had a black leather jacket that covered half of her body, but she was positive it would earn her the ire of the townsfolk, she also had a silver necklace with a music note around her neck, her eyes were dark purple and her cutie mark was that of two moderately sized Apples with a silver chain going through the middle of them both.

The mare began to walk off from the train station when she heard a voice from behind her. "Applejack?" Asked the voice in a confused manner.

The mare turned around and saw a lavender furred unicorn with a mane that had several separate colors. "Applejack.....what are you wearing?" She asked with confusion.

The mare blinked and suddenly chuckled. "Oh I get it." She said to herself, she looked at the unicorn with a grin. "I'm afraid your mistaken, you must have me confused for somepony else." She replied.

The unicorn examined the mare before her before she facehoofed. "Sorry, you just look a lot like my friend." She said.

The mare nodded. "I get that a lot.....wait a minute, you know AJ?" She asked.

The unicorn paused for a moment before nodding. "Yea....she's my friend, why do you ask?" The unicorn wondered.

The mare walked up to the unicorn and held her hoof out. "I'm Sarah Apple, it's nice to meet you, I'm here to see AJ.....if that answers your previous question." She said.

The unicorn cautiously shook Sarah's hoof and gave a nervous smile. "Twilight Sparkle, a pleasure, and yes it does." She replied.

Sarah looked around the town and chuckled. "Well, this place hasn't changed much." She commented.

Twilight shrugged. "I guess.....so I take it your one of Applejack's cousins?" She asked.

Sarah shook her head and started to walk away. "Nope." She paused and looked at Twilight. "I'm her twin." She replied with a grin, she then continued walking.

Twilight's reaction would have been priceless if Rainbow Dash had been there, but thankfully the prismatic Pegasus was not around to see Twilight with her jaw dropped down as far as it could go.

Twilight returned her jaw back to its rightful place and started to follow Sarah. "This should be eventful." She muttered.

____*Ponyville market, ten minutes later*____

Twilight and Sarah walked through the market on the way to Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight had suggested this path as Applejack could be in the market.....while Twilight was skeptical about Sarah's story, she believed that Applejack would answer it for her.

Sarah had asked Twilight the date and year, when Twilight had told the mare that it was the tenth, she was completely confused. 'Why doesn't she know the year or date?.....does she even know the month?'

Twilight's question was answered however when Sarah asked for the month, Twilight sighed and told Sarah that the month was March.

Sarah shrugged and looked around the market, "This place is busier than I remember." She commented.

Twilight said nothing as she walked. 'From what I found out, the market was always busy.....what is with this mare?' She asked herself.

After ten more minutes of walking, Twilight and Sarah reached the border of Sweet Apple Acres. "Here we are." Twilight told the mare.

Sarah paid no mind as she looked at the orchard with her eyes wide. "Wow.....they expanded." She said out of shock and awe.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at this, but she said nothing as she led the mare to the farmhouse. "So Sarah, if you don't mind me asking....when was the last time you visited?" She asked.

Sarah looked at Twilight. "Well.....I haven't been here since I was nine, and I'm twenty eight......so it was nineteen and a half years." She replied.

Twilight's eyes widened and she gave Sarah a shocked look. "Nineteen years!?" She shouted out of shock.

Sarah nodded and continued walking. "Why do you think I want to see my family?" She asked as though it were obvious.

The pair then walked in silence to the farmhouse, once there, Sarah and Twilight walked up to the front door and Sarah knocked, she heard some hoof steps coming from inside, soon the door squeaked and opened to reveal Applejack, the farm mare immediately noticed Twilight. "Hey Twi, how are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm fine Applejack....but she wants to talk to you." She said while pointing at Sarah.

Applejack looked at who Twilight was talking about and her eyes widened. "Wha?....how?....when?...." Applejack's further attempts at communication was nothing more then incoherent babbling.

Sarah chuckled and waved a hoof in front of Applejack's face. "Uh....AJ, you in there?" She asked.

Twilight and Sarah tried to get a reaction from Applejack, but the mare seemed to be in shock. "Uh.....here's hoping she recovers?" Sarah offered as she moved Applejack inside.

Twilight sighed and followed Sarah inside, she used her magic to set Applejack down on the couch. "Double that." She said.

After five more minutes, Twilight had left the house and headed home, Sarah had stayed to look after Applejack....until she woke up.

____*two hours later*____

Applejack groaned and rubbed her forehead, she looked around groggily. "I fell asleep?" She wondered out loud.

A very familiar voice then chuckled. "More like fainted.....but yea." Said the voice.

Applejack rubbed her eyes and say up, she looked around and saw a familiar pony standing at the doorway to the kitchen, and she was grinning. "Long time no see sis." Sarah said.

Applejack looked at Sarah with wide eyes, she stood up and walked over, she put her hoof on Sarah to see if she was real, and when her hoof made contact, she quickly pulled Sarah into a tight hug. "You have NO idea how much we missed you....." She said quietly with her eyes lightly beading with water.

"Yea......I don't.....missed ya sis, you know that right?" She asked.

Applejack nodded and released her sister, she then backed up and looked at her with a soft smile. "Look at you.....all grown up." She said with a smile.

Sarah nodded and looked at her sister. "You grew up too, you even got mom's old hat......it suits you." She complemented.

Applejack chuckled, she looked at the jacket with suspicion though. "What's with the jacket?" She asked.

Sarah rolled her eyes and tapped the jacket. "This?.....it's a gift." She replied simply.

Applejack could sense the avoidance in the reply but said nothing. "Alright then......so! you uh.....want anything?" She offered nervously.

Sarah shrugged. "Anything really, just not water." She replied.

Applejack nodded and headed into the kitchen, a few moments later, she came back out with some Apple juice, she set it down on the table and Sarah sat down, Applejack sat down as well.

"So....what are you going to do now Sarah?" She asked.

Sarah shrugged. "Well......I honestly do not know what I'm going to do." She replied, she then took another sip of the juice and put on a thoughtful look.

Applejack and Sarah remained silent for several minutes until Applejack finally looked at Sarah. "You can stay here." She said.

Sarah looked at Applejack with wide eyes and a look of shock. "AJ......are you sure about that?.....at all?" She asked in a tone that sounded like she wanted her sister to say no.

Applejack sighed. "Of course I'm sure......this is your home Sarah, I would be lying if I said that I weren't.....I'll let you decide though, it's your decision." She said calmly.

Sarah nodded and stood up, she walked over to the door. "I'm gonna need to think this over." She replied as she walked outside.

____*a few hours later, outside the farmhouse, 6:00 PM.*____

Applejack walked outside the farmhouse and into the cold night, she looked around and saw Sarah sitting on the ground, simply looking up at the stars, Applejack walked over and sat down next to her sister.

"You know, I thought on you offer." Sarah said simply.

Applejack said nothing as she looked up.

Sarah sighed and closed her eyes. "Well.......I accept." She said.

Applejack smiled but was caught off guard when Sarah set her hoof on her sisters shoulder. "Uh....Sarah?" She asked.

Sarah looked at Applejack and grinned. "What's the password?" She asked innocently.

Applejack's eyes instantly widened. "One of a kind Apple family music!" She said quickly.

Sarah grinned and leaned in next to Applejack's ear. "You forgot to say Twins." She whispered.

Applejack gulped and tried to move but soon found herself the victim of Sarah's tickle attack. "Co..haha....no fair!..." She complained before bursting out in a fit of laughter.

Sarah gained a playful grin as she tickled her sister. "Not my fault you forgot the password!" She countered.

About ten seconds passed before Applejack managed to grip her sister, she then began to tikle Sarah in retaliation, Sarah attempted to contain her laughter but she failed miserably.....as was evident by her bursting into full on laughter.

The fight lasted for several minutes until finally, the sisters called truce, the two decided to head inside and they did so.

____*inside the farmhouse, ten minutes later, Sarah's room.*____

Sarah and Applejack entered the room and Sarah immediately noticed a stack of boxes in the corner. "What's in those?" She asked.

Applejack sighed. "Tomorrow, I don't want to go through that stuff tonight." She said tiredly.

Sarah nodded and Applejack left the room, Sarah sighed and took her necklace off. "It's good to be home." She told herself.

Sarah raised a hoof to her chest and then slowly unzipped the jacket, once the zipper was down, she began to take the jacket off, a few moments later, Sarah tossed the jacket onto a nearby chair and walked up to the bed, she got onto the bed and winced when she felt a prick in her side, she ignored it and got under the covers.

As Sarah drifted into unconsciousness, a small and thin object floated down to the ground, before she could make it out she fell asleep.

The small object floated in a thin beam of moonlight and slightly revealed it.

......A feather.....

Author's Notes:

And here we go!

First chapter out on a story that is mostly new territory to me.

Introducing Sarah, Applejack's twin sister, coming home from unknown events.

Also, to those who read the Christmas chapter in A new tale in Equestria, i will be inputting that character in a later chapter.

So hey, i wanted to leave this message for you guys/girls, so uh.....see you next time.

The first day back home.....means questions and answers.

_____*the next day, Sarah's room, 7:26 AM*_____

Sarah awoke to the annoying sound of a rooster call, she groaned and rubbed her eyes as she sat up. "Ugh.....forgot about that darn bird." She muttered.

Sarah yawned as she stretched, she slowly stood up and rubbed her eyes, she walked over to the table and grabbed her necklace, she then put it around her neck and secured it, she walked over to the door and opened it before walking out.

When Sarah left the room, she immediately headed for the bathroom, as Sarah walked she couldn't help but wince every now and then, she paused and took a deep breath, she exhaled and continued walking to the bathroom, when she reached the door she lightly pushed it and to her relief it was unlocked, she walked inside and closed the door, once the door was locked, Sarah took care of her business, once that was done, she went into the shower and closed the curtains.

Sarah winced upon entering the shower and rubbed a sore spot on her shoulder, she took a deep breath and reached for the shower handles, she turned the hot and cold water on until the temperature was hot, she let the water soak into her fur for a moment before beginning to actually wash her fur.

Sarah grabbed a bar of soap and began to scrub herself with it, she was about the scrub her right shoulder when she accidentally dropped it.....her eyes widened and she looked around frantically, she even peeked into the bathroom from behind the curtains, when she was certain that nopony was around, she calmed down and picked the soap up, she then continued her shower in silence.

After Sarah was finished with the soap, she put it back where it was before and looked around for shampoo, she spotted a few bottles in the corner, she examined them for a moment before picking the apple scented one, she chuckled at how ironic it was but still used it.

After about three minutes, Sarah walked out of the bathroom and headed towards the stairs, when Sarah reached the stairs, she sighed and carefully made her down, she winced with every step but continued walking, when she finally reached the bottom of the stairs, she smirked at her victory and walked to the kitchen.

Sarah stopped when she caught a whiff of a pleasant scent, she smiled happily at the welcoming scent. 'Oh.....cinnamon, I approve.' She told herself mentally.

Sarah walked into the kitchen and saw Applejack making pancakes, she smiled and walked up. "Morning AJ." She said.

Applejack turned around and chuckled. "Morning Sarah, I'm making breakfast, do you want some?" She asked. [1]

Sarah shrugged and nodded. "Sure, I'll need to eat anyway." She replied.

Applejack smirked and turned back to the pancakes, but she lost her smirk upon seeing an unfamiliar sight at Sarah's sides.......it looked like wings. "Ok.....but we need to have a talk after breakfast you hear?" She said.

Sarah nodded. "Yes ma'am." She gave a mock salute as she turned around and walked to the dining room.

Applejack had a disturbed look as she continued cooking. "This should be interesting." She commented quietly.

____*six minutes later, the dining room.*____

Sarah sighed as she sat back in the chair, she was currently whistling a catchy tune as she waited patiently for Applejack, the mare in question soon entered the room and set a plate of pancakes on the table, she then slid it over to Sarah and walked back into the kitchen.

Applejack soon returned and set her own plate on the table, the two sisters then began to eat their breakfast in silence, the silence was broken however when Sarah spoke up.

"AJ, I know that you have questions, but at least tell me where I'm going to work so that way i have something to do." She requested.

Applejack sighed and nodded. "Alright....we'll be working the western field, we need to get most of it done before applebuck season." She said.

After that, the sisters ate their breakfast and got everything cleaned up, after that, Applejack and Sarah went into the living room and sat down for a talk.

Applejack was the first to speak. "Alright, the first thing will be the most obvious." She pointed at Sarah's new appendages. ".......Why are you a Pegasus?" She asked.

Sarah sighed and unfurled her wings, she winced as they reached full length, they were at least a centimeter longer than normal wings.

"I was selected for an experiment."She explained with obvious hatred for the words.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What kind of experiment?" She asked.

Sarah shivered at the mention of it, she looked at Applejack with a sad expression. "They surgically implanted me with these wings and gave me the magical core of a Pegasus." She explained.

Applejack didn't seem to be to thrilled about it either.....she actually seemed disgusted by it. "That's disgusting." She said plainly.

Sarah nodded and sighed. "Yea, I'm not exactly happy about it either, but I can't do anything about it.....they forcefully moved me into this lab and I was soon knocked out, when I woke up, they were still in surgery.....needless to say I was horrified, but I was strapped down while they worked, but when they implanted the magical core of a Pegasus I fainted, when I next woke up i was in an unknown lab in a cell." She paused as she took a slightly panicked breath.

"....Anyway, for the next few weeks I was forced into a cruel series of tests which tested how my body adjusted to the implantation, after a few more weeks I was finally finished with tests, when I returned to Trotterdam they took a blood sample and I was returned to my home." She continued.

Applejack seemed to be listening intently to Sarah's tale, her eyes nor face betrayed any emotion, after Sarah took another deep breath, she continued.

"When I was completely settled in again, I was strangely welcomed back by the others, they appeared to be sorry for me or something, because the ponies that used to torment me stopped, they even apologized!.....anyway, it was then I met a Pegasus called Star." She had smiled at the mention of the mare's name. [2]

Applejack raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing as Sarah seemed to have brightened up a little.

"Moving on, me and Star got to know each other over the course of several weeks, eventually however, one thing led to another and uh......well, you know." She said while looking away.

Applejack's eyes widened and prayed that she was lying, but her sisters blush was all the information she needed. "Oh." She said in realization.

Sarah nodded and looked at Applejack. "Yea......anyway! over the years, our relationship developed, and one day, Star told me that she got me my jacket......and YES it's leather but I don't care, and that I just had to pick it up at a friends store, i was never able to repay her but she told me that it was a gift......a couple months passed and our relationship only grew, at one point we were able to make each other necklaces, they were both silver and each had a music note on it, we hid them where only WE could find them." She paused for a moment.

"We tried to spend the rest of our time together the best that we could, eventually however....Star was released, we said our goodbyes and she left, and a few years later, i was released.....I went back to the place we buried the necklaces and found that Star has taken hers, I took my necklace and I started to make my way here after grabbing the jacket.....I arrived in Ponyville by train a week later and you know the rest." She finished.

Applejack let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding, she gave Sarah a firm glare. "Why didn't you go looking for Star?" She questioned curiously.

Sarah sighed and stood up. "I didn't know what town to search, the pony that gave me the jacket had no idea where she went so that eliminated my only lead.....I decided to come home soon afterwards, I hopped on the train and that was that." She replied.

Applejack stood up and looked at Sarah. "Come on, let's get to work, these apples won't harvest themselves." She said.

Sarah silently thanked Applejack for the change of subject, she followed her sister out of the farmhouse and they made their way to the western field.

_____*two hours later, deep in the western field, 9:51 AM*_____

Applejack kicked the tree with her hind legs and the apples fell perfectly into the baskets, she moved on to the next tree and did the same, she glanced over to Sarah and saw that she was doing just as well. 'I guess being a half Pegasus doesn't mean she lost any of her strength.' She pondered as she kicked another tree.

The sisters worked the field for twenty more minutes before Sarah said that she saw somepony coming over, Applejack looked and saw her friend Pinkie Pie bouncing over, she started to walk over to her friend. "Hey Pinkie Pie." She said.

Pinkie Pie seemed to teleport as she was next to Applejack a second later. "Hey Applejack......listen, my pinkie senses tell me that there's somepony new in town, but I can't find him or her anywhere!" She proclaimed in a panic.

Sarah chuckled and kicked a nearby apple tree. "Have fun with that." She said quietly.

Pinkie Pie looked over. "Hey." She said shortly, she went to continue her rant to Applejack but quickly paused and looked at Sarah, her eyes widened and she looked between the two farm ponies. "Wait, what? who......what?" She said in confusion as she frantically looked between the two.

Applejack chuckled and put her hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "Pinkie." She said simply.

Pinkie looked at Applejack. "Yes?" She asked quickly.

Applejack pointed at Sarah who simply waved. "Allow me to introduce my twin, Sarah......Sarah, this is Pinkie Pie." She introduced.

Sarah nodded at Pinkie and continued working.

Pinkie then gasped loudly and zoomed off for no apparent reason, Applejack blinked. "Your in for a party, you know that right?" She said.

Sarah shrugged and kicked another tree. "Then let's get back to work, so that way we can blow off some steam at the party." She replied casually.

Applejack nodded and returned to her work. "If you react to surprises like you used to......this will be interesting." She commented.

____*five hours later, Apple family farmhouse, Sarah's room, 3:21 PM*____

Sarah and Applejack entered the room and walked over to the stack of boxes in the corner. "I still can't believe that you didn't go through these." Sarah said with disbelief.

Applejack chuckled. "Granny made me swear to it, I guess we're about to find out why." She replied.

Sarah reached over and flipped the lip on the box, a cloud of dust came out of the box, making the mare's cough, once the dust settled, Applejack and Sarah started to look through it all.

The first box held a few old books and some photos, the sisters decided to go through those later, soon enough, Sarah chuckled as she pulled an old guitar out of the box, Applejack smiled at the sight of it. "Ma's guitar.....and it still has that paint you put on it." She said.

Sarah looked the old guitar over, it was a light brown in color, it was missing some strings and was in desperate need of cleaning, there was an old strap that could be fastened around the back, and all around the hole at the middle was white paint that was in a thin vine pattern, Sarah couldn't help but laugh quietly. "I can't believe she didn't get rid of it, this thing is ancient." She said.

Applejack smiled and pulled out a small and damaged old drum. "Dad's drum." She said as she looked it over.

Sarah nodded and gently set the guitar down, she continued to go through the boxes until she pulled out an old photo, she chuckled. "AJ, you remember this?" She asked as she showed Applejack the photo.

Applejack looked at the photo and her smile grew. "Yea, I remember." She said with a smile.

The photo showed two young fillies covered in dirt on it, they were both smiling widely at the camera, the fillies in the photo were side by side and completely identical, the only difference was the eyes and the fact that one of the fillies had dirt on her eyebrow while the other had dirt on her nose.

Sarah and Applejack slowly looked through the boxes, when they reached the last box they were confused, for inside the box was........a large wooden box.

Sarah facehoofed and pulled the wooden box out, it was a simple brown box with a busted padlock, Sarah and Applejack shared a glance before opening the box, the contents of the box was what appeared to be a long wooden stick with silver steel near the front and along the back, there was a short steel tip on the end of it with a small hole in it, the steel at the front had strange spiral patterns on it, there was also a letter and a small brown wooden box.

Applejack reached out grabbed the smaller box and opened it, there was a compass on the other side of the lid, the rest of the box seemed to be filled with small cylindrical tubes that each had a metal tip.

Sarah picked up the stick and letter, she examined the stick for a moment before turning her attention to the letter, she opened the letter and began to read it aloud.

'Dear Applejack and Sarah, if you have opened this letter, then you have come into possession of the box that you retrieved this letter from, you two are the best thing that ever happened to me, so I wanted to leave you this as a momento and means to defend yourselves.

But it is with a heavy heart that I write this......for you see, your father and I are sick, and not with the common cold......we are sick with a special kind of cancer that attacks the heart directly, and there is no known cure, as it stands I am barely able to write.

The contents of the box are family heirlooms, the stick itself is a shotgun, and it is at least seven centuries old......do NOT use it unless your family and/or friends are in mortal danger, also, I would avoid dropping it.....it tends to fire on its own that way.

Anyway, Granny Smith is the only one that we told about this, we felt that you didn't need to know about this now, but know that I love you I hope that I can beat this cancer, if not......well, I won't go down like a wimp.

Applejack, if I know you correctly you will probably end up being the boss around here, you always did have that energy around you, ever since you were a filly, you had a knack for taking charge, and as for you Sarah, It would have been nice to see you when you were released, you always did brighten the farm up when you were here, so I hope that you are still that kind hearted filly from all those years ago.

Love Mom.

Ps. If Filthy Rich ever asks either of you to work for him.....tell him to blow it of his.....' The letter ended.

Sarah couldn't help but laugh softly at her mothers words. "Blunt as always I see." She commented.

Applejack simply rolled her eyes as she knew what her mother would say. "Eyuup!" She immitated.

Sarah walked over to her bed and set the shotgun down, she then walked over to the guitar and picked it up gently, she walked back to her bed and sat down it on it to tune it.

Applejack began to stack the empty boxes inside each other as Sarah tuned the guitar.....eventually, Applejack heard a pleasant sound coming from the guitar, she turned around and saw Sarah carefully plucking at the strings.

Applejack looked around the room and saw how lively it looked, she couldn't help but give a small smile, she then spotted a stray feather on the floor, she raised an eyebrow and walked over, she grabbed the feather and noticed that it was the same color as Sarah's wings, she looked over at Sarah and saw that her sister was still working with the guitar, Applejack decided to ask her about it later and her eyes soon turned to the jacket, it was longer and thicker than any jacket she had seen before, she thought a moment before a theory came to mind. 'It might be like that to hide the wings.....I didn't even notice them before.' Satisfied with her theory, Applejack walked over to the door and walked out. "Come on, we can get some more work done before the sun sets in." She said as she walked to the stairs.

Sarah nodded and set the guitar down, she walked over to her jacket and grabbed it. "Ok, I'll be down in a minute!" She called as she began to put the jacket on.

'Habit I guess.' She told herself.

____*ten minutes later, the western field.*____

Sarah and Applejack worked hard on the field as the sun beat down on them, Sarah wiped her forehead with her hoof and continued to work, she approached another tree and kicked it hard with her hind legs.

Applejack wiped her forehead and looked at Sarah. 'How has she not fallen over in that jacket? I'm getting baked over here!' She asked herself.

The sisters continued working through the field at a rapid pace until Applejack finally called it a day, the sisters began to grab the baskets and take them back to the barn, as they did this, Sarah couldn't help but feel at peace......she shrugged it off as being back home where she belonged.

After about an hour of grabbing baskets and taking them back to the barn, the sisters were finally able to rest, they headed inside the house and sat down on chairs.

Applejack and Sarah then balanced house work with resting and then a knock came at the door, Applejack walked over to the door and opened it, she sighed and walked outside.

Sarah raised an eyebrow and soon enough, Applejack walked back in. "Come on Sarah, let's head into town." She said.

Sarah smirked and leaned back on the chair. "It's the party....this is the subtle way of getting us to the town so that way we end up going into the building that the party is at, or we come home to find the party....am I right?" She asked.

Applejack chuckled and nodded. "Looks that way." She replied.

Sarah then stood up and walked up to Applejack. "Let's not disappoint them then." She said.

With that the sisters left the house and Sarah made sure that she locked the door. "Just in case." She said.

____*twenty minutes later, Ponyville.*____

Applejack and Sarah received many confused or shocked glares from the citizens of Ponyville, Sarah had commented that they must not have many twins in the town, coincidentally, the sisters passed Lotus and Aloe's spa along the way, Applejack had told Sarah that the spa ponies their were twins, Sarah chuckled and continued walking.

The sisters eventually decided to get something to eat, Applejack immediately recommended a bakery called Sugarcube corner, Sarah had replied with. "Your the expert."

With that the sisters headed for Sugarcube corner, when they arrived, Sarah catiously approached the building, while Applejack casually walked up.

"Come on, the sooner we get inside the sooner we can relax." Applejack said.

Sarah sighed and quickened her pace, once she was at the door, she walked inside next to Applejack.

The inside of Sugarcube corner was dark as if the lights were off, Sarah blinked. "Who turned off the lights?" She asked.

Suddenly the lights flashed on and the room was filled with tons of ponies and brightly colored party decorations, Sarah had a shocked look on her face while Applejack sidestepped two feet away.

In a flash, there was a brightly colored pink pony in Sarah's face, and just as quickly Sarah did something that was uncommon.....she flew straight up towards the ceiling and went through the roof......literally.

Applejack looked up and backed away precisely one foot away from her current position.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash walked to the spot directly below where Sarah shot up. "That was unexpected." Dash commented as she looked up.

"Uh.....Applejack, what are you doing?" Pinkie asked as she watched Applejack move around in a strange pattern with a thin line of sugar.

Applejack chuckled and finished with the sugar, which pointed directly to the middle. "Wait for it....." She replied.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, she went to say something but a faint screaming put an end to that, the screaming continued until Sarah crashed through the ceiling and landed directly on Applejack's target. "Told ya so." Applejack said smugly.

Pinkie catiously approached Sarah as the mare groggily stood up. "I can fix that.....I WILL fix that." Sarah stated as she stretched.

Applejack noticed that all of the ponies in the room had genuine confusion and shock on their faces from what just happened, she looked at Sarah who was currently under barrage from Pinkie's questions and odd topics.

Sarah finally got a break after about a minute of Pinkie's rambling, she looked at the crowd of ponies and gave a short wave. "Hi, nice to meet ya." She replied simply before Pinkie proceeded to introduce every single pony in the room to Sarah, needless to say, Sarah was occupied for a long time.

Applejack thanked Celestia silently when the party actually started, she was soon found by Rainbow Dash who wanted to talk, she sighed and proceeded to talk to her friend.

The party had gone on for about two hours before Sarah finally got some peace, she sat down in a booth and rested her head, she then listened to the loud music that was playing, the music was so loud that she barely heard the sound of ponies walking over, she looked and opened her eyes, she saw Applejack and she had brought five of her friends, the only ones she recognized was Twilight and Pinkie, she sighed and started to stand up. "Hey magic girl." She teased.

Twilight grumbled at the nickname and the rainbow maned mare snickered.

Sarah got off the booth and stood near Applejack. "So AJ, care to introduce us?" She wondered.

Applejack chuckled. "Alright, you already know Twilight and Pinkie." She said.

"This here is Rarity and Fluttershy." Applejack continued while pointing at the respective ponies, Rarity was a white unicorn with a styled purple mane, Fluttershy was a yellow Pegasus with a long pink mane.

Sarah and the two mares exchanged greetings before Applejack got to the impatient one of the group. "And this here is Rainbow Dash, self proclaimed fastest flyer in Equestria." She introduced teasingly, Rainbow Dash was a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane.

Rainbow Dash huffed but still bumped Sarah's hoof. "Hey." She said.

Applejack then looked at Sarah. "Everypony, this is Sarah, my sister." She introduced.

Rainbow Dash then blinked and looked at Applejack with a skeptical stare. "You never told us about Sarah, AJ......what gives?" She questioned.

Applejack shrugged. "Two reasons....the first being that I wasn't in the mood, and the second was...." She was cut off by Rainbow just as she went to speak.

"And don't say 'because we didn't ask." Dash warned.

Applejack smirked. ".......You didn't ask." She replied teasingly which made Dash groan and bury her face in her hooves.

Sarah could only chuckle at the pegasus' dilemma, she noticed that she was receiving a curious stare, she glanced over and saw Rarity eyeing her strangely.

"Can I help you?" Sarah asked the unicorn.

Rarity shook her head. "It's nothing darling, I was simply curious about those." She said while gesturing to Sarah's wings.

Sarah raised an eyebrow and looked at her wings, she went to speak when realization hit her. "Oh.....your curious as to why I have wings?" She asked.

Rarity nodded and Sarah sighed. "Look.....no offense but I don't want to explain it twice in one day, I'd rather wait a while for that story, it'll just be easier to say that it wasn't willing." She replied simply.

Rarity seemed to flinch ever so slightly, she then apologized and heard Fluttershy say something, she turned her attention to the timid mare and Sarah rolled her eyes.

Sarah took a look around and saw that Applejack was talking with Twilight and Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy were discussing something quietly, and Rainbow Dash looked bored, Sarah decided to talk to the Pegasus and walked over.

Rainbow Dash was currently hovering off the ground and didn't notice Sarah right away. "Hey Dash." Sarah said shortly.

The Pegasus looked at Sarah and lowered down to the ground. "Hey." She replied.

Sarah leaned against the wall and looked to the party. "I guess Pinkie went all out." She said.

Dash leaned against a nearby wall and nodded. "She always does, you should've seen Twilight's party." She replied.

Sarah halfway nodded and looked at Dash. "So Dash, Applejack told me a bit about you, it true you trying to get into the Wonderbolts?" She asked.

Dash grinned and looked at Sarah. "Oh yea, they're the best!" She proclaimed.

Sarah rolled her eyes which made Dash lose her grin. "Something funny?" Dash asked as if offended.

"No no, you misunderstand me, it's just that actually getting in Wonderbolts is near impossible, regardless of your speed or intelligence, now then......I know a guy, he was in the Wonderbolts for twelve years, and it took him four years to get in." Sarah said.

Rainbow Dash seemed shocked at the news but didn't let it show. "Four years?" She asked.

Sarah nodded and looked around the room. "Yep, so you have your work cut out for you girl." She replied.

Rainbow sighed and rested her head on the wall, she glanced at Sarah's wings for a moment. "Hey Sarah, I don't mean to be rude but do you and Applejack have the same parents?" She asked.

If Sarah was offended or angry, she didn't show it, instead she looked at Dash with a blank stare. "We have the same mother and the same father, my wings were implanted into me forcefully, so I am an Earth pony with Pegasus powers." She replied bluntly.

Dash said nothing as she looked away with wide eyes, she soon walked away to avoid making a big scene out of this.

The party lasted for a few more hours before guests began to leave, Sarah had left quickly and Applejack was forced to follow her sister to keep her out of trouble.

The Apple sisters walked back to the farm in silence as they had nothing to talk about, when they reached the farmhouse, Sarah opened the door and immediately went into the bathroom, after she got out she went into her room and locked it.

Applejack could not understand her sisters behavior, but she did not want to anger Sarah, so Applejack simply headed into her room and shut the door. "Goodnight Sarah." She said quietly.

Over in Sarah's room, she was on her bed with her mothers guitar, she gently played some soft notes on it to calm herself down, she was not angry, quite the opposite, in truth, she was more scared then anything, Rainbow Dash almost caused Sarah to become angry with her questions, she was scared that she would've had another......incident.

Sarah shuddered at the thought, the last time she had an incident......she was taken to prison for nineteen years.

"There just had to be a party......ugh, damnit all." Sarah cursed silently as she leaned the guitar on the wall nearby and sat up on the bed, she unfurled her wings and looked at her left wing, she brought it in close and rubbed a hoof over it.

Sarah gained a sad expression on her face as she slowly curled up in a ball and looked at her right wing. 'Why me?' She asked herself.

Sarah sat in this position for what felt like hours, with her hind legs and arms curled up in a ball, she wrapped her tail around her arms and wrapped her wings in the same way.

'No place like home........right.'

Author's Notes:

[1]In case you didn't notice, I can't write down the southern speach worth anything......so don't expect any of it.

[2]Here is the reference, Star will be implented in a later chapter.

Now uh....we have a deeper insight into Sarah's life, and if you didn't notice, Sarah left some VERY large gaps in her story, so that only adds to the mystery.

Also, when I made this story I was NOT expecting the reaction it got right on the day it was published, I guess people like Apple family stories?....I'm not sure.

Rainbow apologizes/Sarah's fear.

_____*Sweet Apple Acres, the next morning, 8:19, Sarah's room*_____

Sarah yawned and stretched out, she opened her eyes and noticed that she was in the same position she was in last night, she sighed and got off the bed, she streched out her wings and sighed in relief as they slightly loosened up, Sarah looked around the room and noticed the picture of her and Applejack as fillies, she walked over and looked at it.

Sarah chuckled and walked over to the door, she reached to open it but hesitated, Rainbow Dash's words from the previous night flooded back to her. '....do you and Applejack have the same parents.....' Taunted the words.

Sarah growled quietly and walked back to her bed, she plopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, she wanted to hate life for taking her parents away, she wanted to hate that judge for taking nineteen years out of her life, she wanted to hate those scientists for implanting wings into her forcefully, and she wanted to hate Rainbow Dash for speaking those words, but she couldn't, she began to rethink her hatred.

Sarah sat up and unfurled her wings, she brought them in front of her face and stared at them. "......It's all my fault......just like always." She whispered quietly.

"I just HAD to do it, didn't I?" She asked herself as her voice began to crack.

The more Sarah thought on it, the more she realized, and at one point, Sarah had even considered Rainbow Dash's words. "What if we do have different parents?" She wondered silently.

Sarah continued to think on her life, her foalhood, her time In prison, and her more recent choices, and at one point she had a moment of realization.

When Sarah's thoughts returned to the time she got her wings, she remembered overhearing something.

____*Sixteen and a half years ago*____

Sarah mumbled some incoherent words as she looked around the room groggily, she was currently inside a clean and sanitized lab and had some blood on her sides along with stitches, she could just barely make out multiple figures around her, she couldn't make out any faces or colors as they were only shaped blobs, Sarah felt a sharp prick in her arm and a strange sensation followed, she overheard some words spoken soon after.

"Strange.....blood.......unnatural......patterns......behaivior.......break......tests........put.....help.......later." Said the one male figure.

Sarah watched as a female shaped figure approached her and her color was revealed to be white, she felt a hoof gently set itself on her shoulder, she soon felt another sharp prick in her arm and a sleepy sensation quickly washed over her, accompanied by a soft voice that Sarah just barely made out.

"It's......you'll.......better......rest......do......help.....up." Said the voice.

Sarah sighed quietly as her limbs settled, her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and her head rested back as she entered the world of unconsciousness.

_____*end of flashback.*_____

Sarah wanted to be mad at the scientists there, but once again, reason stepped in and made her question it. 'What if they were trying to help me?......but if so, why did they give me these wings?.....and what was it that they found so unnatural?' She asked herself.

As Sarah questioned everything that led her to this point she didn't notice the door open. "Sarah?" Asked a worried voice.

Sarah gasped and snapped out of her trance, she looked at the door and saw Applejack standing there, she sighed and got off the bed, she folded her wings to her sides and walked over to Applejack. "Yea?" She asked calmly.

Applejack raised an eyebrow and gave Sarah a concerned look. "Sarah.....what's bothering you?" She asked.

Sarah was about to say something when Applejack silenced her with a hoof. "The truth." Applejack said firmly.

At this, Sarah sighed and walked back to her bed, she sat down and looked at Applejack. "I've been thinking." She said.

Applejack walked over to Sarah and sat down next to her. "Go on." She insisted.

Sarah looked at the ceiling and began talking. "I've been thinking on everthing that happened up to this point, from our foalhood to my return home, then to what Rainbow Dash said." She said.

Applejack raised an eyebrow at this. "What did she say?" She asked.

Sarah chuckled. "She wondered if we had the same parents.......I simply told her that I had wings forcefully implanted into me." She replied.

Applejack sighed and facehoofed. "Darn it Dash." She mumbled.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "It's fine, I'm over that, but it's something else bothering me." She replied.

After a quick breath, Sarah continued. "I thought back to the time that I got my wings, and I thought that maybe those scientists actually saved me from......something." She continued.

Applejack raised an eyebrow again. "Saved you from WHAT exactly?" She asked.

Sarah shrugged. "I don't know.....all that I was told was that I was 'a lucky mare' before they sent me back." She replied.

Applejack and Sarah shared a moment of silence before Sarah stood up and walked out of the room, Applejack sighed and followed her sister.

____*five hours later, out at the fields, 1:32 PM.*____

Sarah grunted as she kicked another tree, although she hit it hard than intended as the tree shook violently, she sighed to herself and continued working.

She walked over to another tree and turned around, she raised her hind legs and kicked the tree, the apples soon fell into the baskets that were placed around it.

Sarah went to walk away when she heard incoherent mumbling from the tree, she walked over again and looked up at the tree and saw a small streak of purple, her eye twitched and she prepared another kick.

"Rise and shine." She said shortly as she kicked the tree.

She heard gasping and then a short scream come from the tree, she backed up and a familiar prismatic mare fell down and hit the dirt.

Sarah sighed and kneeled down to the mare. "What are you doing here Rainbow?" She asked.

Rainbow Dash groaned and sat up, she rubbed her leg and looked at Sarah. "I WAS sleeping......what gives Applejack?" She asked.

Sarah raised an eyebrow and flexed a single wing out, Rainbow gasped and chuckled soon after. "Oh......hey Sarah, uh.....sorry to get in your way?" She offered weakly.

Sarah growled and stood up, she then started to walk away. "When you come up with an apology for last night.......come find me." She replied.

Rainbow went to say something but stopped herself, she sighed sadly and walked quickly over to Sarah. "Listen, Sarah." She started.

Sarah stopped walking and looked Rainbow dead in the eye. "I'm still pissed off Rainbow, and it takes more then a few seconds to come up with an apology.......give it a day at the least." She told the mare before walking off again.

Rainbow simply watched as Sarah walked off, when the farm mare was a good distance she groaned and smacked herself. "Idiot!" She cursed quietly.

Rainbow then flew up into the air and flew off towards Ponyville.

As she flew, Rainbow recalled everything she said the night before and sighed. "I'm such an idiot." She told herself as she flew off.

____*two hours later.*___

Sarah kicked another tree and the apples fell down, she wiped her brow and looked around her, she grinned at the sight of empty apple trees all around her, she sat down next to a tree and signed in relief as her muscles relaxed, she looked up to the sky and watched the clouds roll by.

A small smile grew on Sarah's face as she rested her head on the tree. "I've missed this." She said quietly.

"Mind if I join you then?" Asked a voice.

Sarah looked over and saw Applejack. "Sure." She replied, she patted the ground next to her and looked back at the sky.

Applejack walked over and sat down next to Sarah. "Applebuck season is going to be easy this year." She said.

Sarah nodded. "No kidding, with you, me and Big Mac, we might be able to get a good distance into Cider season." She replied.

Applejack chuckled and punched Sarah playfully on the shoulder. "Don't get ahead of yourself, we got a lot of work ahead of us before we can handle that." She stated.

Sarah looked up at the sky and sighed. "Let a girl dream will you?" She asked.

With that the sisters sat their simply watching the clouds go by, they sat like that for what felt like thirty minutes before they finally got up and returned to work.

____*over in the north field, ten minutes later.*____

Applejack kicked at another tree when she heard a throat being cleared, she looked in its direction and saw a familiar earth pony called Filthy Rich. "Howdy mister Rich, how can I help you?" She asked politely.

Filthy Rich walked forward. "I heard that your sister is back in town, I simply wished to welcome her home." He replied.

Applejack shrugged. "Sure thing......Sarah!" She called.

"Yea yea I'm coming!" Replied Sarah as she showed up from behind a tree.

Sarah immediately noticed Filthy Rich and sighed. "Oh boy.....here we go." She grumbled.

Applejack and Filthy Rich watched as Sarah walked over. "Sarah, you remember mister Rich?" She wondered as she gestured to said stallion.

Sarah nodded and looked at Filthy Rich. "Long time no see Filthy Rich." She said bluntly.

Filthy held his annoyance in check and looked at Sarah. "I go by mister Rich now." He said calmly.

Sarah raised an eyebrow and walked over. "Well well, you gained confidence didn't you?.....bout time Rich." She said as she walked around him.

Filthy looked at Sarah and immediately noticed the wings. "And I see you grew overconfident from your time in prison, it is good to see you again." He replied.

Sarah chuckled and walked in front of Filthy. "So what is this about Rich?.....you never make social visits." She questioned.

Filthy looked at Applejack. "She is correct, I don't make many social visits, I am actually here to purchase some of your apples." He said.

Applejack nodded and started walking towards the barn. "Alright, we can talk about it on the way." She said.

Sarah rolled her eyes and headed back to the orchard. "I'll leave you two to your business, don't need me for that." She said as she walked off.

_____*meanwhile*_____

Rainbow Dash flew over Ponyville at a leisurely pace, she was currently in no hurry as she had already finished her job for the day, at the moment she was attempting to come with an apology, to no avail however, she then spotted the library and inspiration hit her, she quickly flew down and landed at the door, she then opened it and walked inside. "Twilight you here?" She asked.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Replied the unicorn.

Dash walked over to the couch and sat down, she noticed that there was a small pile of books on the ground near the desk. "Twilight, are you doing another one of your research sessions?" She asked curiously.

The made in question walked out of the kitchen with a sandwich gripped in her magic, she looked over at the pile of books and nodded. "Yea, I decided to learn some of Ponyvilles history, out of curiosity......but I know you don't care about that, so Dash, is there something I can help you with?" She asked.

Dash nodded and stood up, she then began to pace. "Ok, last night, at the party, I had a brief talk with Sarah, and I uh......might have insulted her." She said guiltily.

Twilight sighed and facehoofed. "What did you say this time?" She asked.

Dash laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head. "I uh.....noticed her wings and I sorta.....asked if she had the same parents as Applejack." She said quickly.

Twilight shook her head and looked at Dash. "And you came to me for help......sorry Dash, but you need to form an apology with your own words, or it won't be genuine." She told her friend.

Dash sighed and looked at Twilight. "Thanks anyway......see you Twilight." She said before walking to the door.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be any help, but this is your responsibility, I can't interfere." Twilight replied.

Dash nodded and walked out of the library. 'My own words huh?.....those are what got me into this mess.' She thought as she flew off.

____*one hour later, Ponyville, 4:31 PM*____

Sarah sighed as she exited the spa, she looked up at the sky and took a deep breath, her hair was no longer long and it didn't even reach her eyes in length, she felt a cooling breeze pass by and chuckled, she started walking back home when she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Sarah?" The voice asked.

Sarah looked behind her and saw Rainbow Dash walking up. "Didn't I ask you to give it a day?" She asked with annoyance.

Dash shook her head. "I was actually just passing through, I spotted you and then I came down......you know the rest." She replied.

"Uh huh......oh forget it, walk with me for a bit." She said before walking towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Dash did not say anything, instead she simply walked up and started walking next to Sarah.

Sarah looked at Dash. "Ok, first off, I'm going to level with you." She paused. "Me and Applejack had the same parents, i used to be an Earth pony, but now I am a weird combination of Earth pony and Pegasus." She explained.

Dash could only blink but said nothing.

Sarah looked up at the sky and saw a rather thick cloud pass by. "So Dash, why were you in the orchard?" She asked.

Dash seemed to flinch but continued walking. "To be honest, I was there to apologize but I fell asleep." She admitted sheepishly.

Sarah let out a small smile and laughed quietly.

Dash quickly looked away and glanced up at the sky. "What's so funny?" She asked.

Sarah shook her head. "Nothing.....I just never heard of anyone who falls asleep while trying to apologize." She replied through short laughs.

Dash grumbled and looked at the ground but could not suppress the blush that came from her embarrassment. "Whatever." She replied quietly.

Sarah grinned but said nothing, after about two minutes of walking, Dash spoke. "Hey Sarah......you up for a flight?" She asked.

"Huh?.....why?" Sarah asked out of confusion.

Dash sighed and looked up. "Well, you made me walk with you, now I'm making you fly." She said.

Sarah opened her mouth to respond but she quickly closed her mouth instead. "Alright, you better be able to keep up." She said as she flew up at alarming speeds.

Dash's eyes widened but she quickly flew up after her at equal speed.

____*up in the sky*____

Dash flew over to Sarah and looked at her. "Your quick." She said simply.

Sarah smirked and flipped upside down, she started to hover towards Sweet Apple Acres. "So are you featherbrain, so why are we up here?" She asked.

Dash shrugged and pointed over at Sweet Apple Acres. "Well, I was wondering if your up for a little race?" She wondered.

Sarah chuckled. "A race huh?.....I'm up for it, but I wonder......" She trailed off and looked at Dash's wings. "I wonder if those feather dusters can keep up." She said casually.

This caused Dash to growl and get up close to Sarah's face. "What's that supposed to mean!?" She questioned angrily.

Sarah grinned and flipped around, she gave Dash a smug look. "You feel that rage?.....that's what I felt last night." She said.

Dash processed this a moment before realization struck her. "Oh...." She said sadly, her ears went down as she thought on it.

Sarah flew around Dash and patted her on the shoulder. "Come on Dash, you wanted a race.....let's see how you do." She said with a tone of encouragement.

Dash seemed to calm down some at that, she took a deep breath and looked at Sarah. "Alright then, think you can keep up?" She asked.

Sarah chuckled and distances herself from Dash. "Believe me Dash, I can tell how you race, and I'll tell you now, you can't win this one." She said calmly.

Dash grinned. "I got a few tricks up my sleeve." She replied.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Alright then, three." She started as she got ready.

Dash swallowed. "Two." She heard Sarah say.

".....One!" Sarah said before zooming off with Dash next to her.

As she raced, Dash couldn't help but be surprised that Sarah could fly so fast, she was almost going as fast as she could but Sarah seemed to be completely relaxed.

Dash growled and pushed her limits as she sped up to her fastest speed, she looked back at Sarah and her jaw dropped as she saw Sarah fly right past her. "I wouldn't keep your mouth open Dash, you'll catch bugs." Sarah said before flying off.

The two flew around the Acres for a minute before Sarah flew down to the ground, Dash followed Sarah with one big question on her mind.

Sarah walked to the farmhouse and looked back when she heard Dash land. "Hey." She said simply.

Dash walked over and looked at Sarah. "How did you do it?" She asked.

Sarah sighed and sat down, she then looked up at the sky. "Well, skill play's a good part of it." She replied.

Dash grumbled and sat down next to Sarah. "Skill doesn't make you go that fast.....you have to develop your wings for speed to even come close to that." She countered.

Sarah chuckled. "Tell me Dash, what does flying mean to you?" She asked.

Dash blinked and gave Sarah a confused look. "What does that have to do with anything?" She asked.

"It has everything to do with it.....so tell me, what does flying mean to you?" Sarah repeated her question.

Dash thought on it a moment and looked up at the sky. "Well, it means a lot to me, it's a huge part about who I am, but when I fly.......I feel free, like I can do whatever I want, I feel like the sky is my domain." She stopped herself when she heard Sarah sigh. "What is it?" She asked.

Sarah looked at Dash. "You remember how I said that I know what kind of flyer you were?......I am now one hundred percent certain that I was correct." She stated.

Dash looked at Sarah. "What do you mean?" She asked.

Sarah cleared her throat and slowly waved a hoof through the air. "You see, i know what kind of flyer you are because you're just like everypony else I've met that was a flyer, you all think the sky is your domain, the thinking of a reckless flyer." She replied.

Dash was about to object but Sarah silenced her with a glare. "For instance, a good example of these flyers is the Wonderbolts.....before you say anything let me finish." She paused a moment. "They think much like you do, masters of their domain, but I developed a few little tricks that help." She said quietly.

Sarah slid a little bit closer to Dash and leaned in to her ear. "Sadly, one of these tricks is unique to me, but the other isn't.....you should move with the wind, not against it, I also find that when you push your limits like you did before, for a competitive reason, the wind will push against you." She whispered.

Dash thought on Sarah's words and looked up at the sky. "Wait a minute......you mean being competitive makes you go slower?" She asked in disbelief.

Sarah nodded, she then laid back and closed her eyes. "Believe it or not, the wind has its own will, mind and life, it can sense emotions as well, if your frustrated, it will push against you in an attempt to calm you down, it isn't easy, but the best way to go faster and smoother when flying is to remain calm and let it guide you, although i don't think that the Wonderbolts can do that anymore." She whispered.

Dash raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?" She asked.

Sarah shrugged. "Mainly because they constantly upset the wind, with all of their fancy flying, by now, I wouldn't be surprised if they always get massive amounts of feedback." She replied.

Dash laid back and looked at Sarah. "Do you think any of them know that trick?" She asked.

Sarah thought on it a moment before shaking her head. "None that are alive, one of them might have the ability but they don't have it anymore." She replied.

The two then laid there for a while, until Dash spoke up again. "Sarah." She said.

Sarah grunted. "Yea?" She asked.

Dash sighed. "For what it's worth.....I really am sorry about last night, I went over the line." She said quietly.

Sarah opened her eyes as a cool breeze passed by. "It's alright Dash......just try to think ahead from now on ok?" She requested.

Dash nodded and closed her eyes. "Sure thing." She said.

".....So Dash, you want to be a Wonderbolt eh?" She asked.

"Yea, been my dream since I was a filly." She replied.

Sarah chuckled. "Alright then......but from what I've seen, you need my help more than ever." She teased.

Dash grumbled. "Ha ha ha." She laughed sarcastically.

Sarah sat up and looked at the house, she heard Dash sit up as well. "I'll see you some other time Dash." She said before standing up and walking towards the house.

Dash nodded and stood up, she then flew off towards Ponyville.

Sarah watched Dash fly off with a short smile, she then chuckled to herself and opened the door, she walked inside and closed it.

____*inside the house*____

Sarah walked over to the stairs and walked up them, after she reached the top she walked over to her room and walked inside.

Sarah left the door slightly open to allow air in, she walked over to the chair and picked up her necklace, she then chuckled and set it back down on the chair, she then walked over to the window and looked through it. 'I wonder where AJ is?' She wondered.

Sarah heard the door creak open and she turned around expecting to see Applejack......what she saw was a small tan furred filly with red hair, Amber eyes and a ridiculously large bow in her hair, she also had no cutie mark, she had a face of terror however and Sarah's eyes widened. "Uh....ok, this isn't what it looks like?" She offered quietly.

The filly did not believe it however. "Applejack! Help!" She cried out before running out of the room.

Sarah sighed and rubbed her eyes, but then she paused and looked at the door. "Wait a minute....." She wondered.

Before Sarah could react however, the door slammed open and an angry Applejack burst into the room. "Where are you!?" She demanded angrily as she looked around the room.

Applejack noticed Sarah standing near the window with a startled expression, she seemed to calm down a little bit and spoke. "Is there somepony else in here?" She asked.

Sarah shook her head and blinked. "Umm.....no, it's just me you and the filly." She replied.

Applejack sighed and backed out of the room and glanced down at the filly. "It's ok Applebloom." She said.

Sarah raised an eyebrow and walked over to Applejack. "Who are you talking to?" She asked, but when she saw Applebloom she understood. "Uh....sorry for scaring you?" She offered.

Applebloom looked back and forth between Applejack and Sarah with wide eyes. "Uh....what-who-how?" She asked out of confusion.

Applejack chuckled. "Ok um, Applebloom, this is Sarah....my twin, Sarah, this is Applebloom, our little sister." She introduced.

Sarah kneeled down to Applebloom's height and chuckled. "I can honestly say that this is a first for both of us."

Applebloom nodded, she examined Sarah for a moment before noticing her wings. "I didn't know we had a Pegasus bloodline." She said out of wonder.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "We don't, but that's a story for another time." She replied, she held out her hoof for Applebloom.

Applebloom blinked a few times but bumped Sarah's hoof anyway. "I guess so." She said.

____*later that night, 9:06 PM.*____

Dinner that night was eventful, Big Macintosh had pulled Sarah into a bear hug for about a full minute, Granny Smith had shed some tears and gave a light hug, dinner however was oddly quiet, Sarah was of course curious as to why the three had gone to Appleloosa, she even got to meet Winona for the first time, but the dog didn't seem to like her very much.

Sarah laid back on her bed looking at the ceiling, she was currently deep in thought as she laid back. 'What happened while I was gone......it never bothered me until now, but now I'm extremely curious as to what happened.'

Sarah then closed her eyes and sighed. "Oh well, I'll figure it out tomorrow." She mumbled before pulling herself under the covers and slowly drifting off to sleep.

_____*two hours later, Sarah's dream*_____

Sarah ran through the forest and around the trees, her hooves splashed mud as she ran across the wet dirt, her wings were soaked from the rain and her hair got into her eyes, but she continued running regardless, she was breathing frantically as she ran, she looked back and saw multiple shadows chasing her through the trees.

'Shit shit shit shit!' She cursed as she ran.

Sarah saw an opening through the trees and sighed in relief, she ran towards it and out of the forest.....only to barely avoid falling off the edge, she looked back fearfully at the shadows as they slowly advanced, her eyes widened as she heard a dark voice behind her. "You will suffer for what you did to us!" It proclaimed

Sarah looked behind herself and saw a smaller shadow with no face but dark red eyes that shone with pure hatred. "Suffer!...." The other shadows echoed.

Sarah felt her legs tremble for a brief moment before she collapsed, her pupils shrunk and she felt a sick sensation in her throat, she could literally feel her muscles give out as she proceeded to vomit on the ground.

The shadows proceeded to advance and the smaller shadow circled her. "Why did you do it?......you made us suffer!" They shouted in angered tones.

"You will suffer......you will suffer.......feel our pain!" They chanted as they proceeded to kick at Sarah. "You should die!" The small one shouted.

Sarah could do nothing as the shadows tormented her relentlessly, she coughed up a small puddle of blood and could only shake as she did. "I'm sorry!.....I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" She cried out.

The small shadow simply laughed and the others joined in as they assaulted her. "You will die!.....you will die!" They shouted back.

Sarah could not stop the tears that followed, they began to flow as if a steady stream from her eyes, the unending torment from the shadows continued for minutes.....until a ray of light blew the creatures away from Sarah. "Begone demons! away from this place!" Demanded a commanding voice. [1]

Sarah gasped and shakily looked up, she saw the shadows stand firm against the unknown being. "This is not your affair Dreamweaver!" The small one shouted.

"You have no power here demon! Begone!" A thick beam of magic followed the voice as the shadows dispersed. "This isn't over....." Said the small one's voice before vanishing.

Sarah heard somepony walking up to her and the voice that followed. "Relax young Pegasus, it is over." Said the voice, but in a calmer tone.

Sarah shakily sat up and looked at her savior.....and saw Princess Luna, her eyes widened in surprise and she quickly stood up. "Oh my god!....oh um......welcome to my dream?" She offered in a slightly nervous tone.

Luna chuckled. "Do not be so nervous young one, it is refreshing to meet one that isn't nervous around me." She replied simply with a small smile.

Sarah nodded and swallowed. "Guess I'm one of those rare cases huh?" She grumbled.

Luna's smile soon turned into a concerned frown. "Tell me young one, what is it that haunts you?" She asked out of concern.

Sarah sighed and looked up at the moon, for some reason she felt like she could trust Luna, but on the same coin, she felt that it would backfire on her. 'To hell with it, my sentence is up, what more can they do to me.' She thought. [2]

"It isn't something I'm proud of." She started off.

Luna waited patiently as Sarah rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Finally however, Sarah spoke again.

".......I killed someone."

Author's Notes:

[1] At this point I feel like you should know that I have no patience for the frustrating task of working with the accents or speech patterns, just a reminder. :)

[2] The exact words of everyone who had something worse happen to them literally right after.

And here is where the backstory shows itself, and my first (and possibly only) attempt at a starter for a dark scene.

Sarah's crime is now revealed and out in the open, the reason is unknown to all but the Ponyville branch of the Apple family. (not including Applebloom and Winona.)

So the main questions that arose this chapter are the following, what happened before, during and after Sarah's operation, and what the people there said, what the motive was how it happened, and what actually happened with the Apple family during the nineteen and a half years that she was in prison.

I'll let you guys/girls have fun with any theories you come up with, see you next time!

A fresh start, new faces, old faces.

____*Sarah's dream.*____

Luna was honestly surprised, she had a hard time believing Sarah's words, but she had heard them with her own ears, and since she could tell whether or not somepony was lying in dreams, she knew that the young mare was not lying, she took a deep breath as she thought on this. 'It has been many years since I last encountered one with such a situation, I do not believe I can help this mare on my own, but I shall try.' She thought before looking at Sarah.

"Listen young one, i have not had to speak with one with your.....condition, for a very long time, as such, my experience with such matters is dulled, but one thing I know is that you mustn't bottle this up, if you do, you will be overwhelmed with grief, eventually leading to you wanting to take your own life." She started calmly.

Sarah began pacing around, she glanced at Luna. "So uh.....what do you recommend I do?" She asked.

Luna took a deep breath and looked at Sarah. "Have you spoken to the anypony about this?" She wondered.

Sarah chuckled disturbingly as she paced. "I've already spent almost twenty years of my life in jail, I'm in no hurry to go back." She replied calmly.

Luna nodded. "Very well....oh, forgive me, I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Luna, lunar princess of Equestria." She said.

Sarah chuckled and shook her head. "It's nice to meet you, my name is Sarah Apple, Ponyville branch." She replied.

Luna thought the name a moment before looking at Sarah curiously. "Your one of Applejack's relatives are you not?" She asked.

Sarah nodded. "Yea, but anyway, back to business.....you were saying?" She inquired.

Luna sighed. "Then all I can say is this......you must face what troubles you and overcome it, or you will hurt not only yourself, but those that care for you, trust me, I know what that is like." She said.

Sarah then watched as Luna floated off into the night. "Trust your friends and family, they shall help you how they can, but you alone must face your fears." She said before vanishing.

Sarah looked around and sighed, the demons were gone, and she was alone, she shook her head and looked at the moon, or more specifically, the stars, she let a small smile appear on her face when she looked across the sky, looking at the stars always helped her to calm down and cheer up.

Sarah closed her eyes and hummed, she had no tune in particular to hum along too, but she didn't care, it helped her feel normal again.

______*Sweet Apple Acres, 7:21 AM*______

Sarah awoke to the annoying roosters call, she groaned and tried to cover her ears first with her hooves, then her pillow, it didn't work.

Sarah grumbled as she reluctantly left the comfort of her old bed, but just as she got off it, the bed rumbled and springs shot up out of it.

Sarah blinked as she watched the bed get torn apart by the rusted springs. "Ok, glad I got off it." She muttered.

The door opened and Big Macintosh entered the room. "What happened?" He asked.

Sarah motioned to the bed, Big Mac sighed and shook his head. "Well, time to get a new one." He said quietly.

Sarah nodded. "Eeyup." She said in agreement.

Sarah went to the bathroom and after she was done, she headed into her room and grabbed her necklace, after securing it, she slipped her jacket on and headed downstairs.

Downstairs, everyone was still a bit groggy, but Granny Smith and Applejack were busy with breakfast as Big Mac got the table ready.

Apple Bloom was busy helping Big Mac with the silverware, leaving Sarah to her own devices, she smiled a little, nineteen years ago, this was how they did things, though back then, her dad was already working on the trees.

Sarah rubbed her eyes and looked around, the house was practically the same as she remembered, there were some more pictures, but that was to be expected, she didn't see any of the old ones however, this may have put a frown on her face, but she understood why that was.

Sarah soon spotted a broom and dustpan, she looked at her big brother. "Hey Mac, has the floor been swept yet?" She asked.

"Nnope." He answered simply.

Sarah then walked over and began to sweep, it was the least she could do, after all, she didn't know if they changed where things were in the past years.

This was a tradition for their family, you want to eat? You have to work, it was as old as the Apple Family itself, and one it seemed, that none of them were willing to let die.

After a while, the floors of the kitchen, dining room, living room, and main room were completely swept, and just as she put the broom and dustpan away, breakfast was.....almost done.

"Wow, that didn't take as long as it used too." She said to herself.

Big Mac nodded. "Eeyup." He said.

Sarah found herself extremely bored, this was not good, she then headed outside and looked around, all of the trees in the nearby vicinity were clean of apples, and everything at the front was done, she sighed and looked over at the barn, from what she could see, there was nothing left outside of it, she then walked back inside, and just as she entered, she saw that breakfast was now done.

"Hey Sarah, come give me a hoof with this would you?" Applejack asked as Granny walked in to take a seat.

Sarah headed to the kitchen and grabbed the last bit of food, as she went to enter the dining room, she heard Applejack talk. "And don't go doing what you used to do, I'm finally used to NOT guarding my food like a wolf." She whispered.

"I would NEVER." Sarah replied, faking being insulted.

After they were ready, they began to eat breakfast, Sarah had just began to eat when Apple Bloom started to talk. "So uh, Applejack, anything interesting happen while I was gone?" She asked.

Applejack shook her head. "Not really, it was pretty much the same old routine." She replied.

Apparently, this caused some silence, but Apple Bloom seemed intent on talking. "So Sarah, can I ask you something?"

Sarah nodded. "Go ahead." She replied.

Apple Bloom blinked and then a few seconds later, spoke. "What was the most embarrassing thing AJ ever did?" She asked deviously.

Sarah almost broke into laughter, only the eggs in her throat prevented her, Applejack however almost spit out her water, while Big Mac just gave a small smirk.

Granny Smith even seemed to be amused by this.

"Please don't do it." Applejack said.

Sarah swallowed and then chuckled. "Ok, listen carefully." She started.

Applejack just tried to cover her ears.

Apple Bloom seemed to be listening intently.

"I once caught Applejack slow dancing with an invisible partner, and the best part was that she didn't even notice until mom and dad saw her, by then me and Big Mac had been watching for five minutes." She said.

Apple Bloom suppressed the urge to laugh but couldn't hide the grin.

Big Mac simply continued eating, but the memory still made him laugh quietly.

Applejack shook her head. "Nope, nope nope, nope, nope, nope, this isn't happening." She told herself.

It took a little bit, but eventually breakfast was over, and they started to put things away as well as put the dirty dishes in the sink.

Sarah immediately took the job of dish washer, when asked why by Apple Bloom, Sarah replied that she always washed them years ago.

While Sarah wasn't attached to the past, she wanted to remember the good times they had, also, she had a devious plan that she never got to enact upon AJ.

"I'm going to head outside and get to work, Big Mac, can you walk Apple Bloom to school later?" Applejack asked.

"Eeyup." Replied the stallion.

It took a while, but once the dishes were done, Sarah headed outside after drying her hooves, she then headed for the western field to begin working.

It wasn't hard to find Applejack in the fields, just follow the sound of hooves slamming against a tree.

Sarah began to work by placing baskets and kicking the trees, she wasn't the strongest at this kind of work, but it was honest work, and she wouldn't trade it for anything.

A few hours later, Sarah and Applejack managed to clear the trees out, Applejack sighed in relief and wiped her brow. "You know, I have to say it, you being back, it's a huge help." She said.

Sarah nodded. "Yep, it's good to be back." She replied.

The two sisters then saw the rest of the trees, Sarah blinked at how many there were. "Wow, you guys really DID expand." She said.

Applejack nodded. "Yep, it's going to be hard to deal with all of that, but between you me and Big Mac, we should be fine." She said with confidence.

Sarah then walked over to a tree and sat down. "You know, I have to say it, but we might need some help with this, there are an awful lot of trees." She suggested.

"You know how I feel about getting help for something I can do." Applejack replied.

Sarah shook her head. "Then how about this, if one of us gets hurt, we ask for help, we don't try to be stubborn, alright?" She asked.

Applejack groaned, she then sighed and looked at her sister. "Fine, but ONLY if one of us gets hurt." She replied firmly.

"I can work with that." Sarah said before standing, she then started to carry baskets back.

______*later that day, Ponyville, 12:00 AM*______

Sarah walked through the town and looked around, trying to get to know the new layout of the town, she had already found the Golden Oaks by complete accident.

She had a discussion with Twilight for a short while, but she soon left and began to explore some more.

Sarah soon stumbled upon a strange building, it stood out from the rest of the town, she noticed that a stallion had walked out with a suit and said goodbye to Rarity in the doorway. 'Must be her boutique' She thought as she kept walking.

Sarah eventually found herself itching for a flight, she stopped walking and rolled her eyes as she watched some Pegasi fly past, she flew up and took a breath, she winced a little bit as an old sore flared up at that moment, once she was just above the houses, she flew off in a random direction, she eventually found a sweet shop, a general store, and a woodshop, curious, Sarah flew down to check it out.

Sarah did have a small hobby, it wasn't big, but she didn't mind, she enjoyed Collecting wooden figures, in fact, she had found a bunch of wooden chess pieces in an old box.

She browsed the shop for a while, trying to see if they had what she needed, but they didn't, she walked out and started to fly off once again, not fast, but instead at a leisurely pace.

Sarah spotted Pinkie talking with Fluttershy, she noticed Mr. Cake walking with his wife, she even spotted Rainbow Dash trying to sneak up on her. "What's up Dash?" She asked.

Rainbow sighed and flew up next to Sarah. "Eh, I'm on lunch break, finished my lunch, had a few minutes, noticed you flying by, felt like prancing." She explained.

Sarah then began flying backwards as she talked with Rainbow. "More like failing, when you try to sneak up on someone, try not to snicker." She suggested.

Rainbow thought on that as she flew. "Good point." She said.

"Unless the prank is to make someone think they are being pranked, then it's totally alright." Sarah added.

"I have to try that sometime." Rainbow replied.

Sarah smirked. "Not on me, believe me, It doesn't faze me anymore." She said as she straightened herself to fly with Rainbow.

The two flew in silence for a while, until Sarah spoke up. "Hey Dash." She started.

"What?" Rainbow replied.

"Out of curiosity, do you have someone special?" She asked.

Rainbow blinked and looked forward, she thought on this a while and eventually shrugged. "I guess." She said.

"Oh, I see, you have your eye on someone, but they don't?" She wondered.

Rainbow shook her head. "No, it isn't like that." She replied.

Sarah thought a while, then spoke again. "Female?" She asked.

Rainbow's head snapped to look at Sarah. "I won't judge if it is, my first love was female." Sarah added.

After a bit, Rainbow spoke again. "Yea, female, but that isn't the issue." She said.

Sarah waited as Rainbow sighed and looked at her. "Can you keep this between us?" The Pegasus asked, when Sarah nodded, she continued. "The truth is, I'm not sure where we stand in our relationship, I don't know if it's just physical, or a friend zone thing." She replied.

Sarah looked and noticed some clouds nearby, and gestured to them, once the two were on the clouds, Rainbow continued. "There's more to it, but it isn't my place to say." She said.

Sarah nodded. "Ok, then let's work with what we can, how do you feel with her?" She asked.

Rainbow sighed and sat down, she looked up at the clear blue sky. "Happy, excited, eager." She replied.

Sarah chuckled. "Alright, what do you like about her?" She asked.

Rainbow smiled. "She's caring, she's brave, she's smart, loyal.........she's also very annoying." She said happily.

Sarah suppressed a laugh. "One of the reasons you like her is that she annoys you?" She asked.

Rainbow looked at Sarah and nodded. "Yep, she drives me up the wall, but I wouldn't trade that for anything." She replied.

Sarah sat down and rested her head on the cloud. "Do you know how she feels?" She asked.

Rainbow shook her head. "No idea, she hasn't said anything." She said.

Sarah looked up. "What's her name? If I might ask." She said.

Rainbow smiled. "Minutte." She said, her wings immediately shooting open. "Well, I better get going, the weather isn't going to manage itself you know!' She said before flying off.

Sarah rolled her eyes at the Pegasus' antics, she then got up and started to fly home for the day.

______*a few weeks later*______

Sarah was walking through town, just happy to take a breather from all of the excitement, yesterday, Applejack had told her about the whole fiasco with the Grand Galloping Gala tickets, Sarah couldn't breath for five minutes because of it, she had also heard about the Canterlot Royal Wedding going south in a hurry, but she was glad it worked out in the end.

While she regretted not being able to spend more time here in Ponyville, she wasn't going to let that keep her down, in fact, she saw it as a way to make fun of her sister and get away with it.

Sarah had just passed Bon Bon's sweet shop when she felt a drop of water hit her head, she blinked and looked up, the sky had suddenly filled with storm clouds and it was lightly raining, she sighed and started to walk back.

'Of all times to not wear my jacket,' She mumbled.

Sarah had to pick up her pace as the rain began to worsen, as she passed a house, she heard a voice. "You might want to find shelter quickly, or at least go faster." It said.

The voice was definitely male, but young, she looked in the direction the voice came from and saw a Pegasus colt with strangely colored red fur and mismatched eyes, one was red, one was green, he was leaning on a cart and was standing on his hind legs, he had a strange harness on him, and was wearing a belt that had a sheathe for a dagger.

"So should you." Sarah replied calmly.

The colt chuckled. "Na, rain doesn't bother me, I don't get sick, but you do I'm guessing, see you around." He said before flying off.

Sarah was perplexed, that was an odd encounter, for more reasons than one, firstly, he was oddly calm, and he seemed to be looking straight through her.

The other thing that was weird, was the fact that he was flying incredibly fast, faster than Rainbow Dash, and faster than Sarah, he also seemed to be exuding a strange aura about him.

While Sarah didn't mention it to anyone, she had the uncanny ability to read auras from a distance, not emotional auras, but magical ones, and the one that kid was giving off, was strange, at first it would appear to be a normal Pegasus aura, but when she looked deeper, she found traces of unicorn, and even the aura of madness, which she only saw one time, from an insane unicorn that she found a few minutes before the train ride to Ponyville.

Sarah shook her head, not willing to dwell on it, she charged to the farm, eager to get home.

After a while of running, the rain was very bad, and lightning began to strike, she panted as she gazed at the farmhouse, she took a breath and grasped her necklace, it was soaked, and slippery, but the chain was still good, she then began running again, eager to beat the storm.

However, luck would not be with Sarah today, for as she neared the house, lightning struck......right on her, sending so much thunder through her system, it caused her to black out instantly.

______*Unknown*______

Sarah groaned, she did not feel well, she couldn't feel her arms or legs, and she had an enormous headache, she opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness, she tried to move her left arm, but found herself unable to do so, she heard movement nearby and spoke. "H-h-hey, c-can I g-g-get s-some help?" She said, her voice very jittery.

"Good to you awake, you alright Sarah?" Asked a familiar voice.

Sarah was still unable to see, so she decided to guess. "AJ?" She asked.

"Yea, it's me." Replied the voice.

"W-w-where a-a-am I?" She asked.

"Uh, your home, you know, Sweet Apple Acres." Applejack said.

Sarah blinked and soon she could see nothing but blurs, but it was better than nothing. "W-w-what h-h-happened?" She asked.

"I don't know, when I saw you, you were unconscious outside, Big Mac an me rushed out and brought you in." Applejack replied.

Sarah closed her eyes and winced as pain shot through her legs. "W-w-well, I, I can.....f-f-feel p-p-pain again." She said.

A few minutes later, Applejack sighed. "Sarah, I uh, I have some bad news." She said.

Sarah opened her eyes, her vision was much clearer now, but it was still very blurry. "W-what?" She asked.

Applejack grabbed something and held it in front of Sarah.

Sarah let a tear drop, while she could barely see, she could still make out her necklace, it was completely ruined, the chain was almost completely melted, and the music note was broken in half. "A-at, a-at l-least, it, w-was j-j-just a n-n-necklace." She said shakily

Applejack placed a hoof on her sisters shoulder. "Get some rest Sarah, you need it." She said before walking away.

Sarah tried to sleep, but for at least fifteen minutes, all she could think about was what had happened, both in the past, and recently, she winced as the pain in her wings returned, she eventually managed to fall asleep, but it took about an hour.

_____*the next day, 2:10 PM*_____

Big Mac had a good life, he lived in a good house, with an honest job, he had a fantastic family and a stable future, he also now had Sarah back in his life, so in his opinion, he had it good.

However, there were downsides, he lived in a town where the most ridiculous things happened practically weekly, he had a little sister that drove him insane half the time, though he would never show it, he also had the stress of taking care of most of the Apple farming along with the carrot farm.

It was stressful, to say the least.

Thankfully, Applejack still found time to tend to the animals, and was still able to do some applebucking when she wasn't taking care of Sarah.

So as he headed downstairs, he wasn't expecting to see his now Pegasus sister walking around shakily. "Ya shouldn't be moving." He said.

Sarah winced and looked at Big Mac. "Sorry, I just don't like being the one who's stuck in here while everyone else does work." She said.

Big Mac pointed at the couch and Sarah begrudgingly headed back, it took a while, and some help from the older brother, but Sarah was eventually on the couch once again. "Thanks Mac." She said.

Big Mac nodded as he started to head outside. 'That filly is going to be the death of me.' He said to himself.

_____*in town*_____

Applejack had just dropped Apple Bloom off at school and was now walking with her friend and rival, Rainbow Dash and her apparently psychotic friend Storm. "I don't know what ah'm gonna do with her Rainbow, I'm glad she's back, but she keeps getting herself into worse and worse situations." She said.

"Your telling me, she almost ruined Pinkie's surprise party for Lyra." Rainbow replied.

"Maybe you should talk to her about her.....habits." Storm suggested as he walked.

"What are you talking about?" Applejack asked.

Storm shrugged. "I've been keeping my eyes open since I got here, and when I suggested that she go find shelter for the storm, she looked at me like I was insane......not that she's wrong." He admitted.

Applejack blinked and kept on walking. "I'll.....keep that in mind." She said finally.

Storm then turned and looked at the two. "Anyway, I have to get going, you two stay safe." He said before flying off at an almost unnoticeable speed.

"I'll never understand how he flies that fast." Rainbow muttered.

"So, have you been alright Rainbow?.....you've been exhausted for the past month." Applejack asked.

Rainbow sighed and stopped walking. "Sarah has been drilling me on flight, I know, it sounds ridiculous, but she apparently knows a lot more about flying then me." She said.

Applejack chuckled. "Yea, when she gets into something, she doesn't stop learning how to do it until she masters it." She replied.

Rainbow stretched her wings out a little and winced a little, they were apparently still sore. "If she did these exercises all the time, it's no wonder she can fly so well." She said. "Not even Flight camp was this bad." She added.

"Are you sure you don't have Pegasus ancestors?" Rainbow asked.

Applejack nodded. "That I know of? No, maybe somewhere in the distant family, but none in our bloodline." She replied.

Rainbow and Applejack walked together for a while before they had to split up.

______*Hours later.*______

Apple Bloom was concerned, mostly aggravated, but concerned, normally, things were mostly quiet at home, it was her place to calm down and enjoy her life, however, with Sarah recovering from the lightning bolt that struck her, Applejack and Granny Smith had to devote a good amount of time to taking care of her, and with Big Mac doing most of the work outside, this left Apple Bloom working very hard with very small breaks.

Thankfully, Applejack managed to get a doctor to come by, and he said that Sarah would be alright to walk tomorrow, but she wouldn't be able to do too much heavy lifting with her strength so low.

If there was a major upside to being a Pegasus, Apple Bloom thought, it was that they recovered quickly.

Dinner was quiet that night, as nopony had anything to say, nothing of interest anyway,

If there was anything of interest said that night, it was that Applejack asked Sarah to take Apple Bloom to school next Monday.

Sarah was perplexed, or at least, that's the expression that Applebloom saw at any rate. "Uh.....ok?" Sarah had replied.

Apple Bloom was confused, not only would it be strange to have the sister she never knew take her to school, it was also strange since she normally walked to school on her own.

______*two days later*______

Sarah walked through the orchard of apple trees as she carried two baskets of apples back to the barn, she was much stronger now and could walk just fine, but she still wasn't capable of applebucking just yet, which was fine by her, she had learned to enjoy what she had back in prison.

Thankfully, to ease her mind, Applejack had told her that she had gotten rid of the 'shotgun' as the note called it, saying that it would cause more harm than good.

Sarah was relieved to have that thing gone, she didn't know what it could do, but she didn't want to find out, especially if she had another.......episode.

Sarah shivered at the thought of it, the memory still burned fresh in her mind, the blood, the bone, the tears, the screams, and worst of all.

.....her victims face, it was one of pure horror, pain, and shock, but the eyes told a much different story.

While the face screamed fear, the eyes were excited......eager even, which was the most disturbing part.

When Sarah reached the barn and set down the baskets, she looked up at the small window in the upper level of the barn, and then.....the memory returned to life.

Sarah's eyes widened as the blood drained from her face, the memory was of the barn on fire, she heard panicking and looked around, her breath shortened, and she found herself hard pressed to breathe.

She saw three fillies trapped inside the barn, the roof had collapsed onto the entrance, and was blocking them from escaping.

Sarah immediately recognized these faces, herself, Applejack.......and Hilde, her breathing was getting more rapid and more faint, and she could tell she was close to passing out.

As the fire raged in the barn Sarah watched as her younger self, AJ, and Hilde tried everything to escape.

Sarah suddenly felt an immense pounding in her head followed by a screech, she clutched her head in pain and screamed as it worsened.

And soon, just like that, it was over.

Sarah was now breathing shakily as she clutched her head, she had fallen down at some point, but she couldn't remember it, she could feel the sweat on her fur, and she could also feel her heart throbbing.

Sarah huddled next to a hay bale, and there she sat, she could still feel a portion of the throbbing, but as she sat there curled into a ball, she found herself unconsciously repeating two words.

"Not again, not again, not again." She repeated.

........That wasn't the right memory.

_____*years ago.*______

Sarah and Applejack ran through the fields, playing tag with Hilde, their best friend, Hilde was a unicorn, the first in the Apple family.....at least from her branch of the family, she had blue fur, blue hair, and bright green eyes, her cutie mark was that of a raindrop falling onto a leaf.

Hilde was it, and was trying frantically to catch one of the two.

They were tired, but they were happy.

It wasn't long however until an older earth pony stallion with brown fur and hair stepped out of the house, he spotted Sarah nearby, hiding behind a crate. "Sarah!" He called out.

Sarah looked at him in disbelief. "You just gave me away!" She accused.

The stallion rolled his yellow eyes and spoke. "Get your sister and your cousin, lunch is almost ready." He said.

Sarah grinned. "Sure thing uncle Spud!" She then jumped out from her hiding spot, ran over to the fence and jumped over it and into the fields, intent on finding the others quickly.

Uncle Spud chuckled and walked inside.

Sarah eventually found the her sister and cousin chasing each other around the field. "Hey!" She called out.

The two quickly stopped and looked at Sarah. "What?" Applejack asked.

"Uncle Spud said lunch is almost done, and to get to the house!" Sarah replied.

The three quickly ran to the house, eager to eat after so much running.

The trio quickly got inside, they saw that lunch was in fact done, and they were already passing it out, they saw that Macintosh was eating his lunch already, and they now understood why he refused to go out and play this time, Hilde's step mom was the cook, and she was fantastic at it.

After eating, Sarah went out to the barn to go grab something, she had gotten a gift for Hilde, and was hoping she would like it, she went up to her secret hiding place, after making sure nopony was there, she quickly dug up what she was looking for, a small locket, it had a hammer on one side, and an apple from another.

Sarah knew that Hilde came from the northern branch of the family, very distant, and very tough, they were a warrior culture, and in the tundra they lived in, they had to be, Sarah hoped that Hilde would like this as a reminder of Home.

But just as she got the dirt back in place, she heard glass break, she looked around and her eyes widened, the lantern that had fallen was lit, and had caught fire on several hay bales and slowly began to engulf the wood, she quickly ran at the entrance but the roof collapsed, blocking her path, she yelped as her leg was burned from a random spark, it had caught fire, but she managed to put it out.

As the fire began to spread, Sarah did the only thing she could......she screamed for help.

______*the present*______

Sarah shivered as she sat, she clutched her head in pain and the world distorted around her, nothing making sense until she heard a growing screech, she glances around and soon saw something horrifying, a young mare, walking toward her slowing, blood covered her, she was pale, her eyes glowing white and her neck showed visible signs of strangulation.

Sarah's eyes widened and she flinched away from it.

Eventually, the mare lunged at Sarah, screeching three words. "YOU DID THIS!" She screeched.

Sarah shut her eyes and held her head as tears formed, her heart rate increasing and breathing speeding up once again.

"Don't make me relive that, don't make me relive that, don't make me relive that."

When Sarah's eyes finally opened, she spoke seven words in a dark tone, the seven words that had burned themselves into her mind. "Stop squirming, it makes it hard TO KILL YOU."

"You have that problem too huh?" Spoke a voice.

Sarah gasped and shot up, and she saw a face she wasn't expecting.

"You?.....who are you, what are you talking about?" Sarah asked quickly.

The voice belonged to a young colt, with a discolored red coat, dark red, dark green, black and even gray hair, one Dark blood red eye, and one forest green eye, his mark, a dark gray cloud on fire. "My name is Storm, and believe me, you aren't the only one to relive painful memories." He said cryptically.

Sarah backed up a little, not because she was scared of this colt, but because she was cautious, both for herself, and him, the aura around him screamed pain, suffering and death, but his eyes betrayed no emotion, aside from once that she herself had once, a desire to kill.

She was unnerved, but she managed to talk. "This is my business." She said.

"Not if you go on a killing spree it isn't." Storm said.

Storm leaned up against the door. "As much as I don't care about this town, I still have business here for a while, and I can't go through with that if everyone is dead, understand?" He asked.

Sarah had no reason to trust this colt, but hearing him out may prove helpful. "What do you want?" She asked.

"For right now, let's just say that our interests align, you want to go back to a normal life, but your past haunting you is preventing that, I have business that needs to done carefully, and you going psychotic won't help, in short, I'll help you deal with your past, but you will owe me a favor." He said.

Sarah could sense no deception from Storm, but she also couldn't detect much emotion aside from rage, but that was barely noticeable.

"Fine.....you have a deal, but don't try anything funny." She said.

Storm nodded. "Ok then, I need to get ready, I'll be here tomorrow with Dash when I'm ready." He turned around and started walking, but just before he opened his wings, he looked at Sarah. "Before I go, I think you should know......the first step to stopping the visons, is acceptance, but it's usually the hardest step, and for good reason." He said before flying off.

Sarah let out a sigh of relief, she fell to the ground again and this time, laid flat on the ground as she stared at the ceiling, she let a tear out as more painful memories returned. "I'm sorry." She said quietly

Author's Notes:

So, yea, same universe as Storm was in originally, different time though, approximately a month before The Cage Inside, no, I won't be making him a focal point in this story, he is a side character here.

Anyway, more of Sarah's past is revealed, and it also turns out she isn't stable in the head, who knew? Oh wait.....me, uh, other than me? I have no idea.

So a deeper connection to the past, a ruined gift, and a surprise cousin, things are getting stranger.

Ps. Sorry for not updating this in a while, but I haven't been up to it for a while, hopefully, between this story, Hunters Of The Forest, and The Raindrop, I can update more often, and with a fresh mind.

As always, see you next time!

Fighting the madness of the mind.

______*Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres, 7:00 AM*______

'I doubt we can be together on the outside, but if we do meet up again, it'll be great to catch up.' Star's familiar voice said before fading away.

Sarah opened her groggy eyes to the ceiling of her room, it took her a little longer to wake up than usual, but when she got off the bed she sighed and stretched, she yawned and looked around the sparsely decorated room, there was little to nothing in here aside from a bed, a nightstand, a footlocker, a window near her bed, and one on the other side of the room, and a closet.

Sarah just started walking to her window when she felt an all too familiar throbbing in her head, she grunted and held her head while fighting back the pain. "Not now!" She said desperately to herself.

The room vibrated and flashed an assortment of colors as a strange sound filled her mind, she growled as she caught sight of a shadowy figure near her door, and soon enough, the throbbing and the visons disappeared, leaving her alone once again.

Sarah breathed heavily and looked around once again, seeing nothing, she sighed in relief as she quickly opened a window and fled the room, heading for the bathroom.

_____*the bathroom*______

Sarah started running the shower and sighed to herself, she looked in the mirror above the sink and rubbed some water over her eyes.

As Sarah did so, she closed her eyes after drying them and rubbed them with her left hoof. "Why does this need to start up now?" She asked herself quietly.

Sarah looked up and into the mirror and gasped as her head throbbed in immense pain once again and the room flashed orange.

Behind her was the shadow figure which held a razor to her throat as it talked, releasing the strange noise as before. "You cannot hide from your guilt! you cannot hide this forever, one day, they will find out, and they will see you for the lunatic you are, beyond saving!"

The throbbing soon stopped and Sarah soon realized that she was holding the razor to her own throat, her breathing was erratic as she forced herself to drop the razor, she shook violently and held her head, she sobbed quietly for a few moments, thankfully the shower running covered the sound.

Sarah was broken out of her panic by a knocking at the door. "Hey Sis, you in there?" Said Apple Bloom's voice.

Sarah shakily stood and cleared her throat. "Yea." She said, her voice giving away no indication that something was wrong.

"Oh, alright." Apple Bloom said.

Sarah quickly got into the shower and began to clean off the dirt, sweat and her tears from before, she let out a contented sigh of relief as the water covered her body, she quickly decided to hum softly to try to take her mind off what was happening to her, though it was much harder now more than ever.

As she showered, Sarah couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, she shivered slightly at this thought, but resolved that if she was to have a future, she would have to fight this at every turn, she sighed and decided to put this out of her mind until later.

______*five hours later, out in the apple orchards.*______

Sarah was alone out in the orchards this time, Applejack was tending to the animals with Apple Bloom, Big Mac was working at the carrot farm, and Granny was working at the house, or sleeping, whichever came first.

Sarah kicked a tree and the apples fell into the baskets, she proceeded to do this with every tree, make sure the baskets were in place, then kick, repeat.

It was simple, but fulfilling work, especially useful for helping to clear a guilty conscience, or a disturbed mind.

In Sarah's unfortunate case, it was both, she was having trouble fighting back the.....episodes, that she had occasionally, it was becoming more frequent by the minute.

The visions were getting worse and worse, as though something was toying with her mind, and as much as she refused to admit it, she knew she would need help before long, and she knew at least one person who knew about these visions, Storm, a strange kid who had madness covering him, but he seemed perfectly calm.

'If anyone can help, it's him.' She told herself, almost not believing herself for a moment.

As Sarah worked the orchards, she eventually felt the feeling of being watched once again, she turned and looked around curiously, but she couldn't see anything, even when she looked up.

Sarah rubbed her forehead. "Must be the heat." She told herself, knowing that it was quite hot out.

And just as Sarah struck another tree, another vision emerged, the throbbing worsened greatly and she exclaimed in pain as she fell to the ground, clutching her arms as she heard footsteps near her.

Sarah looked up and the trees were set ablaze, the sky was orange and the sun was nowhere to be found, she saw the familiar shadow figure standing over her.

Sarah's breathing quickened and her pupils shrunk in fear as the figure held a large kitchen knife covered in blood.

The figure looked down at Sarah with cold lifeless eyes and reached out, it grabbed her by the throat and stared at her. "How long until the madness truly sinks in?" It asked.

"How long until you go on another rampage?" It continued.

"It would be better if you just ENDED IT! LIKE YOU DID TO HER!" It declared as it thrust the knife forward.

Sarah gasped loudly as she fell to the ground, she looked up quickly as her head throbbed, the world had turned back to normal, and she was now on the ground sweating heavily, she tried to calm her breathing down quickly as she sat up.

Sarah blinked and looked down at the ground, her mind was going blank as she began to think more......dangerous, thoughts, she remembered the last words she spoke when committed that terrible crime. 'Let me hear you scream like the bitch you are!' She flinched at the memory, making her wonder if it would be better if she just left, it would certainly be safer for everyone else.

"Those thoughts can drive someone insane you know." A familiar voice said.

Sarah turned around and saw Storm leaning on a tree, he was currently staring at her with his mismatched eyes, no, staring straight into her mind, would be more accurate. "What would you know about my thoughts!?" She snapped.

Storm chuckled and kept his arms crossed. "Well, for one, I know that leaving thinking its safer is a horrible idea." He said.

Sarah looked at Storm in disbelief as he got off the tree. "What then, do you suggest I do?" She asked after calming herself.

"Kill the source of the problem." Storm said simply. "Find what is causing the visions in your mind and eliminate it, of course, it isn't that easy to accomplish, first, come to terms with whatever it is that you did, or had been done to you, you'll also need to defeat the thing that torments you, I'n your own way of course." He said before unfolding his wings.

Sarah looked at him skeptically. "Why should I trust you?" She asked.

Storm smirked. "Because I'm the only one offering you a sensible solution, I also wouldn't throw you into an asylum for talking about illusions that make you want to kill yourself." He answered before flying off.

Sarah watched as he flew off, leaving her alone once again. "Why does he care? and how does he know so much?" She wondered.

Sarah forced herself up and looked at the house, she took a breath to calm herself before unfolding her wings, she winced a little bit as they had gotten sore once again, but she flew towards the house regardless, simply wanting to get some rest.

_____*hours later, Sweet Apple Acres, 7:19 PM*_____

Dinner was quiet that night, more so than usual, Sarah knew that most of the silence was the awkward feeling that refused to leave the room, but on her part, she didn't want to accidentally say something, especially if her visions started up again.

Sarah could hear a voice speak in her mind, she didn't feel any throbbing, but her breathing quickened in so slight a manner, that it would be unnoticeable.

'What a nice and quiet family, you think they'll be safe forever though?' The voice said to her.

Sarah didn't acknowledge it, she didn't even flinch, she just finished her dinner, helped clean up, and went upstairs to the bathroom.

______*Sarah's room, 7:31 PM*______

Sarah walked up to her bed and sat down, she sighed and started to take her jacket off, strangely enough, she didn't even remember putting it on, she felt a weight fall off her shoulders and the room cooled down after she threw it on the chair.

Sarah then laid back on her bed and took a deep breath, she rubbed her wings and winced, they were somehow still sore from when she got them, but it wasn't as painful now, she looked out her window and looked at the stars, she smiled at the sight of them, while they always helped to calm her down, they were even more beautiful now more than ever.

As she looked out into the night sky, Sarah noticed something wonderful, that only happened once before in her lifetime, she saw a shooting star, while she wasn't a believer that shooting stars granted wishes, she always appreciated the sight of them.

Sarah turned around and looked at her nightstand, seeing her melted necklace, she decided to do something about it, she grabbed the necklace and placed it on the windowsill, looking out into the sky, she closed her eyes and took a breath, she returned to her bed with a single thought on her mind.

'No matter how this ends, this ends today, I'm not going to live my life with the fear of losing my mind, so get ready shadow creature, im coming after you.' She swore as she closed her eyes to fall asleep.

_____*Sarah's dreamscape*_____

Sarah looked around her dream world catiously, her dreamscape was a seemingly unending field of grass, with a forest to the east, the Acres to the north, Ponyville to the south, and the prison she lived in for most of her life to the west.

And in the center of it all, was a stone archway that led in all four directions, it also had a large compass in the floor, where Sarah stood, she looked down at the compass and it pointed west, toward the prison.

Sarah looked and saw the shadow figure look at her with a large grin, it then retreated into the prison.

Sarah quickly set off to find it.

As Sarah neared the prison, she looked to her left at a large sign that said 'Denial'.

Sarah did not stop, she charged to the prison which was devoid of guards and inmates, she entered the all too familiar walls and sighed.

'You swore to never return to this place.' The voice said calmly. 'But here you are, and you can't deny it, but being back here, where you lost all form of spirit?' The voice chuckled darkly. "It's getting to you." Said a voice from behind Sarah.

Sarah turned around and saw nothing but the empty halls of the prison. "Show yourself!" She shouted.

There was no response, nothing except a laugh that echoed in the halls.

Sarah continued walking, she kept on walking until she entered the mess hall. "Of course, you yourself have a secret, one that you lied about, even to your beloved sister." The voice said with a mocking tone.

Sarah growled as she walked on, reaching a secluded hallway. "That secret is my own." She said.

The voice laughed loudly. "Is it? Or are you just unwilling to speak it, it is the truth, and you lied about it, you said you were 'released' but you weren't, you hadn't served your time." The voice continued.

Sarah continued walking, she rounded a corner and came across an unending hallway. "You were given your freedom, you aren't free, you are a slave, uselessly trying to escape your chains." The voice said.

"Shut up!" Sarah shouted. "I am not a slave!" She argued.

"Is that what you believe?" Said a voice behind her.

Sarah growled and flipped around, throwing a punch towards the voice, which happened to be Applejack, she flinched and stopped her strike, her eyes widened.

"You lied to me, you lied to your own sister, you said that you served your time, when really, the only reason you were released was because someone out there thought that a psychopath like you had a use." She said.

Sarah flinched at the words, she knew they were true because she told herself those very same words on her first night back home.

Applejack's eyes went dark and she grinned madly. "Of course, then you have your greatest fear, remembering that night, the night you killed, do you even remember that night?" She asked darkly.

Sarah calmed herself down and stared at the dark figure disguised as Applejack. "Sadly I do, and I regret everything about that night." She replied.

The shadow figure returned to its original form, covered in darkness, unable to be seen. "Even the fact that you ENJOYED the encounter? the ecstasy you felt upon tasting Hilde's blood? or the sadistic joy you experienced every time you plunged the dagger into her?" It asked.

Sarah paused, for the first time in a long time, she was unable to bring herself to lie when it truly mattered, she thought long and hard, the shadow figure staring into her eyes, and she into its, she eventually looked at the figure with a cold gaze. "I can't change what happened, nor can I change how I felt about what I did, but no, I can't say I am proud of that." She paused again.

Sarah looked around the hallway which had changed to the cell block she had stayed in. "Then you haven't changed at all, you lie and manipulate, you deceive and twist things to your advantage." The figure said, pulling out a large kitchen knife. "If you cannot see the truth, or learn to speak the truth, then you will never be free of me." If said before throwing out the knife.

Sarah jumped back, barely dodging the blade as some of her hair fell off her head. "I'm not lying! I regret that day more than any other!" She said.

The shadow figure growled and it's form changed, it turned into a replica of Sarah, but it's eyes were black with dark green pupils in a reptilian fashion. "Once again, you lie, you cannot lie to me, I am you, I live in your mind!" It stated.

Sarah held her ground, even when her evil counterpart charged at her, when they clashed, it erupted into a fist fight, one that her evil side was drastically winning.

Sarah soon found herself pinned to the wall with no way of moving as chains appeared out of nowhere and held her in place.

The dark half held Sarah's head up and forced her to look eye to eye. "Perhaps I need to remind you what you felt that day, no pain, no sorrow, no remorse, only the pleasure and joy that you took out of murdering your own family." It said before plunging its knife into Sarah's flesh.

Sarah screamed in pain but it was soon silenced by her dark half's hoof. "Don't bother screaming, no one can hear you." It said as it removed the knife.

Sarah breathed heavily after that, she coughed once her dark half removed its hoof, she looked up and saw that it had returned to its original form once again, and as it went to swing once again, Sarah quickly spoke. "Your right!" She shouted out.

The dark figure stopped mid swing and backed up and the chains vanished. "Unlike you Sarah, I cannot lie, I don't have the capacity." It said, it then raised its head slightly as it looked down on her. "But I CAN tell when someone is lying.

Sarah fell to the ground and looked up. "I.....I did enjoy that night, i enjoyed everything about it.....and I, I killed Hilde, for no reason, other than to see how it would feel." She admitted, though it pained her greatly to say so.

All at once, the prison crumbled to dust around them, it was soon replaced by another familiar building. "Th...the lab?" Sarah said shakily.

The dark figure looked at Sarah. "The original prison, where you used to live after you murdered Hilde, the mental hospital was just a means to get you here, this is where you gained your wings." The dark figure then looked at a sign in front of the gate. "Welcome to 'fear' Sarah, but you aren't ready for this place yet." It then vanished.

Sarah soon found herself back at the archway, she looked at where the prison was, and it was replaced by the asylum, or The Lab, as the patients called it, or 'fear' as her mind called it.

But the words from before still rattled her. "When will I be ready?" She wondered.

Sarah looked down and saw that the compass was pointing towards the farm, with a deep breath, Sarah began walking in that direction.

After walking a while, Sarah found the sign that usually said Sweet Apple Acres, but it was replaced by the word 'guilt' in bright red paint.

Sarah and a faint idea of what this meant, and she wasn't eager to explore this memory, but it had to be done.

Sarah continued walking until she reached the farmhouse, she winced as she saw a bloodied, younger version of herself walk into the house, what was creepy was how she turned and looked right at Sarah with a wide sadistic smile and bloody teeth, Uncle Spud, Applejack, Big Mac, Granny Smith, and her parents followed closely.

Sarah walked up slowly, the memory was all too clear, and she didn't want to relive this.

But as she neared the house, she could hear Uncle Spud screaming at the top of his lungs. "I WILL NOT CALM DOWN, YOUR BUCKING DAUGHTER MURDERED MY HILDE LIKE SHE WAS A LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER!" His voice, his words, were haunting, but sadly true.

Sarah flinched, but she kept on listening. "Getting angry won't bring her back Spud!" Sunny Breeze, mother of Sarah, Applejack and Big Mac stated firmly.

"No? BUT IT DOES LET ME GET MY RAGE OUT!" He shouted.

Sarah watched as her younger self licked her lips, swallowing the blood, she shivered as the taste came back to her. "She should have fought better." Her younger self stated flatly with a grin.

Spud's veins and muscles tensed at those words, his face grew even angrier, thankfully Sunny Breeze managed to take charge quickly. "Applejack, Macintosh, take your sister and clean her up, the grown ups need to talk." Her mother said.

Applejack and Macintosh carefully led Sarah's younger self up the stairs, with the latter keeping a content smile on her lips.

Spud then released his anger once again, but in a different manner. "I don't care how you do it, but deal with that........thing, you call your daughter, or I will." He stated darkly before walking out.

Just then Apple Core, Sarah's father grabbed Spud and threw him to the ground. "How dare you!......I don't care what she did, but Sarah is still my daughter and part of our family! Don't even THINK ABOUT THREATENING HER!" He said, raising his voice, which was very rare.

Spud wiped his lip and kicked Apple Core in the stomach, he then got up and threw him into the wall. "And don't YOU dare try to get her out of this, she murdered my daughter, and almost killed my wife, she will be punished." He then walked to the door and opened it, he then looked back. "And if you try to stop me, should you fail to take action, I will kill her myself." He stated before leaving.

Sarah winced and got away from the window, she collapsed to the ground afterwards and held her arms, she was like this until she heard something. "Sarah, are you awake?" Said a soothing voice.

Sarah's eyes shot open and she was in her room, nineteen years ago, it was nighttime, she saw her younger self lying awake in bed, staring at her, no emotion in her purple eyes, she sighed and rolled over, she looked and saw her mother in the doorway. "Yes." She said.

Sarah's younger self was still slightly bloodstained, and had a few teeth still covered in blood.

Sunny Breeze took a breath. "May I come in?" She asked.

Sarah's younger self blinked in confusion, but spoke. "Sure, why not, it doesn't matter." She rolled and her back was showing.

Sunny Breeze walked up and sat down on the bed. "Sarah, you missed dinner." She said quietly.

"My fear of being poisoned made me lose my appetite, besides, I already ate." She said flatly.

Sunny took another quiet breath. "Are you alright?" She asked softly.

Sarah winced, this memory was one of the most painful, her mother was trying to consol her, and Sarah didn't care at the time.

"I just killed my cousin, and almost killed my aunt today, Spud wants me dead, and I'm probably going to be sent away, and the thing is, I don't care" She said.

Sunny sighed and softly stroked Sarah's mane. "You don't mean that, if you did, you wouldn't be crying." She said quietly.

Sarah's younger self looked down at her pillow and noticed tear stains on it, she sighed. "Now the pillow needs replacing, just great." She said flatly.

Sunny continued to stroke Sarah's mane slowly. "Sarah, you do know that neither me nor your father will let anything happen to you, right?" She said.

Sarah's younger self growled and quickly got off the bed and glared at her mother. "WHAT DO YOU CARE!? YOU HAVENT CARED IN YEARS! WHY SHOULD YOU START NOW!?" She shouted out of rage.

Sunny flinched at the words. "I do care Sarah." She said quietly

In her rage, Sarah's younger self opened the top drawer of her nightstand and pulled out a small but sharp knife. "Get out." She said angrily.

Sunny got off the bed and looked at Sarah. "Where did you get that?" She demanded.

Sarah grit her teeth. "I SAID GET OUT!" She shouted.

Sunny's gaze hardened, and Sarah's younger self flinched. "If your going to stab me, get it over with." She stated.

Sarah's eyes widened and her breathing sped up. "W....wha....what?" She asked shakily, suddenly, her anger was replaced by fear.

Sunny walked up. "I said, if your going to stab me, get. It. over. with." She stated as the knife was now up against her fur.

Sarah could see the knife's tip brushing up against her mother's skin, her breathing was now panicked, seeing the look in her mothers eyes, she soon dropped the knife and clutched her head as she fell to the ground sobbing.

Sunny took the knife and threw it aside as she held her daughter, who kept muttering. "I'm sorry." Over and over and she held onto her mother desperately.

Soon enough, Sunny began stroking Sarah's mane as she quietly spoke. "It's alright Sarah, I'm not hurt." She assured.

Sarah simply continued to cry into her mothers coat, the tears soaking into the fur as she kept going.

Sunny simply held her daughter like this for a while, she kept on reassuring her that it was alright, that nothing was going to happen.

Sarah eventually cried herself to sleep, and when she did, Sunny sighed and carefully picked her up and set her under the covers.

Sarah continued to mutter in her sleep, but Sunny stayed for a while, at least until Sarah stopped muttering.

Sunny walked to the door and quietly closed it, but Sarah did notice something, a smile, one that Sarah would have given anything to see again, one last time.

The world shifted to the next day.

Sarah watched as her younger self sat out on the front steps quietly, watching as Applejack and Big Mac, who were thankfully unaware of what had happened, played.

Sarah remembered what Applejack had asked her, of why she was covered in blood, she remembered her lie, that a few blood bags had burst open when she was headed home, but the main thing she remembered, was that she had a sadistic plan to see her reaction upon learning the truth, and how good it would have been.

Sarah's younger self looked back into the house and saw her parents talking about something, she sighed and put her hoof under her chin.

Sarah then got to wondering why she had gone berserk in the first place all those years ago, she heard walking behind her and she saw her darker self standing next to her now. "What do you remember about all of this?" It asked.

"Everything." Sarah said.

Her dark half chuckled. "No you don't, you don't remember attacking your aunt, you don't remember pulling a knife on your mother, and you don't remember why your outside in the first place, you don't even remember Spud yelling." It said.

Sarah sighed, her dark half was right, she didn't even remember those things happening until she saw them. "I now know that my parents didn't just give up on me, though I couldn't see it at the time, as for why I'm out here." She trailed off.

Her dark half shook its head. "Sunny sent you out here to get some fresh air, and to play with your brother and sister, but you weren't right in the head, so you sat on the stairs to try to get your thoughts together." It replied.

"Let's listen in shall we?" Her dark half said.

"I don't like it Core, our daughter is not crazy." Sunny said.

Apple Core nodded. "I don't think she's crazy Sunny, but she needs to see somepony about this, she can't bottle it up, and you know Spud isn't going to sit idle." He said.

Sunny growled. "If he gets anywhere near our daughter, i.....I can't be held responsible for what I'll do." She said.

Apple Core nodded. "Look, I'll go to the mayor and see about a restraining order, but you need to take Sarah to see a doctor, she needs help, and I don't think we can give it to her." He said.

Sunny shook her head as she paced. "Fine! but I don't like it." She replied.

Granny Smith walked in. "If you two like, I can keep an eye on them." She said easily.

Sunny looked at her mother in law with concern. "Are you sure? I know they're a lot of trouble normally, but now." She looked out and saw Sarah, the filly gave a weak wave and a half nod, one that Sunny replied with a smile and a wave of her own.

Soon enough Sarah watched as her younger self entered the house and sat on the couch. "Sarah, your father and I are going out, Granny Smith is going to watch you, are you going to be alright?" Sunny asked.

Sarah looked at her mother and nodded wordlessly.

Sunny ruffled Sarah's mane, causing it to be more scruffy. "Keep an eye on your brother and sister for me okay?" She asked.

Sarah blinked. "Ok." She said quietly.

Sarah watched as her mother and father left her younger self in the house. "I guess I wasn't up for talking that day, I barely remember saying four words." She said to her dark half.

Her dark half nodded. "Our mind was still trying to find a coping mechanism for what we did, but can you remember what was most prominent up until being signed in to the mental hospital?" It asked.

"Anger." Sarah easily said. "Out of everything else, I was angry, some of it was from anger at my family for what I thought was betrayal, but the rest was directed at myself." She said.

Her dark half looked at her. "And why ARE you angry at yourself?" It asked.

Sarah sighed and shook her head. "For allowing myself to kill Hilde, she was family, I Ioved her like a sister, she didn't deserve death, and I stole her life, and for what? an experiment?" She said.

Her dark half looked at the young Sarah sitting quietly. "I will say this, you learn quickly, but I wonder." It looked at Sarah. "What do you think would have happened, had you placed more trust in your family?" It asked.

"I trusted my family with everything." Sarah argued.

"No, you trusted no one, not even your mother, who you pulled a knife on." Her dark half said calmly before vanishing.

Sarah looked at the scene before her, and she soon came to a realization, she didn't trust anyone, especially after Spud's threat, the moment she went into her room, she knew she couldn't trust any of them.

"I was so stupid for pushing them away." Sarah said quietly.

Just as Sarah spoke those words, the farm grew quiet, everyone vanished, and Sarah was back at the archway. "Back here again?" She asked.

Sarah looked down at the compass and saw that it wasn't moving, previously it turned to point in the direction she needed to go, but now, it wasn't moving at all.

Sarah was about to question it when she felt herself being pulled to somewhere, but she didn't know where, she suddenly shot up into the sky unable to use her wings. "OOOOOHH SHIIIIIITT!" She screamed.

______*Sweet Apple Acres, 6:00 AM*_______

Sarah shot up out of bed with a shout, she was sweating profusely and her breathing was off, she looked around frantically but found nothing, she sighed and rubbed her hoof over her forehead.

Sarah got her breathing under control and forced herself out of bed, she instinctively reached out for her jacket, but stopped herself. 'No, it's too hot for you right now.' She then grabbed it and stuck it in the closet on a coat hanger, she did notice something though, an old box tucked away in the corner.

Sarah let her curiosity get the better of her as she opened it, inside were photos, letters, and an old wooden box, she pulled them out and looked at the letters, they were all addressed to her, she raised her eyebrow and opened the one with the oldest date.

The letter was old and the paper even sounded like it was, but the writing was clear as day. 'Dear Sarah, I hope you're adjusting well to your temporary home, I know you don't want to be there, but we don't have much choice, we have been told that you have to spend at least four years there, I know it's an absurd amount of time for you, but just know that we all miss having you here, even if it's only been a week since you were admitted, I hope you dont have to spend much more time there, love, Apple Core.' Sarah sighed as she set the letter aside.

Sarah was glad that her father wrote to her, but she now knew that all of these letters had been sent back, all because of THEM.

While it was true that Sarah had been admitted to a mental hospital, against her will anyway, what she doubt her parents knew was that her records were expunged and she herself was transferred the next day.

She opened another letter. 'Dear Sarah, how are you sis? I miss having you around, dad said that you can't come home for 4 years! that's crazy! If I was in your posi.....situa?.....uh, if I was in your shoes, I would escape and come straight home! Don't you agree?.....um, anyway, I can't wait until you can come home, I'll make sure to throw you a big party, yes, I know how you hate parties, but this is different!......your sister, Applejack.'

Sarah chuckled and opened the next letter. "I would have escaped, but it's hard to do so from a cell with no windows." She muttered.

Sarah read the last letter. 'Hello Sarah, i doubt you'll get this letter, due to those jerks sending them back, so I'll leave this for you when you come home, I'm sorry for what I did to you, I betrayed your trust when it mattered most, and for that, there is no forgiveness, but never believe for a moment that I didn't love you, you are my daughter, nothing will change that, the only thing I CAN hope for, is that one day, you will understand, you are special Sarah, just like your brother and sister, each of you are very special to us, but I never thought things would get this bad, I....I have something you need to know, but I don't think I'll be alive to tell you.

You see Sarah, you were born with a......condition, and it isn't a common one, in fact, it only happened twice before in recorded history, you see, you have two different genes running through you, the Earth Pony gene, and the Pegasus gene, now I know, it isn't uncommon for two races to marry and have foals, but mostly, their foals only carry ONE of these genes, this is why you are special, you can do things that most couldn't, I haven't told Applejack or Big Macintosh, and I plan not to tell them, they are torn up enough as it is, I just hope that you can live a normal life without incident, though I find that hard to believe, but if something does happen, I know you can handle it, after all, you have your brother and sister with you, I'm almost out of room, so I'll just leave this note here, I love you, Sunny Breeze.'

Sarah took a breath and looked at the photos, she remembered them immediately.

The first one was just of Sarah, she was in the living room dressed up as the monopoly guy, complete with top hat and fake mustache, it was Nightmare night and she wanted to be different.

The second one was of her again, she was hanging upside down from an apple tree with one eye closed and the other wide open, she was testing for how long she could be upside down before falling, there was a number at the bottom of the photo, 1:55, that was her record.

The last one was of her and her mother, who was holding the camera, they were both covered in dirt and grass, they had mud on their ears and hooves and we're both smiling wide, the two had been playing out in the fields after it rained, and somehow a tickle fight had started.

Sarah smiled, she set the photos aside and examined the box, it was dark in color and had vine patterns carved into the wood with care, she opened it and saw something she hadn't seen in so many years.

Sarah pulled out an old compass with a silver arrow and a wave pattern carved into it, the wood was red and there was an inscription that translated to 'life' on the inside of the lid, on the bottom was an inscription that translated to 'luck'.

Sarah smiled and closed the compass, it was her birthday present from her mother, and it was surprisingly well preserved.

Sarah placed the photos and compass on her side table, and grabbed the letters, while she didn't hold any attachments to them, she didn't want Applejack or Big Mac to read them, as well as Apple Bloom, she didn't need them to know, Granny probably knew, but if she did, she didn't say anything.

_____*the bathroom*______

Sarah was deep in thought as the cold water washed over her, she knew that her prison days were long behind her, but she still couldn't help but be incredibly cautious in the bathroom.

Thankfully she was getting more and more comfortable with her situation, it wasn't exactly instant, but she didn't have to worry about someone harassing her in the showers anymore.....hopefully.

Sarah eventually got out of the shower and headed for the living room, she sat down on the couch and closed her eyes as she simply enjoyed the quiet time.

Sarah sat there for a few minutes before opening her eyes and walking outside, she breathed deep as she took in the fresh air. 'I feel like I'm not carrying an anvil on my shoulders, either that or a giant plough.' She thought.

Sarah looked at her wings and unfolded them, she wasn't very fond of her more recent appendages, but she couldn't do anything about it, especially if she was to find out why she was freed in the first place.

Sarah soon got off the couch and headed outside. 'Maybe a short walk will do me some good.' She thought to herself.

Sarah stepped outside and shut the door quietly, she took in the fresh air and started walking along the main road, headed out of the farm.

Sarah reached the fence leading out and she stopped for a moment. 'Do I really just want to walk around town?......Na, I'll make my own adventure.' With a grin, Sarah unfolded her wings, for once she didn't feel any pain when doing so, she flew up and looked around, considering where to go.

Her sights finally set upon the Everfree Forest, she thought a few moments before shrugging. "If Applejack can do it, so can I." She said to herself before flying off.

Upon reaching the forests edge, Sarah slowed down and descended, knowing that it wasn't a good idea to fly near the treeline of this particular forest.

Sarah made it inside the forest, so far, it wasn't so bad, the forest was very tame near the edge, but as she got deeper, the shadows gathered, light became scarce, and trees began to die and strange groaning could be heard all around.

If it wasn't for her own insanity, Sarah was certain that this forest would have driven her to paranoia and madness, she stopped as she heard familiar whispers and felt familiar throbbing. 'Do you think your strong enough to face the dangers of the forest without help?....when you can barely hold yourself together?' Asked the dark voice in her head.

"Yea, I do." She said as the throbbing ceased and she continued moving.

Sarah moved quietly and carefully through the forest, adding to the fun.

But once the throbbing began as she spotted a lone timberwolf, she growled. "I wonder how long until your family thinks you've run off on them?.....and when they do, they will be relieved, knowing that they don't have a psycho living under the same roof, they will be happy you left, and you'll be out in the wild like the beast you are!"

Sarah tried to contain her anger, but the next set of words broke her. "How your parents must be disgusted by you, a freak of nature, something that shouldn't exist, i know that behind all of that love they pretended to show, was just them biding their time until they could get rid of you! and when you went berserk and slaughtered Hilde.....that was just the opportunity they needed!" The voice taunted.

Sarah growled as her breaking point was reached, she screamed in anger as she lunged at the timberwolf, she caught it by surprise as she easily broke one of its claws off.

Sarah pummeled the wolf in a frenzy, her rage giving way to unnatural strength as she continued to pummel the now legless and clawless wolf.

The wolf soon howled as Sarah continued to attack, she broke off its head and continued her frenzied assault.

Sarah only stopped when she heard growls all around her, she looked around and saw at least five other Timberwolves surrounding her, she got up quickly and she felt her rage leave her, as well as a taunt from the voice in her mind. "You see, you cannot contain your rage, as I know exactly how to set you off, at any time I could have you tear your family limb from limb, assuming you survive this, I may just show some mercy in that regard." The voice said before its laugh began to fade away.

Sarah felt her strength fade as she processed this situation, she took a few breaths and unfolded her wings. 'I'm such an idiot, I can't believe I let that thing goad me into doing that, at any rate, I need to get out of here.' As the Timberwolves charged, Sarah quickly flew up, causing two of them to collide, but barely.

Sarah got high enough that the wolves couldn't reach her, quickly decided to get out of the forest, so she flew above the treeline, and when she did, she has another problem to deal with, a bunch of wild storm clouds were above the forest, so Sarah quickly flew in the direction of Ponyville, just trying to make it home in one piece.

A lightning bolt struck and Sarah just barely dodged it, she was lucky to have made it out of the forest when she looked back. "Ok, never going back in there unless I need too." She said to herself as she flew off.

_____*later that day*______

Applejack went downstairs with a perplexed look on her face, she looked and saw Granny Smith sitting down. "Hey Granny, have you seen Sarah?" She asked.

Granny Smith blinked and looked at Applejack. "Can't say I have, maybe she went for a walk?" She replied shakily.

Applejack decided to just accept the answer and nodded. "Ok." She said before heading out.

As Applejack stepped outside, she sniffed the air and smelled something......burnt? she immediately looked at the barn, thankfully it wasn't on fire, but it was still strange, she then spotted some wood pieces leading to the barn, she raised an eyebrow and walked over to it.

As she walked, Applejack noticed blood started to form along the trail.

When Applejack reached the barn, she heard grunting coming from inside, along with shaky breathing, she carefully peaked inside and saw Sarah resting against a beam of wood, she had some bandages on her fore hooves and was slightly singed around her shoulders.

"Sarah?" She said as she entered the barn.

Sarah didn't respond, instead the mare just continued to have a fit in her sleep.

Applejack slowly approached and knelt down in front of Sarah as she began to mutter. "No, no, no, no." The mare said quietly.

Applejack gently shook Sarah. "Hey, wake up." She said.

Sarah flinched and grunted in response.

Applejack sighed and shook her head. "Only one thing to do." She muttered, she gripped Sarah, and shook her violently. "WAKE UP!" She shouted.

Sarah's eyes shot open and she lunged forward, pinning Applejack to the ground, she growled and looked directly into her sisters eyes with her own maddened gaze. "Sarah!" Applejack shouted.

Sarah stopped and gasped as realization hit her, her eyes calmed down and she quickly got off, she held her head with her left hoof and tried to calm down.

Applejack got up and looked at her sister with a questioning glare. "What was that all about?" She asked.

Sarah took a few deep breaths and sat down, she looked at Applejack and sighed. "I...thought you were Uncle Spud for a moment there." She said.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?....and why would you attack Uncle Spud? we haven't seen him in years." She asked.

Sarah shook her head. "YOU haven't seen him in years, I saw him about a week before I got my wings." She corrected.

Applejack walked up to her sister and sat down. "Tell me." She said firmly.

Sarah looked up at the ceiling in silence. "I don't think I'm ready to talk about it right now." She replied.

______*in her mind, minutes prior Applejack leaving*______

Sarah was now in her mind again, the compass pointing towards the forest, she followed it as instructed. "I just got done bandaging the punctures in my hooves from when I crashed into the fence, and now I'm going back into the forest, lovely." She said.

As she approached, Sarah saw a sign that said 'anger' on the road, she walked past it and into the forest.

The forest hadn't changed from her experience in the real world, but she was sure things would be different, so she kept a close watch on everything she could.

She heard an all too familiar voice. "Anger......it is the source of so much pain, and the very thing that drives the will to fight, and more than often, it causes one to ignore pain." The dark voice said.

Sarah looked around as several dark figures appeared around her. "Your anger gives you strength, it gives you power, it makes you strong." The voice said.

"It also masks your fear, so tell me, can you feel it? can you feel the anger all around you? how it drives us?" The voice asked.

Sarah growled as the shadows approached her. "I can feel it alright, but what you don't know about anger, is that it makes you blind, and if you cannot fight without it, you are weak." She said.

The voice laughed maniacally. "You are right! after all." It then manifested into a physical form In front of Sarah. "You taught that lesson to Hilde, quite clearly." It taunted.

Sarah growled and roared as she charged the shadow, as she threw a kick at it, it vanished, her eyes widened as the rest of the shadows appeared around her and she got thrown to the ground.

Sarah was unable to stand as she was beaten up by the shadows, if she tried to stand, they would punch her back down, and if she tried to kick, they would kick her face, if she tried to guard herself, she would be kicked in the spine.

The voice cackled as Sarah lay there helpless before the shadows. "Ahahahahaha! do you see now!? you cannot defeat us, we are far too strong for you." It continued to laugh as Sarah tried to do something.

Sarah soon had a moment of clarity, she stopped struggling, and she smirked, suddenly, the pain faded, and as she started to chuckle, the darkness faded.

The dark voice screeched in pain as light breached the forest and covered the area. "What is this?" It asked in pain.

Sarah's chuckle, soon turned into all out laughter as she stood herself up, but it wasn't evil or confident, it was just amusement. "How can you laugh at a time like this!?" The voice asked as the light burned it.

Sarah stopped laughing and smiled, she approached the shadow calmly. "Simple, I realized something, no matter what you do to me in here, you can't hurt me, you need me to survive, and you talking about anger?" She said with a roll of the eyes.

"That was just manipulation, you want me to be angry so you have more hold over me." She narrowed her eyes. "My mind is my own, I will piece it back together with or without your interference, so if you don't mind, I have somewhere to be." She closed her eyes as light surrounded her.

"Nooooooo!" The voice screamed as it soon faded into nothingness.

Sarah opened her eyes and she saw that she was back at the archway, she looked down at the compass and saw that it was pointing at the town, she looked back and saw that the forest was much more lively it was far greener, and the trees were no longer twisted, with a smile, she headed for the town.

Sarah soon neared the town and past the sign that said 'insanity.'

She entered the town and notices that it had turned to the afternoon, she looked around and saw that the town was empty, not a soul in streets or inside the homes.

Sarah kept on walking, she felt something strange followed by a tingle in her back, she looked back and saw that her wings were gone and she was smaller, or more accurately, younger.

Sarah soon found her self led into an all too familiar alleyway with a cellar door, she bit her lip and stepped towards it, she opened the door and went down the stairs.

"Why are we coming down here again Sarah?" Hilde's voice said.

"Because, I need to show you something, and nopony else can know about it." Sarah's voice said.

"Well, I don't like this sneaking around, I feel like we're doing something bad......Sarah, why are you grinning?" Hilde's voice, now a bit nervous, said.

Sarah winced as the memory replayed in her mind. "I'm grinning because I can finally show somepony my secret." Her younger self said menacingly.

Hilde backed up into some boxes, as was evident by the banging. "Sarah, come on, knock it off, your creeping me out." She said.

Sarah let a tear out as she heard the next part. "Oh calm down, it's nothing to be nervous about, after all, you won't be able to feel anything, soon." She was very quiet for the last part.

Hilde was soon backed into a corner as Sarah approached. "Please stop." She said.

Sarah grinned madly. "Aw, and here I thought you would enjoy this, oh well." She pulled out a large kitchen knife.

In a panic, Hilde threw a punch and smacked Sarah away.

Sarah fell to the ground and let a content sigh out as she soon growled upon hearing a step on stairs, she quickly got up and rushed to the stairs and forced Hilde down, causing the filly to fall down the stairs, she then hit her head on the floor and fell unconscious.

Sarah grinned as she dragged Hilde away from the steps. "Now the fun really begins." She chuckled to herself.

Eventually, Hilde woke up and found herself roped to a wall, her left hoof was trapped, but the rest were free.

Sarah walked up to Hilde and held the knife against the fillies fur. "No more running this time, ok?" She asked quietly.

Hilde didn't answer, instead she just tried to free herself.

Sarah smacked Hilde on the face and tilted her head. "Now then, I wonder how much pain it takes to knock somepony out, let's find out eh Hilde?" She then pinned Hilde's head and right hoof and slowly cut into the fillies arm.

Hilde went to scream in pain, but Sarah quickly shoved a cloth in her mouth and tied it behind her head to muffle her. "You know, I should thank you for teaching me how to tie a knot, it makes keeping you quiet so much easier." She said.

Sarah then licked the blade and made a disturbing soft moan. "Mm.....it tastes so, good." She said as she continued to slowly cut Hilde's flesh.

Hilde tried to scream, but it was muffled heavily.

Sarah grabbed Hilde's head and forced the filly to look her in the eye. "Well go on, don't hold back on my account, please, let me hear you scream like the bitch you are!" She said as she plunged her knife into Hilde's stomach.

Hilde screamed as loud as she could, praying that somepony would come to save her.

Sarah pulled the blade out and licked blood off of it, she smiled at the taste and looked at Hilde, who was crying heavily. "Aw, such a cute face." She held Hilde's head by the side. "It's such a shame that you couldn't enjoy my game, you would have been fantastic at it." She said as she stood and walked away, cleaning the blade off on her fur, even accidentally cutting herself on the leg.

At that precise moment, Hilde managed to free herself from her bindings remove the cloth and run.

But Sarah simply grinned madly as she tackled Hilde, the filly struggled in vain under the stronger Sarah, who simply made multiple shallow cuts all over Hilde.

Hilde screamed in pain as she tried to force Sarah off, but the crazy filly simply tilted her head as she spoke, her expression turning to frustration. "Stop squirming! It makes it hard to kill you!" She then there her dagger down, it struck right through bone and dislocated Hilde's right arm, causing the girl to scream even more.

Sarah's soon calmed down and placed her hoof over Hilde's mouth, silencing her. "Shh.....don't want anypony thinking you were in danger would we? at best, they probably think you saw a spider or something." She then grabbed the cloth from earlier with her other hoof as she hadn't removed the knife, she quickly placed the cloth back into Hilde's mouth and grinned. "You see, not so bad now was it?" She retrieved her knife and licked the blade slowly, savoring the taste of blood.

Sarah sighed sadly and looked down with a pout at Hilde. "Ah well, all good things have to end, I would ask you to tell me what this feels like, but your beautiful eyes tell it all." She leaned down and grinned. "It's time to sleep Hilde, sweet dreams." She said as she plunged her knife into Hilde's heart.

It wasn't long until Hilde fell over limp, Sarah removed the gag and her knife, she cleaned it off on her fur and dropped it, she heard the cellar door open and she turned around to see Uncle Spud. "Hi Uncle Spud, hey Mom, Hilde just went to sleep after helping me out." She said with a grin.

Sarah flinched as she turned away, no longer willing to see these memories.

The world changed to the lab, and Sarah changed to her younger self, she saw the familiar red stain on the bars of her cell and she immediately recognized the year.

She was her fourteen year old self, she watched as her younger self was in the corner quietly, then again, she didn't have a choice, a 'psychotic' patient, like herself, was either under sedation, or under so many drugs that made them weak and unfocused.

Sarah soon heard screams and thuds outside the cell, she watched as her younger self looked up slowly with eyes that were glassed over.

Sarah heard steps nearing the cell, and she watched as a familiar face revealed itself.

"Well well well, look who it is, the freak itself." Said the familiar voice of Uncle Spud.

Sarah's younger self looked up and at Spud. "W.....w...ho....how, w.....why." She barely spoke.

Spud hit a switch and the cell door opened, and he entered. "I'm here to avenge my daughter." He said calmly.

Sarah's younger self blinked. "Daughter.....daughter, daughter, daughter." She repeated over and over.

Spud approached and produced a knife. "Remember this?....the same one you used on my wife and daughter, I think they will rest well." He then looked at Sarah with a stern gaze. "Knowing that you are dead." He walked closer.

"Wife? Daughter? Wife? Daughter?" Sarah repeated.

Spud threw Sarah flat on the ground and raised his knife. "Just die." He said as he threw the knife down.

Sarah's younger self soon became lively, as she caught Spud's arm, her expression changed to a grim one. "Just die?.......no no no no no, it isn't that easy." She managed to force him off with a quick kick to the groin.

Sarah's younger self was still under the effects of drugs, but what wasn't known, was that in an earlier struggle with a doctor who was trying to administer her drugs, she managed to A. Sedate him, and B, inject just enough drugs into herself, so that she had enough drugs in her system to keep her quiet, just like 'the lab' liked her.

Sarah could not feel pain, but she could move, even with the distraction of the drugs in her system.

She lunged at Spud, who quickly stabbed her in the side with the knife, she headbutted him and he staggered back, she removed the knife from her flesh, she grinned and looked at Spud. "Oh, I've missed this baby." She said as she licked the blood off the knife.

"Now then, let's finish this." She said.

Spud charged at her in a blind rage and received a kitchen knife to the eye for his trouble.

Sarah was still pinned under the much larger and stronger stallion, but she had an idea, as Spud went to punch her in the face, Sarah threw the dagger up at him, it landed right in his jaw, but he was still alive.

Spud cried in pain as a knife soon found itself embedded in his heart, he gasped and clutched at Sarah's arm uselessly, her eyes betrayed no emotion, but he saw the confidence in her eyes, the same insanity, he raised his hoof, and in one last effort, punched Sarah in the face.

Sarah watched as her younger self simply threw the now dead stallion off her, she cleaned the blade on her fur and walked right out of the cell. "Time for a jailbreak." She said to herself.

Sarah watched as the world around her changed, she was back at the archway, and she sighed. "It isn't over." She said.

"Your right, it isn't." Said a voice.

Sarah looked and saw the copy of herself, complete with black eyes with green pupils. "After all, you haven't had a revelation yet." The copy said.

"Yes I have." Sarah said as she looked at the town. "I realized that no matter what I do, I can't change what I did, all I can do is accept it, accept that the insanity is part of who I am, it made me who I am." She looked at the copy. "I don't like it, but I can accept that the same insanity that took over, will always be around, but I can face it, and I can win." Sarah said.

Her copy grinned and its eyes were now normal with dark green irises. "Good on you." It said before vanishing.

The town then changed, it's lights were on, and the sound of townsponies could be heard in the distance.

Sarah smiled to herself as she looked at the asylum. "I'm ready for you." She said.

But before Sarah could walk forward, she felt a familiar tug, she sighed. "Next time I'm here, this ends." She said.

______*in the real world.*_______

Applejack sighed and stood up. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, but when your ready, I'll be here." She said.

Sarah nodded and stood up. "Thanks AJ." She said before walking off.

Applejack watched as her sister left the barn. "What's gotten into her?" She thought as she started walking.

After a while, out in the fields, as Sarah worked, she thought on what to do next, was going to end this entire problem with her mind, but she wasn't sure about things afterwards.

So as Sarah worked, she put more thought into her future, and the more she did, the more she found herself......disappointed. 'Am I really content to just live my life on this farm?' She asked herself.

Sarah was now pacing herself, taking her time as she worked on the trees. 'I mean yea, I'm happy here, but will I be content forever?' She wondered.

Eventually, the sun came down and Sarah headed back for the house, but as she did so, she heard something flying up, she looked and chuckled. "Hey Dash, how have you been?" She asked.

Rainbow was clearly exhausted, she was sweating heavily and her legs wobbled when she landed, she was breathing heavily. "I, am good, just exhausted." She said.

Sarah raised an eyebrow and then her nose wriggled at the smell. "Phew, Dash, when was the last time you showered?, and you can stop forcing yourself to stand, I don't care." She asked.

Dash bowed. "Thank you!" She stated, before she groaned and fell backwards, sighing as she rested on the soft dirt. "I shower daily thank you." She replied.

Sarah sat down next to Dash. "Then why do you smell like a sewer?" She asked.

"I never said I ALWAYS shower in the morning." Dash replied.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Heh, so if you don't mind me asking, how is your marefriend?" She teased.

Dash laughed quietly. "How do you think I'm exhausted?" She countered.

Sarah laughed a little at the joke. "You are one strange mare Rainbow Dash." She said.

Dash looked at Sarah. "So are you." She countered.

Sarah shrugged. "Got me there." She admitted.

The two simply stayed there for a little until Dash spoke up. "Hey Sarah, mind if I ask you something?.....as a friend?" She asked.

Sarah raised an eyebrow as Dash sat up. "You consider a lunatic such as myself a friend?" She asked.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Yea, i mean, we had a very bad start, but I think so." She replied.

Sarah looked up at the sky. "What's your question?" She asked.

Rainbow looked at Sarah with a serious expression. "Don't take this the wrong way, but uh......why come back?" She asked.

Sarah looked at Dash curiously. "What?" She said.

Rainbow facehoofed and sighed. "I knew that was a dumb question." She then took a breath. "I was talking with Applejack, and I know that you were in jail." She admitted.

Sarah blinked, that was new. "Oh, well I mean, yea, but what does that have to do with anything?" She asked.

"Oh to heck with tact, I'm just going to say it, why did you choose to come back to Ponyville, you could have gone anywhere, but you chose to come back here." She asked.

Sarah chuckled and looked at the house. "Believe it or not Rainbow Dash, I'm not sure, this place has lots of good memories, and some terrible ones as well, but this place......its home, as cheesy as it sounds." She said.

Rainbow nodded in understanding. "I can respect that." She said.

Sarah looked at Dash. "What about you?.....get bored of Cloudsdale?" She asked.

Dash nodded. "Yea, I guess I wanted to have more time to myself when I practiced my flying.....also I uh." She paused as she shuddered very slightly, which Sarah was curious about. "I kinda wanted to avoid the drama back home, brother vanished, parents throwing barbs at Everypony, not exactly a pretty picture." She said.

Sarah looked at Dash curiously. "You have a brother?" She asked.

Dash shrugged. "Well.....we aren't related, we just consider each other brother and sister, besides, he uh......he doesn't talk to me much anymore." She replied.

Sarah looked at the sky. "What's his name?" She asked.

"Storm, red fur, messed up mane and tail colors, mismatched eyes, kind of insane." Rainbow said.

Sarah blinked and looked at the ground. "Huh......then I've met him already." She said.

Rainbow looked at Sarah. "I would be careful around him, I don't want to be rude, but he isn't exactly sane." She replied catiously.

Sarah nodded. "Yea, but neither am I." She said.

"I'm serious, he gives ME the creeps, just, keep an eye out." Rainbow said.

Rainbow sat up. "So uh, can I ask you something a little personal?" She asked.

Sarah shrugged. "Eh, go ahead, I don't mind." She said.

"What do you think about that changeling invasion a while back?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Sarah chuckled. "I wasn't there, all I know is what was said by the media, that Changeling's were viscous monsters that feed off your emotions and can take your place in society, personally?.....unless I see some proof that they are mindless, I'm keeping an open mind." She said.

Rainbow sighed in relief. "Why do you ask?" Sarah said.

Rainbow's heart skipped a beat. "Uh.....no reason, just curious." She replied with a fake smile.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Rainbow, are YOU a Changeling?" She asked.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. "Now your being ridiculous." She stated.

Sarah crossed her arms and grinned. "Rainbow.......are you in love with a changeling?" She teased.

Rainbow's left eye twitched and her heart raced. "Uhhh........" She trailed off.

Sarah tried to stifle a laugh, but it didn't work, she fell to the ground and laughed happily.

Rainbow tried to be angry at Sarah just then.......but she couldn't, instead, she just sighed and looked away with a blush.

When Sarah eventually got control of herself and stopped laughing, she listened as Rainbow talked. "What's funny about this?" She asked.

"Your face." Sarah said easily. "When I asked that second question, it looked like you were in an embarrassing situation, your face was priceless." She said.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Shut up!" She said.

Sarah calmed herself down and and smiled. "So uh.....Minutte's a Changeling huh?" She asked quietly.

Rainbow looked at the dirt. "Yes." She answered.

Sarah grinned and leaned in. "How is she in bed?.....especially with the ability to shapeshift, that must get VERY fun." She said.

Rainbow's eyes widened and she tackled Sarah before she could continue. "Shut up!" She demanded as she held her hoof over Sarah's mouth while blushing out of embarrassment.

Sarah didn't even mind, she just tapped Rainbow's hoof, the Pegasus reluctantly removed her hoof and saw Sarah's goofy grin. "I will take that as a yes." She said.

Rainbow groaned and got up. "We don't do that stuff thank you very much!" She protested.

Sarah stood up and whispered in Rainbow's ear. "But you were thinking it!" She said in a sing song voice.

Rainbow simply looked at Sarah. "And what about you?....do you have anypony that catches your eye?" She asked.

Sarah sighed and walked next to Rainbow Dash as they headed for the house. "Not anymore, we sorta.....had a bad breakup." She said.

Rainbow blinked. "Oh, that sucks." She said.

Sarah nodded. "Yea it does, but hey, maybe I'll meet someone one day." She said hopefully.

Rainbow patted Sarah on the shoulder. "I'm positive you will, but hey, even if you don't, you have good friends to hang out with." She said.

Sarah chuckled. "Oh yea, don't I know it." She then stopped at the porch. "You know Dash, I don't know if you know about this lesson." She said.

Rainbow groaned. "I do not need another lesson to add to my training regimen." She said.

"Oh no, it's not a physical one, it's a pretty simple one actually." Sarah said.

Rainbow raised her eyebrow. "What then?" She asked.

Sarah's face fell slightly. "Don't let your hopes go too high, the higher your hope, the more it hurts if you lose it." She said.

Rainbow paused to reflect on this. "You never know Sarah, i may get into the Wonderbolts, and you may find love one day, so let's just agree to support the other?" She suggested.

Sarah smiled. "Agreed, see you around Dash." She said.

Rainbow nodded. "See you." She then flew up, and then away.

Sarah opened the door and entered the house.

_____*that night, Sarah's room, 12:10 PM*______

Sarah sat on her bed looking out to the stars, she smiled as she closed her eyes, she looked to her nightstand, she sighed as she remember tossing her amulet into a stream, and watched as it was carried away.

While she didn't like doing so, she knew that it's meaning was gone now, and decided that it was better than keeping it as a reminder.

Sarah soon laid down under the covers and closed her eyes. 'Lets finish this' She said to herself.

_____*Sarah's dreamscape*______

Sarah looked around, the town was busy, the forest was alive, the farm was peaceful, and the asylum stood tall, she looked down and saw that the compass was pointed directly at the asylum, she took a breath and walked towards 'Fear'

She soon reached it and entered through its front doors.

Sarah looked around the room she was in, it was a lobby of some kind, but she knew better, she began wandering the halls of the asylum, she heard something thud, and all of the lights went out.

Sarah looked around frantically, she couldn't see anything in the pitch black hallway.

"Well well, welcome to Fear, how may I help you?" A voice asked creepily.

"How about turning the lights back on?" Sarah asked.

"Oh I can't do that!.....you see, we seem to have a.....power outage, so we use go without lights for a while, that isn't a problem is it?" The voice asked.

Sarah continued walking, using her hoof along the walls to help guide her. "It's no problem." She replied calmly.

"Oh good!" The voice said creepily. "I was afraid you were scared of the dark, that should make communication easy.....well, easier." It added.

Sarah rounded a corner and rammed a wall, she grumbled and turned around. "I don't suppose you have a light source." She wondered.

"Oh I do! but I am afraid that they are broken, I do have night vision though!" The voice said cheerfully.

Sarah sighed. "Good for you." She muttered.

"What was that sound?" The voice asked as a loud rumbling shook the building, followed by a loud screech. "What was that?" It asked fearfully.

Sarah tried to find a source of light, but found nothing, sighing, she continued walking, eventually finding a room.

She opened the door after finding it, she soon found herself with a small flame, curtesy of a match.

Sarah grabbed the match and lit a nearby lantern. "Okay, now that I have this." She muttered.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" The voice screamed in pain.

Sarah looked around as the voice reverberated throughout the building, she then took a look around the room she was in, it seemed to be full of cabinets and shelves, and one table in the center, Sarah's ears perked up as she heard movement outside the room.

Sarah's eyes widened, she looked around and quickly hid in a nearby footlocker and shut the lid, thankfully there was a hole that allowed her to see outside.

With the lantern still illuminating the room she was still a little calm, Sarah then saw the door burst open, she slowed her breathing as something entered the room.

She saw the figure that entered soon after, it was short, bipedal and had a massive mace in place of an arm, Sarah felt fear take hold as it glanced at her......it then walked out of the room.

Sarah waited until she could no longer hear it moving, she quietly exited the footlocker and sighed in relief, she carefully looked out the door and in both directions.

Sarah took the lantern and walked the halls, she soon found a room and entered it.

Sarah immediately regretted entering the room, it was the drug storage room, she felt the memories return and she struggled to fight them off, she remembered the fear that she felt when the doctors first gave her an injection, she could feel it return to her, she quickly decided to leave, she looked down the hallway to her right, seeing nothing, she looked down the left hallway, only for her to be grabbed from behind and feel a sharp pain in her arm. "What in the hell!?" She shouted.

Sarah tried to struggle, but she soon felt her strength leave her and her eyelids grew heavy, she found herself slipping into unconsciousness. "If you stopped fighting us, we wouldn't need to do this." Said a quiet female voice.

Sarah went limp as she fell asleep.

_____*a little later*_____

Sarah was unable to move, she felt no pain, no fear, no anger, just pure ecstasy, she slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was in a bed inside a white room with no windows and a door, as well as a small sign that said 'pleasure'

Sarah managed to move her head and saw that her arms and legs were bound together, her wings were missing once again, but right now, she didn't care.

Sarah felt a small tickle on her back and she moaned in pleasure as the new drug took effect, she looked and saw a pink furred Pegasus mare with white hair and bright blue eyes. "Enjoying yourself?" She asked with a quiet voice.

Sarah moaned softly as she closed her eyes. "Mmmmm......" She opened her eyes as the mare sat down and looked her, her kind eyes making Sarah giggle. "Sleepy times means amazing times." She said.

The mare softly stroked Sarah's mane and smiled. "Your cute when your like this." She said softly.

Sarah giggled as she looked at the bright colors entering the rooms. "So many pretty colors." She said goofily,

The mare got off the bed and walked over to the door, she opened it and looked at Sarah. "I need to go, you enjoy yourself.....I'll be back later." She said with a smile.

Sarah simply admired the colors that were dancing around the room, she tried to eat a particular glob of blue, but she simply missed as the drug worked through her system.

Sarah giggled as a pair of flying monkeys play fought, like a pair of clowns, but just before they got to the climax, she felt another wave hit her, she moaned quietly.

"Forget why you are here?" Asked a calm voice.

Sarah rolled over and giggled. "He he he.....you look just like me." She said happily.

Her copy rolled it's eyes and its coat color changed to gray. "Aren't you forgetting something?" It asked.

Sarah closed her eyes and rolled over again. "Na.....I like this place, it feels amazing." She said.

Her copy sat down. "That would be the drugs." It answered.

"I don't know what's in it, but me likey." She said happily.

Her copy rolled Sarah over and undid the rope. "Come on damnit, you need to get up!" It said.

Sarah pouted. "But what if the cute girl comes back?" She complained.

Her copy sighed. "I can't believe I'm going to say this....Sarah, I'll help you see her again if you cooperate with me." It replied.

Sarah smiled. "Ok." She said simply, forcing herself to sit up, she still felt the effects from the drugs, but she was willing to risk getting up. "Ok, let's go." She said.

Her copy helped Sarah up and started to carry her to the door.

When they reached the door, Sarah eagerly opened it, and the two stepped outside.

_____*Fear*______

Sarah shook her head as her copy carried her. "What the hell happened?" She asked.

The copy grunted as it allowed Sarah to stand on her own. "Fear happened, it may be a master of making you scared, but the entity itself was afraid that you would conquer it, so it sent you to Pleasure." It explained.

"I hope I don't have to deal with that." She said.

Her copy paused and looked at Sarah. "You loved it didn't you?" It asked as it returned to its previous form.

Sarah nodded. "Very much, yes." She admitted.

Her copy handed Sarah the lantern. "Let's just get out of here, I don't want to be here longer than we have to be." It said.

The two looked around the now lit up hallways. "I guess Fear is done with the scared of the dark aspect." The copy said.

Sarah set the lantern down. "Then let's get going." She said.

They began walking, and as they walked, the copy looked at Sarah. "Do you even know where you are going?" It asked.

Sarah nodded. "Fear is taking us to the place I fear above all else, why else would it take away my wings?" She replied.

"The operating room." The copy said.

They opened a double door, and they entered a room that Sarah was and wasn't familiar with.

Sarah looked around and saw that her copy was gone. "Thanks a lot." She said.

Sarah started to walk around, she saw the operating table she was strapped too years ago, and she saw that there were plenty of surgical tools.

Sarah winced as she remembered a small portion of the operation.

"Remembering is only half the fun!" Said a creepy voice.

Sarah looked around frantically. "What? do you see me?" The voice asked.

"Come out and face me you coward." Sarah said.

The voice whistled. "Tsk tsk tsk, Sarah Sarah, don't you know better?......I'm Fear, I play tricks on the mind to make you scared.....but sometimes." The voice stopped.

Sarah turned around and was soon being grabbed, she started to fight back but her arms were quickly pinned and a rubber mask came into her view, her eyes widened. "The best fear, is fear the victim knows all too well!" Fear laughed. "No! No! No!" She tried in vain as the mask was placed on her face, and fumes filled her nostrils, her struggling lessened and she was soon on the verge on unconsciousness.

The mask was removed and Sarah now found herself being carried, she was placed on the operating table and she was soon strapped to it.

Sarah watched as a white unicorn mare with white hair and bright blue eyes showed up in her vision, she smiled and moved a bunch of surgical tools over. "You know, I'm happy with the body your subconscious chose for me, I think even you like it." Fear said as it grabbed a syringe and placed it by Sarah's fur.

With a small smile, it injected Sarah with the serum and Sarah was now fully awake, but her limbs felt incredibly weak, her eyes widened. "Aw, don't be such a baby, after all, you felt far worse in the real world, with far worse after effects, besides, if you scream for me, I'll be happy, and if I'm happy, some part of YOU is happy." It explained.

Sarah looked at Fear as it grabbed various surgical tools. "Hey think about it, you are finally playing surgion." It consoled as it took a scalpel and neared Sarah's sides. "Do you think this scares me?" Sarah asked.

Fear paused and looked at Sarah. "Hmm?" It asked.

Sarah grinned. "I think I've proven myself to be brave in front of you by now." She said.

Fear smiled and leaned on the operating table. "Oh?....spill, details." It said.

"For one, you need me strapped down to keep me from moving, either that or drugs, if you were so superior to me, you wouldn't need anything to stop me." She said.

Fear smiled and rested her head on Sarah's chest. "Oh I like your voice, very soothing, but your right, i can't defeat you without some kind of assistance, but it's still fun to do!" She said eagerly.

Sarah smirked. "And you know something......I don't think your Fear." She said.

Fear pouted and produced a cloth, which it then used to gag Sarah. "Bored now, hey!" It then beamed. "Let's see how much fun I can have playing surgeon!" It said.

Sarah felt the scalpel pierce her flesh, but what was odd about it.....was that she didn't feel pain, in fact, she heard.....sobbing?

Sarah looked and saw Fear sobbing on the table, curious Sarah mumbled some words. "Mrm mmh mmgm?" She said.

Fear wiped its eyes and removed the cloth, it looked Sarah in the eyes. "I'm not okay....but your wrong, I AM Fear, but......." It trailed off and rested its head on Sarah as it cried softly. "I.....I don't want to vanish, im not evil, not like the others, fear isn't always a bad thing......i..I...it lets you know how to conquer a flaw, it lets you know when your in over your head, no wait, that's common sense." It looked at Sarah and breathed. "I mean, I'm too scared to even lift a scalpel, I couldn't face you so I sent Pleasure after you.....not that you minded." It then chuckled.

"I guess I'm just good for being a nuisance." It said as the straps vanished as Sarah was back to normal.

They were then sent to the archway, Fear still silent as they arrived, Sarah sighed and walked up to Fear. "You know, a wise man once said, there is no shame in fear......you don't need to disappear you know." She said as they both sat down.

Fear laughed quietly. "That means a lot, but I kind of need to go, you know?.....to keep the visions away." It said.

Sarah patted Fear's shoulder. "You know Fear, you aren't causing the visions, I think my own refusal to see the truth was the cause of it all, as far as I'm concerned, you can stay." She said.

Fear smiled a little rested her head on Sarah's shoulder. "That.....is very brave Sarah, thanks, I should probably remodel the place, I guess an asylum isn't very welcoming to the dreamscape." It said before closing its eyes.

A bright light shined, blinding Sarah, when she could finally see, the asylum was gone, replaced by a long beach and beautiful waters.

Sarah looked and saw that Fear had fallen asleep on a bench that wasn't there before, she smiled. "Good night you little shit." She walked to the archway and looked down, the compass had been replaced by a map, with the beach on one side, the farm on the other, the town and forest were on the others.

Sarah smiled and walked over to the bench, she sat down and rubbed Fear's mane, it was strangely calming, she saw a smile appear on the sleeping mares face, and she chuckled.

"It'll be nice to have someone to talk with, even if for a short while, ah well, time to wake up." She muttered.

______*the next morning.*______

Sarah opened her eyes as an annoying rooster sounded the wake up call, she groaned and forced herself out of bed. "I hate that bird." She muttered.

As Sarah exited her room, she noticed that the bathroom was already occupied, she sighed and headed downstairs, even though she had a bad case of bed hair, it wasn't that bad, she just needed something to wake her up, usually it was cold water, but she would have to settle for food.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Applejack helping Granny Smith, and Big Mac just headed outside. 'Alright, so when Apple Bloom is out of the shower, I'll go in and clean up.' She said to herself.

"Hey Sarah, you got bad enough bed hair?" Applejack teased.

Sarah rolled her eyes and walked back upstairs. "Whatever." She replied, knowing better than to encourage Applejack's teasing.

As Sarah entered her room, she sat down in the chair and plucked at her guitar strings, soon falling in rhythm with an old song that her mother used to play, she didn't remember the words, but she could remember the music.

Soon enough, she heard the bathroom door open, she set her guitar aside and she heard a chuckle, Sarah blinked and looked at her bed where the chuckle came from.

She saw someone that she.....wasn't expecting. "Copy?" She asked quietly.

Her copy shrugged. "Actually, the name would be Memory, but sure, Copy works." It said.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Why am I seeing you?" She asked.

Memory looked out the window. "Perhaps you want too?.....I don't know, or, it may be the fact that the visions aren't over.....after all, we still haven't come to terms." It replied.

Sarah motioned to the door and she walked to the bathroom.

After entering the bathroom and closing it, Sarah spoke. "What do you mean?...I thought we didn't have a problem." She said.

Memory shook its head. "No, I just prioritized getting rid of the dangerous visions, all I want is for you to allow me to restore the rest of your memories." It said.

Sarah took a breath and turned on the shower. "Look, I don't need this right now, I've got a lot going on already, so just, give me some time, and I'll take the memories, when I am ready." She said.

Memory nodded and vanished.

Sarah groaned, but still got into the shower. 'As if I didn't have enough to deal with.....oh well, at least those damned visions stopped.' She thought as she quietly hummed.

"I like your voice." Said the now familiar voice of Fear.

Sarah paused but continued anyway. "Thanks." She replied. 'I guess this isn't too bad.'

Author's Notes:

Well, that was long, and kinda dark/fucked up in some parts, kinda cheesy near the end, but hey, I can say I like how it turned out, so....yay.

Anyway, Sarah cleared up her brain, mostly, she has pop up people who show up whenever they want too, and she had a moment where she saw pretty colors.

So, while this was refreshing to write, it still took a while, mostly because my god damn iPad refuses to stay charged, if it wasn't for that, this would have been out days ago, anyway! so thanks for reading, and as always.

See You Next Time!

Emotional havoc.

______*a week later, Ponyville, 3:00 PM*______

Applejack walked through the town, she was currently heading towards The Golden Oaks Library, she had something she wanted to discuss with Twilight, as she would probably be the only one who would know what she was asking.

It didn't take long to reach the library, she walked up to the door and opened it, and she watched as Twilight went from book to book out of frustration. "Are you alright?" She asked as she entered and shut the door.

Twilight took a breath and looked at her friend. "Yea, I'm alright, I'm just having problems finding a specific book." She answered with a twitch, her expression then calmed and she stacked all of the books she grabbed into a neat pile. "So, what brings you here?" She asked.

Applejack looked around subtly, or, as subtly as she could. "Is there anypony else here?" She asked.

Twilight shook her head. "Spike is out helping Rarity, it's just me today, why?" She wondered out of curiosity.

Applejack sighed and walked up to Twilight. "I need your help, I think something is wrong with Sarah." She said quietly.

Twilight blinked. "Um, ok, what would you say the symptoms are?" She asked.

"She isn't eating, she's very anxious, she spaces out a lot, and keeps talking to people that aren't there." Applejack replied.

Twilight rubbed her chin thoughtfully and then walked over to the medical books, she grabbed one with her magic and flipped through the pages idly. "Anxiety, hallucinations, boils?....no, wrong one, no desire to eat, loss of focus, anxiety, depression?.....nope." She paced as she continually eliminated illnesses and diseases. "Cannibalization.......no, somepony would have noticed, hallucinations, anxiety, refusal to eat, loss of focus, magical feedback?" She paused at that one, before checking the cause. "Nope." She looked at Applejack.

"I have no idea Applejack." She said.

Applejack paced a little, she then stopped and thought on the situation some before looking at Twilight. "Sarah has two magical cores or whatever they are called.....would that cause problems?" She asked.

Twilight blinked and looked at a different book, she flipped through it quickly, stopping at a particular page. "Here we go!" She stated.

Twilight walked over to the desk and placed the book on it, Applejack walked over. "What does it say?" Applejack asked.

"It's a rare occurrence for one to have two magical cores in this day and age, and it is widely believed that it cannot happen again, having two magical cores has been known to grant incredible power to those who have this condition, but at a terrible price, particularly on the mind, emotions will be heightened and lessened at random intervals, and the mind will turn against its master continuously." Twilight looked at Applejack. "It says it usually happens when two magical cores are forcefully fused together, and from what you told me, Sarah had one forced into her, so this is very likely." She explained.

Applejack looked at the page for a while then looked at Twilight. "Does it say how to fix it?" She asked hopefully.

Twilight read through the page thoroughly, and eventually looked at Applejack with a sad expression. "It doesn't say, the only thing I can think of would be to remove one of the magical cores, but that would almost certainly cause irreparable damage." She replied as she closed the book and put it back.

Applejack sighed and sat down quietly. "I just want to help her out, she's my sister after all." She chuckled. "This one time, I had fallen into a ditch, and she helped me out of it, only to fall in herself, then I did the exact same thing, we were stuck for hours." She laughed a little at the memory.

Twilight walked over and sat with her friend. "Applejack, I know you mean well, but if Sarah wanted help, she would say something, she doesn't seem to be the type of pony who would put herself through that." She said.

Just as she finished talking, the library door opened and Rainbow Dash ran in. "Hey! you used the door for once!" Twilight said happily.

Rainbow was breathing heavily, sweat was dripping off her brow, and she was panicking. "Guys! we have a problem!" She stated.

Twilight and Applejack stood up as a blue unicorn mare with white hair and pale blue streaks entered the library with an unconscious Sarah in her magical grip. "What happened?" Twilight asked immediately.

Rainbow rubbed her eyes as Minutte set Sarah down and fell to the floor from exhaustion. "We have no clue! we were just outside having some fun until she started feeling down, we decided to come here and visit, you know? we thought maybe it would cheer her up, and then she just collapsed!" Rainbow said in a panic.

Minutte cleared her the throat and looked at Rainbow. "Actually, she asked me to do a spell for her, and as soon as I cast it, she fell down." She said.

Applejack narrowed her eyes at Minutte as her left eye twitched.

Twilight quickly examined Sarah to find a cause for the issue, but she found nothing. "What spell?" Applejack asked angrily.

Minutte stood up slowly. "A small calming spell, all it should have done was relax her a little, I use it all the time but.....this is a first." She said as she wiped her brow and her breathing steadied.

Twilight stood up and picked Sarah up, she carried the unconscious mare over to the nearby couch and set her down. "Alright uh, Minutte go get some water, you and Rainbow need some from the looks of it, I'll try to figure out what the problem is." She said.

Minutte walked off to get some water, leaving Rainbow there to keep an eye on things.

Applejack did not like this at all, first Sarah looked like she was going insane, now she was unconscious because of a spell gone wrong. "This is why I don't put much faith in magic, something always happens." She said as she paced angrily.

Twilight finished with her more thorough examination as Minutte returned with the water. "Thanks." Rainbow said.

"Well, that's strange." Twilight said as she looked at Minutte. "Are you sure you cast the right spell?" She asked.

Minutte blinked, she thought about the spell she cast, and she soon sighed. "Now that I think about it, I may have cast a separation spell instead, they are VERY similar." She replied.

Applejack looked at Minutte. "What?" She asked angrily.

Minutte sighed. "Look, it's not like it was intentional, besides, at worst Sarah won't feel anything for a week, at best I got rid of whatever was bugging her, it shouldn't be that bad." She said.

Applejack had a look that could kill, and Minutte seemed oblivious to it.

Rainbow quickly stepped in as Twilight watched it unfold. "Ok look, let's all just calm down alright?" Rainbow said.

Applejack growled as Rainbow looked at her with her hoof reaching out. "Minutte didn't mean any harm AJ." She assured her.

Minute blinked as Rainbow looked at her. "Can you reverse the spell?" She asked.

With a shrug, Minutte looked at Sarah. "Nope." She replied simply.

Twilight watched as the three discussed the situation, Applejack even went so far as to call Rainbow Dash out on defending the one who did this to her sister.

And just before Minutte could retaliate with her own words, a bright flash blinded them all.

Twilight flinched as she raised her hoof to help block the light.

The light soon faded and Twilight was left completely bewildered, as were the others.

Where once there was only one, now there were eight, Applejack was very confused, Minutte cursed under her breath and Rainbow simply blinked. "Well.....that's not normal." She said.

Twilight walked over to one of the Sarah's and knelt down. "Hey, Sarah, you alright?" She asked, still bewildered by the new development.

"Get away from that one!" Shouted one of the eight as it tried to get up weakly. "It's Anger!"

Twilight looked down at the one she had been next to, and gasped as it growled at her and suddenly it's eyes went dark red and its fur became dark brown with black hair. "Back off!" It said as it shoved Twilight to the ground and flew off and through the window sending glass flying.

Minutte and Rainbow Dash avoided the glass, then looked at the others out of confusion and shock, Applejack helped Twilight up and then looked at the remaining......two? "Where did the others go?" Applejack asked.

"They ran out of the library and split up immediately." Said a practical copy of Sarah, but with dark green eyes and black pupils.

Twilight attempted to stay objective. "What did you mean, that's Anger?" She asked.

The copy stretched. "All eight of us are parts of Sarah, the one you got close too was Anger, the sleeping one here is Pleasure, I'm Memory, or Copy as I have been called." It said.

Minutte walked up along with Rainbow. "Ok, so how do we fix this?" She asked.

Memory knelt down to Pleasure. "Well, it's simple, i need to absorb them, some might go willingly, some might, but once we are all together, Sarah will be back." It said.

Rainbow knelt down to the sleeping pink Pegasus mare with white hair, she reached out, only for Memory to stop her. "Trust me, you don't want to touch her." It stated firmly.

"Uh?" Rainbow blinked.

Memory sighed. "If you so much as touch her, you won't let go, trust me on this, don't touch her." It ordered as it let go of Rainbow's hoof.

A soft sigh was heard, and they looked to see two beautiful blue eyes looking at them. "Please do, I won't mind." Pleasure said quietly.

Rainbow gulped and looked at Minutte, she then looked at Pleasure. "Sorry, I'm uh, I have a girl." She said.

Pleasure smiled. "She can join in if she wants?" She offered.

Memory sighed and placed a hoof over the emotions mouth. "Rainbow, please go, Pleasure? I need to absorb you so we can be whole again." It said.

Pleasure removed the hoof and pouted a little. "Already? but I just woke up, tell you what, I'll go willingly if you can bring little Fear back." She said.

Memory stood up. "Deal." It said calmly.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Is it really that hard to absorb them when they aren't willing?" She asked.

Memory shivered. "No, just painful, and it gets worse the more that resist, I would rather not have to deal with more than two at a time." It replied as it looked at Applejack. "We'll get Sarah back, but someone needs to stay here and keep an eye on the ones that we bring back, and attempt to keep them here." It said.

Applejack scoffed. "I'm going with you, if anypony is going to bring my sister back, it'll be me." She said.

Twilight sheepishly shook her head. "I might be needed out there in case they try to fight." She argued.

Rainbow's eyes widened as Minutte patted her shoulder. "You go with them Dashy, they need a fast flyer." She said.

Rainbow chuckled and then narrowed her eyes at Minutte. "You just want to have fun with Pleasure while I'm gone, don't you?" She questioned.

Minutte blinked and then smiled. "Yes." She replied.

Rainbow sighed. "You are pathetic." She said.

Minutte looked at the door and saw that it was already shut, leaving them alone. "And, we are alone." She said.

Rainbow looked at the door and growled. "Oh how I wish I could strangle Sarah right now for leaving us behind!" She shouted angrily.

Minutte rolled her eyes, she looked over at Pleasure.....and saw that she was gone. "That's not good." She said.

All of a sudden, Minutte was grabbed by a pink hoof, as was Rainbow Dash. "So, what do you guys want to do first?" Pleasure asked with a smile.

______*outside*______

Memory walked with Twilight and Applejack. "Well......we have officially lost Rainbow Dash and Minutte to Pleasure, let's just hope she lets them go before we are done." It said.

Twilight looked at Memory. "Can you see what they are doing?" She asked.

Memory shook its head. "Not really, i just hold the memories, but I can use that to help us find the others." It replied.

Applejack looked at Memory. "So, who are we looking for?" She asked.

Memory looked around, and then led the group to the center of town. "Joy, Fear, Insanity, Anger, Guilt, Love." It replied simply.

Twilight and Applejack followed Memory as they reached what appeared to be a.....dance party? "Is that Pinkie?......who is she dancing with?" She asked.

"That.....would be Joy." Memory said as it walked up.

Joy was bright blue with matching shoulder length hair, her eyes were pink and she had a big smile on her face.

Applejack raised an eyebrow at the confusing situation. "So uh, what do we do?" She asked.

Joy apparently noticed them and appeared by them at a moments notice. "Hey girls!" She said happily. "Come on, join us! Let loose!" She said.

Memory sighed. "Joy, we have been over this, I don't dance, you know that." It replied.

Joy grabbed Memory and began to drag it off, happily humming. "Doesn't matter, come on!" She said, completely oblivious to what Memory said.

Twilight blinked as Memory was dragged off with an annoyed expression. "I'm going to guess that happens a lot." Twilight said.

Applejack growled. "That airhead is very selfish, she's keeping my sister from being free!" She complained as she marched off to find Memory.

Twilight sighed, she looked out to the dancing ponies as saw something odd, a unicorn mare with white fur and hair was hiding behind a bush, watching everypony dance, and seemed to be enjoying it, but wasn't dancing with them, Twilight decided to walk over to see what was wrong.

As Twilight approached, the mare saw her and jumped, she hid on the other side of the bush. "Are you alright?" Twilight asked.

The mare didn't say anything.

"How come you aren't joining the others?" Twilight asked quietly.

"I um.....I, I don't want to be seen." The mare said timidly.

Twilight thought for a moment, she smiled and slowly approached. "Your Fear aren't you?" She asked.

The mare soon peaked out and looked at Twilight. "Yea.......that's me." She replied, her bright blue eyes showing surprise, until a long strand of hair got in front of the eye.

Twilight stopped approaching. "You come here with Joy?" She asked.

Fear shook her head. "No, I uh, I followed her......she just has a way of making others happy, I like that about her." She replied.

Twilight knelt down. "Pleasure asked us to find you and bring you back, but something tells me you aren't ready." She said.

Fear nodded. "Yea......I want to enjoy the real world for a while, I mean, not forever, but just a while." She replied.

Twilight chuckled. "Well, I can tell you this, you won't get to enjoy it when you hide from it." She said.

Fear shivered. "I know, but um, I haven't been able to move from this spot since I got here." She replied.

Twilight held a hoof out. "Here, let me help you." She offered.

Fear blinked, she looked at Twilight's eyes and saw the good intent in them, she shivered and very slowly, she came out of hiding and looked at Twilight. "Maybe if we just walk together?" She suggested.

Twilight stood up and nodded. "Sure." She said.

_____*meanwhile*______

Memory watched as Joy happily moved around town, completely carefree. "Joy, listen, we need to fuse and get Sarah back together." It said.

Joy appeared in front of Memory. "And we will! as soon as YOU loosen up!" She said adamantly.

Memory sighed as it glanced at Applejack, who was fuming at the seems. "Applejack, I know you are upset, but please stay calm, Joy will come around soon." Memory said.

Joy then appeared right in front of Memory and stared deeply into its eyes. "I am not falling for that trick again Memory, and I will not be going back until you stop being a stuck up party pooper!" She shouted before walking away.

Memory closed its eyes. "Joy, you do realize I can forcibly absorb you, right?" It asked.

Joy stopped moving, and for once, she looked at Memory with angry eyes. "Memory, you say Insanity Is the worst one of us, when it's actually you, all we want is to be free to do our own things, but you always ruin our fun, I was hoping Anger would say this to you, but I will say it anyway......your a bitch." Just after Joy spoke, she vanished, nowhere to be seen.

Memory sighed. "We will need to find her later, right now, we need to find the others." It said before standing up and walking off.

_____*back to Twilight and Fear*_____

Fear felt so much relief once she was out on the streets, she felt the stress and anxiety fade as she walked.

Twilight watched as Fear looked around with curiosity and wonder, she chuckled, Fear was as curious as a filly right now.

Fear and Twilight eventually reached the library. "You sure you want to be alone?" Twilight asked.

Fear smiled. "I'm not alone, I have my best friend in here." She said as she tapped her head and walked up to the tree.

Twilight paused at the words Fear said, she quickly walked up to ask her. "Wait, Fear, do you mean literally?" She asked.

Fear nodded. "Yea, why not?.....she's been talking to me the whole time, and she agrees with you by the way." She said before leaning up against the tree.

Twilight blinked and walked inside, determined to ask Pleasure a question.

Upon entering the library, Twilight was honestly surprised, she saw Rainbow Dash and Minutte sitting together on the couch, with Pleasure walking around holding a mattress and an unfamiliar blanket. "What are you doing?" Twilight asked.

Pleasure grinned. "Well, I'm setting this up so that when you bring the rest over, we can all just relax for a while." She said.

Twilight sighed. "Why don't I believe that?" She asked herself.

Pleasure chuckled. "Because you think I am planning something devious." She replied.

Twilight shook her head and looked at the mare. "I need to ask you something." She said.

Pleasure shrugged. "Ok, what?" She continued setting up the mattress and blankets.

"Do you have Sarah talking in your head?" Twilight asked.

Pleasure sighed. "Fear, please come inside." She said quietly.

Fear entered the library and closed the door. "Thank you."

"You see Twilight, Sarah doesn't trust Memory, and for good reason, that......thing, that lives in our mind, has been trying to get rid of myself, Fear, Joy and even Anger for a long time now." Pleasure explained as she continued working.

Rainbow and Minutte's ears perked up at this. "Why?" Minutte asked.

"To 'save our mind' it claims, but what it wasn't saying, was that it wanted complete control, I don't know what brought out such, hostility......but I will say this." Pleasure looked directly at Twilight. "Memory is the problem, it has been for a long time, ever since Sarah arrived at prison.

Fear laid down on the mattress. "When Sarah arrived at my asylum in our mind, I knew I had to stall, so I recruited Pleasure to help delay her, but Copy arrived, and I was forced to improvise." She said.

The door to the library opened and they all looked, they saw Joy, but she seemed pretty down in the dumps. "Can I stay for a while?" She asked.

Pleasure led Joy to the mattress and got the normally cheerful mare settled. "What did Memory say to you?" She asked as she slowly stroked Joy's mane.

Joy sighed and closed her eyes. "She reminded me just how powerless I was against her." She muttered.

Pleasure looked at Twilight and the others. "Before Memory showed up, things were chaotic, but we all worked together perfectly, or, as well as we could." She said. "Now, it's just us three and Love, Anger won't talk to us, Guilt doesn't even care anymore, and Insanity doesn't have any free reign to have fun, not to mention all the others, they won't even show up anymore." She explained.

Rainbow Dash and Minutte got off the couch. "Well, I think it's time we did our part, but we need an idea of where to look." Minutte said.

Pleasure nodded. "Hmmmm.....I have an idea, Rainbow Dash." She walked over and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Can you make a rain shower over the town?" She asked.

Rainbow nodded. "Yea, I can do that." She said.

Pleasure looked at Fear. "Well then girl, looks like you get to have some fun in the rain after all." She said, making the unicorn smile.

Minutte raised an eyebrow. "How does Fear playing out in the rain help?" She asked.

Pleasure grinned. "You'll see." She replied.

______*outside*______

As Fear played out in the rain, happily humming a catchy tune, Pleasure explained her plan. "You see, Fear has a unique ability amongst us, because of her direct connection to Sarah, she can call all of us together, but she can only do so while it is raining, my plan is to bring all of us together and fuse before Memory returns." She said as she watched Fear.

"But won't Memory hear the message?" Twilight asked.

Pleasure sighed. "Unfortunately yes, which is why Memory has been trying to convince Applejack and the rest of you that we are the problem, I will need you to distract it until we all fuse." She said.

Minutte stepped forward and saw as a strange magic went into the sky and spread out, she looked at Pleasure. "How do you know they will respond?" She asked.

"Considering I'm here? that should be a given." Said a familiar angry voice.

The group watched as Anger walked up with a grumpy expression. "Pleasure, you are lucky I like Fear, or I wouldn't have shown myself." She said as she crossed her hooves and hovered.

Soon enough, the other parts of Sarah's mind came together, Guilt, Love, and even Insanity.

Guilt was an earth pony with purple fur and a dark blue mane and tail, her eyes were also dark green, she just stayed away from everyone else as she hid away.

Love was a Pegasus with tan fur and faded red hair as well as pink eyes, she had a very calm expression as she patted Anger on the shoulder, getting a grumble from the mare.

Insanity was very different, she was pale gray with white hair and white eyes, and a crazed grin that would not go away, pointed teeth that looked like they could puncture, as well as a hungry look in her eye.

Fear soon stopped and looked back at everyone. "Ok, I'm done, so, who's leading this time?" She asked.

Anger raised an eyebrow at Fear. "Is it just me, or did Fear get over her anxiety?" She asked.

"It's not just you." Joy said quietly.

Rainbow walked over with a confused look on her face. "May I ask what she meant by THIS time?" She wondered.

Pleasure chuckled. "Let's just say this isn't the first time Sarah got hit by a separation spell, but last time was much more fun." She replied.

Minutte cleared her throat and stepped into the center of everyone. "Maybe we should just save story time for another day? and get you all fused together before Memory shows up?" She suggested.

Pleasure nodded and looked around, they were all staring at her. "Why are you all looking at me?....I don't have a direct connection, Fear has the link." She said.

Fear felt all of her defenses drop and she suddenly felted overwhelmed as they all looked at her, she blinked and her heart skipped a beat. "Uh....um.....maybe Anger should do it again, she has a very clear connection if my memory serves." She suggested.

Anger shrugged. "I mean, yea, but it's not a very strong link, it's just clear." She argued.

Twilight walked up to Fear and placed a hoof gently on her shoulder, the mare looked up at her. "You'll do fine, ok?....you need to know that you have their support, just like they have yours." Twilight reminded.

Fear took a few breaths, and she soon nodded, she walked up to the others and held her hoof out. "Ok, just like before, put a hoof on mine." She said confidently as she put a hoof forward.

Pleasure and Joy did so immediately, Guilt and Love soon followed, Insanity did so because everyone else did.

And much to everyone else's surprise, every time one of them put their hooves together, they glowed brighter with a specific color, Fear was Teal, Pleasure was Red, Joy was Blue, Love was Yellow, Guilt was Green and Insanity was White.

Which finally left Anger, who hadn't moved. "Anger?" Joy said curiously.

Anger looked at her fellow emotions, she then looked out into the real world. "It's just a shame, you know? every time we get outside, we immediately have to fuse, I'm just sick of it I guess." She said.

Fear reached her other hoof out and smiled. "I understand, but look on the bright side, we won't have Memory to deal with from now on, so come on, let's go home." She said.

Anger sighed, she looked at the others and then at Rainbow Dash. "This is the emotional crap I have to deal with all the time, it SUCKS!" She said as she approached the others. "Ah to heck with it." She said as she reached out.

Just as Anger went to join the others, she was thrown away by a powerful force. "WHOAAAAA!" She screamed as she flew into the library.

"Anger!" Fear quickly rushed inside to check on her friend, the glow disappearing from the others and herself.

Pleasure and the others looked and saw a furious Memory looking at them. "How DARE you try to fuse without me! if it wasn't for me, we would be dead!" It shouted in anger.

Joy growled. "If it wasn't for you, none of those situations would have happened!" She rebuffed.

As the five emotions stood against the one arguing, Rainbow and Minutte watched with anticipation, Twilight however was concerned. "Where's Applejack?" She asked.

Rainbow looked around carefully, but saw no sign of her friend. "I'm going to go find her, you two help how you can." She said before flying off.

_____*inside the library*______

Fear hurried up to Anger and knelt down as she helped her up, Anger had landed on a desk, causing it to break and splinter, she had a few pieces of wood stuck in her. "Anger! Are you alright?" She asked.

Anger growled and looked at Fear, but upon seeing Fear's eyes watering, she calmed down a little. "No, I'm not, but I will be once I beat the crap out of Memory." She said as she slowly stood up and walked to the door, but it was very shaky.

Fear teleported next to Anger and walked next to her. "You aren't strong enough right now Anger, don't try to be a hero here, we can work together to beat Memory." She said as she helped her to walk by supporting her left shoulder.

Anger sighed absently, as though the notion was unwelcome, but honestly?.....she was thankful for it.

Soon however, they exited the library and the situation was not looking good.

______*outside, just a few moments ago.*______

Memory watched as Guilt fled in terror, and as Love tried to calm her down.

Now it was just Joy, Pleasure and Insanity standing up to Memory.

Memory chuckled. "I'm going to give you one chance, surrender, or this may get painful." It threatened.

Insanity cackled as it produced a long kitchen knife. "Painful?.....that's the best part!" She said maniacally before charging wildly at Memory, who didn't have much time to respond.

Memory barely dodged the knife as it almost touched her neck, it then grabbed insanity by the throat and threw her to the ground, it then kicked her in the head, rendering her unconscious. "Stupid." It said flatly.

Memory looked up and saw a magical blast from Minutte, it grinned as the blast went right through its chest. "That won't work you little shit." It said before facing Joy and Pleasure and charging.

Joy wasn't one for combat, she never was, but as Memory charged at her and Pleasure, she felt an unfamiliar energy surge through her, so just as the Copy neared the two, she moved at an incredible speed and slammed into Memory's side as Pleasure took the brunt of the hit.

As Joy recoiled from the hit, Memory had already recovered and was behind the mare in an instant.

Joy's eyes widened and she tried to turn around, but she felt a powerful blow to the back of her neck and she collapsed to the ground.

Memory then turned its attention to Pleasure, who was charging at it angrily.

Memory blinked as Minutte teleported in front of Pleasure and forced her back. "Minutte no!" Pleasure shouted as she went to stand up.

Minutte growled as she turned her gaze on Memory. "I know your game Memory, you can't be harmed by magic unless it's one of the other parts of Sarah's mind, and the only unicorn is Fear, who you aren't afraid of at all." She then grinned. "But you are completely physical right now, so anyone can 'physically' harm you." She noted the barely noticeable frown that appeared on Memory's face.

Memory chuckled. "You are correct, but still, how do you plan to fight something that moves too fast for your eyes to track?" It questioned before vanishing.

Minutte grinned and used her magic, she then threw a punch to her right and Memory recoiled from the strike. "Lucky guess." Memory said.

Minutte rolled her eyes. "I have been wondering something myself, why do you need the other parts of Sarah's mind to be unconscious?" With a smirk she answered her own question. "You can't force them to do so unless they are, otherwise you would have done it already." She said as Memory began a charge.

Memory quickly went to throw a punch at Minutte's side, but the mare was somehow able to see it as she simply kicked her in the face. 'How the hell is she doing that?' It pondered.

Memory then charged once again, but this time it would be different. 'There's no point shifting if she can see it, so I might as well fight head on.'

Minutte was surprised that Memory chose a head on assault, but didn't decide to question it, she blocked the initial punch and went to throw her own, but her hoof went straight through, her eyes widened as Memory vanished and she soon felt a strong punch to her back, throwing her to the ground.

Memory went to punch Minutte, but was tackled by Pleasure. "You insolent bitch!" It shouted before throwing Pleasure off and knocking her out with a quick strike to the back of her neck. "You should know better than to fight me." It said calmly before turning to face Minutte. "I may not know how you can fight on even footing with me, but it doesn't matter now." It said before vanishing.

Minutte looked around, trying to spot Memory, however, she soon heard a scream, she looked and saw that Memory was with Guilt and its hoof was glowing. "Guilt!" She shouted.

Memory laughed as it began to forcefully absorb Guilt, who tried in vain to fight back. "You were right about one thing unicorn!.....I need them to be unconscious, but that only removes the pain!" It then looked at Minutte. "But I can still absorb them." It said before turning its attention to Guilt.

Minutte tried to move, as did Twilight, however, they found their path blocked by an unexpected person. "Applejack?" Twilight said out of confusion.

Applejack looked up at the two unicorns, her eyes were now black and she had a look of rage on her face. "Now you two listen here, those things are keeping me from my sister, and I'm not about to let you keep them around just because you think it ain't fair." She said blankly.

Minutte growled. "Do you like what I've done with her unicorn?" Memory asked smugly. "She sees the truth now, as long as those pesky emotions are running amok, Sarah will never be free!" It said.

Memory grinned as Guilt's struggles began to lessen, but just before it could finish, it was thrown to the ground by a strong punch in the face.

Memory growled and looked at its attacker, it was Anger, and she was pissed. "You have a lot of nerve throwing me into the tree, payback is a bitch." Anger stated as she approached.

Memory noticed that Fear had moved Guilt to a safer spot as it stood. "You really think you can fight me Anger? your the weakest of the whole bunch!" Memory taunted.

Anger growled. "Shut up you piece of trash!" She shouted as she charged blindly.

Memory smirked, and just before Anger reached, it shifted and appeared behind her, much to its surprise however, the moment it appeared, it reappeared in front of Anger, and recieved a blow to the chest as well as a kick to the side from Anger.

When Memory landed, it quickly stood back up and looked at Anger, it noticed a strange teal glow around Anger's hooves, as well as Fear's glowing horn. "I see, you two are actually working together, this may make this a bit more troublesome." It said before charging at Anger.

Anger simply held her ground, waiting for the right moment.

Just as Memory got close enough to Anger to strike, Fear cast a spell, Anger raised her back legs and braced her front, and Memory found itself teleported into the recieving end of a powerful kick, it flew and was soon lodged into the side of the tree.

Anger walked up to Memory who hadn't moved a muscle, she grabbed it by its throat and looked straight into its eyes. "I should kill you, for everything you have done, but no, that's too good for you, maybe I should let Insanity have some fun, or give Sadist a turn, I KNOW she will enjoy it." She said as she leaned in close to whisper. "Or, should I let Joy have her way with you, she's been waiting for a long time to have her fun." She said before punching Memory in the gut. "Oh to heck with it, I'll just kill you, save the others the trouble." She pulled her hoof back and readied herself to end this.

Anger felt a hoof gently grab her own, she blinked and looked back, she saw Fear looking at her with her soft eyes. "There's been enough violence Anger, let it go." She said.

Anger looked at Fear with a surprised expression, she then looked at Memory who was now unconscious, she sighed and released Memory, Fear then let go of her hoof. "Let's just fuse and go home." She said before walking to the others.

Fear nodded and began to follow Anger, she shot a quick glance at Memory and frowned, she lit her horn and fired a large magic blast at the unconscious creature, there was nothing but the tree remaining.

Anger looked at Fear with shock. "I thought you said there was enough violence?" She asked.

Fear nodded. "I did, but I didn't tell you NOT to kill it." She whispered.

Anger grinned. "I think I'm in love." She muttered.

"Don't let her hear you say that, you'll never hear the end of it." Fear joked.

_____*a few hours later*_____

Joy slowly opened her eyes, she saw that they were back inside the library, she was on the mattress next to Pleasure, she groaned and rubbed the back of her head, she carefully made her way off the bed and a few minutes later, she stretched and looked at the couch, she raised an eyebrow at the sight, Fear was laying on the couch with Anger, they were quietly reading a book together. 'Fear getting over her anxiety?.....Anger being QUIET? ugh......the world must be ending.' She thought to herself as she moved around a little

The next one to wake up was Insanity, though she decided that fake sleeping was the best option for whatever reason.

Pleasure woke up next, she made it off the bed and walked over to Joy. "So, how long until those two start to make out?" She asked quietly, pointing at Anger and Fear.

Joy shrugged. "Give or take a week." She replied quietly.

Eventually, when they were all awake, Fear and Anger got up and stood with the others as Twilight and Applejack walked into the room. "So, this is it huh?" She asked.

Love nodded. "Hopefully we can do this again sometime, just under better circumstances." She said.

Anger chuckled. "Agreed." She said with a grin.

Fear rolled her eyes as she put her hoof forward, just like before they all put their own hooves in the circle, leaving Anger for last, Pleasure sighed. "What is it this time Anger?" She asked out of annoyance.

Anger shrugged. "Nothing, I wanted to see your reaction." She said before putting her hoof on Fear's, she glew pink once she did so.

"Your aura is pink?" Joy asked out of Amusement.

Anger growled as they all started to fade. "SHUT THE FUCK UP JOY!" She shouted as they all vanished.

Applejack noticed that Sarah was now unconscious on the floor, she rushed up to her sister. "Sarah! are you alright?" She asked as Sarah didn't respond.

Twilight walked up and sat next to Applejack as she held her sister. "Applejack, she's alright, she just needs some rest." She assured.

Applejack took a few moments to calm down from her slightly panicked state, she then looked at Twilight. "Help me get her on the couch." She said.

The two mares got Sarah on the couch and then sat on the mattress. "Twilight......I'm sorry, for letting Memory get to me like that." She said.

Twilight shook her head and looked at Applejack. "It wasn't your fault Applejack, you were concerned for your sister, there isn't any shame in that, I would be the same way if something happened to Spike or Shining Armor." She replied.

Applejack sighed. "I guess I just trusted Memory, she seemed like the only sensible one of the whole bunch." She said.

"To be fair Applejack, I trusted Memory too." Said a familiar voice.

Twilight and Applejack looked and saw Sarah sitting up on the couch. "Hey sis, you alright?" Applejack asked.

Sarah nodded. "Yea, I feel like I don't have a voice nagging at me telling me to control my emotions anymore." She replied.

"Well..l guess that's good?" Twilight said out of confusion.

Sarah grumbled. "The downside is that I can hear said emotions having a very loud party as we speak, keep it down guys, I have a headache already, I don't need it getting worse." She said quietly.

Applejack and Twilight normally would have been concerned about Sarah talking to herself, but considering what they just went through, they weren't going to question it.

Applejack got off the couch and walked up to Sarah, she reached a hoof out. "Come on, we should get back, Granny and Big Mac are probably worried about us." She said.

Sarah nodded and took Applejack's hoof, she stood up and shook her head. "Good idea, I need some air." She agreed.

Twilight opened the door as they went to leave. "Uh, I'll see you two later." She said, still processing everything that had happened.

______*on the way back*______

Sarah took in the air as she hovered, actually flying for once, she didn't go far from Applejack in fact, she was just flying right behind Applejack as they headed home. "Are you feeling better?......Minutte said you weren't feeling well." Applejack asked.

Sarah nodded. "I'm alright now." She looked up at the sky. "Well, I feel stronger, my mind is more focused, and I don't feel like I have the flu, I should feel better after actually eating and sleeping." She added.

Applejack sighed in relief. "At least it's over." She muttered.

Sarah didn't hear her sister, but as they walked, Sarah was listening to the voices in her head. "But seriously, why is your aura pink?" She heard Joy ask.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Anger screamed at Joy.

Sarah just laughed quietly as her personalities argued. 'Besides it'll be great to mess with those goofballs tonight.' Sarah thought.

"Screw you Sarah." Anger mumbled.

______*that night, 11:58 PM*______

Applejack sighed to herself as she lay in her bed, while she was relieved that Sarah was feeling much better, she was concerned with how things had ended, after all, Fear had killed Memory, which made her worry.

She rolled over as she thought. "Memory was either the actual thing holding Sarah's memories, or it was a dark spirit inside my sister, neither one is very appealing, on one hoof, she is rid of a dark spirit trying to corrupt her, on the other hoof, she might not remember everything, or start to forget things." She sighed as she closed her eyes.

'Only one way to find out.' She told herself before drifting off to sleep.

_____*Sarah's room*_____

Sarah was wide awake in her room, she looked out the window and stared out into the night sky, she was having difficulty sleeping, she was glad to be rid of Copy, after all, it was making her crazy with visions, and it made her sick, but still, she couldn't help but be concerned.

After all, she didn't even know who Twilight was, though Applejack seemed to know her.

Sarah rubbed her eyes and laid down, going for another attempt to sleep. "Hey, you know we're all here for you, if it gets any worse, we will do whatever we can to help, you know that right?" Joy asked with concern.

Sarah smiled. "Yea, I just hope I don't forget anything else." She replied before closing her eyes. "See you soon." Fear said.

Much to Sarah's relief, she was finally able to sleep, and for once, it wasn't filled with visions of blood, or nightmarish creatures, it was......peaceful.

Author's Notes:

That was a bit corny on my part, but I wouldn't change a damn thing, except for errors in grammar.

So yea, Sarah is free of the visions and is home free, but with a bad consequence, she has memory loss, no pun intended.

Also, YES, I know that this may seem like a big Inside Out reference, but it isn't, I actually forgot about that movie while making this, and only remembered it after I put Joy in, oh well.

As always, See You Next Time!

The truth revealed.

______*Sweet Apple Acres, two months later, Saturday, 1:10 PM*_____

Applejack was working hard on the farm, feeding the animals and working on fixing the broken chicken coop, it had broken a few days ago, when a rough storm forced its way through.

As Applejack worked on fixing the coop, she also kept a close watch on Apple Bloom, who was acting strangely as of late, particularly around her.

This behaivor was odd, especially for Apple Bloom, who usually loved spending time with Applejack, but lately, she seemed to be......antsy, while she wasn't avoiding Applejack, she was very nervous whenever they were close.

This had been going on for weeks now, and Applejack was very concerned for her sister, as Apple Bloom had begun to avoid eating.

And when Big Mac took her for her checkup last week, the doctor found absolutely nothing wrong with her, aside from the obvious drop in nutrition, but when he asked Apple Bloom what was wrong, she never answered him, she just seemed to space out.

There was an upside however, Sarah was completely healthy and seemed to be in control now, she also seemed to be back to her old self, which was good and bad.

It was bad because she had her old prankster attitude again, which they had just dealt with before she........killed, Hilde.

But it was good because she was much happier, and much more energetic than she used to be, the only thing that was truly different about her, was the fact that she had wings, and actively talked to her inner personalities.

How Applejack saw it, if it helped her stay calm and helped her cope with everything going on, she was fine with it.

Big Mac however, made his opinion quite clear on that subject, he was NOT happy about it, and insisted that Sarah learn how to deal with reality, without her 'imaginary' friends.

Applejack did agree that Sarah would need to learn to let them go, but she felt that that was best left up to her, not them.

As for Apple Bloom, she never really spoke with Sarah anyway, even when they walk to school, Sarah never tried to start a conversation, so the two were more on a tolerance stage of a relationship.

Applejack smacked a nail into the wall of the chicken coop and sighed, she looked around and saw Big Mac about to leave for the carrot farm. "Hey Big Mac, come on over!" She called out.

Big Mac walked over and waited for Applejack to speak, as he usually did.

"Can you get Sarah to talk with Apple Bloom? maybe she can get through to her." She asked, looking at her brother.

Big Mac nodded and walked off.

Applejack wiped the sweat from her brow and headed to the barn, she needed more nails and hay for the coop.

As she entered the barn, Applejack walked around looking for the nails, as the hay was readily available, she eventually found them and started to walk out when she saw Rarity walking up. 'I hope she isn't here to start a fight.' She thought.

Applejack walked out and approached Rarity. "Howdy! what brings you round here?" She asked.

Rarity looked tired, more so than usual, it was mostly evident in her eyes, she had circles under them that weren't makeup. "Applejack dear, I need your help, I can't find Sweetie Belle, and I've checked everywhere that she prefers to go, but I haven't seen her." She said with a barely any breath.

Applejack was about to speak when she heard running, she looked in the direction of the running and saw Sarah run out from the other side of the barn and run up to them in a panic "AJ......its Apple Bloom, she's hurt!" She said in a frenzied state.

Applejack immediately followed Sarah leaving Rarity behind.

Rarity sighed and started to walk off. "Ugg.....must rest." She then fell to the ground, unconscious.

_____*meanwhile*_____

Sarah led Applejack straight to Apple Bloom, and what they saw was disturbing, Apple Bloom was bleeding from a wound in her left hoof, but she wasn't screaming, just watching it as it dripped.

Apple Bloom was so enthralled by this, she didn't react as Applejack had her put pressure on it and she didn't react as they rushed her home, she didn't even react when her sisters took her to the hospital after discovering that she had a wound in her abdomen.

_____*the hospital, hours after treatment*_____

Sarah waited in the hospital, she had sent Applejack home and had been waiting for a while now, for the doctor to tell her that she could go in.

Eventually the doctor came out and gave her the go ahead, and she entered the room.

Apple Bloom stared blankly at the wall as she lied in bed. "Apple Bloom, are you alright?" Sarah asked.

For once in a while, Apple Bloom turned and looked at Sarah. "No, I am not alright, my arm and my chest have knife wounds and I'm in a hospital." She said blankly.

Sarah walked up and sat next to her. "Apple Bloom.....what's bothering you? really, you didn't react to us at all today, and you've been growing very distant at home, and to be honest, Applejack is very concerned, and so are Big Mac and myself." She asked.

Apple Bloom looked at Sarah. "And how am I supposed to react when the sister you never knew, turns out to be a psychopathic murderer?" She replied.

Sarah stiffened, she felt her heart stop for a few beats and she bit her tongue. "I.......how did you find out?" She asked quietly.

"The mail came one day." Apple Bloom looked away. "My curiosity got the better of me when I saw that one of the letters was open." She looked back at Sarah. "You weren't released from prison, you were let out, weren't you." She said.

Sarah looked behind her and then at Apple Bloom. "I was let out, but you have to understand......that place.....where I was.......it was like Tartarus itself." She replied.

Apple Bloom focused. "Who was it?" She asked firmly.

Sarah looked into Apple Blooms eyes. "I can't tell you." She said.

"Can't?.....or won't." Apple Bloom wondered.

"I know what you want, you want me to tell you who I........." She paused. "No, I'm not saying it, you need to let this go Apple Bloom, I have my own demons to face, there is absolutely no reason for you to have to deal with them." She said as she stood and began to walk out.

"You mean like Hilde had to suffer?"

Sarah felt herself completely stop, she felt the blood drain from her face, she felt a cold chill run along her spine, and most of all, she felt fear, she slowly turned to face Apple Bloom and looked at the filly's eyes, the normally happy feeling they gave off was replaced by one of dread. "I know you killed our cousin, that wasn't hard to figure out once I put two and two together." Apple Bloom stated.

Sarah breathed and looked away. "I never forgave myself for that Apple Bloom, and I don't think Applejack has either, we may be sisters, but I messed up something special, I took it and I ruined it," she looked at her younger sister. "Don't make the same mistake, treasure what you have Apple Bloom, you have a much better chance than I do." She said.

"You aren't my sister Sarah, no sister of mine would kill, and I think Applejack and Big Mac feel the same way, they just won't say it." Apple Bloom rolled over to look away.

Sarah bit her lip and walked out, feeling that the child was correct.

_____*the farm, 2:00 PM three days later*_____

Sarah was working with Applejack to feed the animals, they were glad to have Apple Bloom home again, and on the up side, she was eating again, and wasn't as distant, but on the down side, she completely avoided Sarah, even when she was walking to school with the Pegasus.

"Do you think Apple Bloom is alright?" Applejack asked.

Sarah sighed and stopped. "To be honest Applejack, no, she's going through a lot right now especially with what she found out." She replied.

Applejack paused, she looked at Sarah with a grim expression. "She knows doesn't she?" She asked fearfully.

Sarah nodded sadly and walked to the barn with Applejack, on the way, she told her what she had said, about how she found out.

"There's more." Sarah said.

Applejack and Sarah both stood in the barn and looked at each other. "Applejack......I wasn't released from prison, in fact, I wasn't even in a prison, and Star?......she doesn't exist." Sarah stated.

Applejack was surprised and shocked, but she was going to let Sarah finish. "I was actually in a secret facility called the Lab, I was given that pendant and jacket as proof of my cover." She continued.

"I was released for a secret mission, and once it's done, I'm free, if I fail, I get sent back." Sarah said.

Applejack sighed. "And what exactly ARE you supposed to do?" She asked.

Sarah shook her head. "THAT I can't tell you, EVER, as in, I die, you die, we all die, they cover it up to look like a serial killing." She replied firmly.

Applejack paced around a little bit and then looked at Sarah. "So what am I supposed to do?" She asked.

Sarah shook her head. "Go about your life, don't think about what I need to do, just don't let anyone know that I told you this stuff." She replied.

Applejack looked outside and sighed, she looked at her sister. "No way." She said.

Sarah blinked. "Did you really not hear what I said, the last thing I need on my mind is the deaths of my family......at least, the ones that are still alive." She muttered the last part.

Applejack walked up to Sarah and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm not just going to abandon you, I know you won't admit it, but you need my help, I can see it in your eyes, your losing it piece by piece." She said.

Sarah sighed and walked around a little. "Assassination, I need to kill someone for my freedom, I finish this mission, and they leave me alone forever." She replied.

Applejack thought on this for a while and then shook her head. "Doesn't seem right, I mean, I don't know who you are talking about, but if they have such a handle on your life, why would they just leave you alone?" She said.

Sarah chuckled. "I have no way to know if they will hold up their end of the bargain, but I'm willing to see it through." She said before walking towards the exit.

The Pegasus stopped walking and looked back at her sister. "Applejack....do you hate me?" Sarah asked.

Applejack found herself stunned by the question, she quickly recovered. "Why would I hate you?......your my sister, nothing will change that." She replied.

Sarah shook her head, as though expecting that answer. "AJ, I mean do you hate me for what I did, are you hiding any resentment towards me?" She asked.

Applejack could not answer that question, she simply stood there in a stunned silence and said nothing as Sarah looked away, stepped outside and flew off without a word, she eventually just sighed quietly and started walking.

It wasn't that Applejack didn't know the answer, it was the fact that she didn't WANT to answer it, the Apple Family was stressed enough, the last thing that Applejack thought they needed was an internal feud.

So Applejack simply went about her day, business as usual, but she found herself unable to take any joy or satisfaction in her work, so she did the best thing she could do, she buried her feelings, and resolved to handle them when able.

After all, it isn't easy to answer a question like that, especially when you yourself don't know the answer.

_____*Ponyville, on the way home from school, a week later.*_____

Sarah sighed internally, she was walking Apple Bloom home from school, but Applejack forgot to mention she would be bringing her friends, her younger sister was enough trouble when she was energetic, but throwing the other two into the mix was a powder keg waiting for a match.

Sarah and the three fillies walked by Bon Bon's Sweet Shop, and she felt a sudden craving, she looked at the fillies and spoke. "You three up for some sweets? My treat?" She offered, pointing at the sweet shop.

A few minutes later and the three were back to walking, apparently, the shop was under assault by a bunch of bugs and such, and was unable to serve at that time, much to the dismay of the group.

Sarah sighed and looked up at the sky as the three fillies talked behind her, she was glad that Apple Bloom seemed to be normal around her friends, but she had a theory that it was a way to keep them from getting caught up in her personal issues.

She did hear something interesting though, but she seemed to just hear the end of the conversation. "Go on, just ask her." She heard Sweetie Belle say quietly.

Sarah soon heard Scootaloo speak. "Hey Sarah, do you mind if I ask you something?" She started.

Sarah looked back at the filly. "Sure." She replied.

"Uh.......is there something going on between you and my sister?" Scootaloo asked.

Sarah blinked and stopped walking, she scratched the back of her head. "Refresh my memory would you, who was your sister?" She asked.

"Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo said.

Sarah chuckled and rolled her eyes. "No, she's in a relationship already, I'm not going to get in between that." She said before continuing to walk, still chuckling a little.

She then heard more whispering behind her and she grew curious so she decided to listen in. "I know him by now, he isn't exactly good at lying." Scootaloo whispered.

"And you don't think that he might just be faking it?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Why would he? he has no reason to lie." Scootaloo replied.

"Aren't you two overthinking this?" Sweetie Belle muttered.

"No! we are not! if anything, you aren't thinking ENOUGH on this!" Apple Bloom sniped.

"Just ask him, he told me just last night, he has absolutely nothing to do, and he's bored." Scootaloo said.

Sweetie Belle sighed. "I'm not so sure, what if he gets mad?" She asked.

"He doesn't usually get mad, unless you intentionally poke at his past, he's usually docile." Scootaloo pointed out.

"And if he says no, he says no, and you'll know that he's not available." Apple Bloom added.

Sarah was curious, so she decided to be clueless as she spoke. "So, what's so secret that you need to whisper?" Sarah asked.

At this point, the group was near the Sweet Apple Acres gate, and they were almost at the farmhouse. "Well.....I uh." Sweetie Belle started but was unable to finish on the count of being nervous.

Thankfully, Scootaloo stepped in. "She wants to ask a boy out, but she's afraid he'll say no." She stated.

"Oh, what's his name?" Sarah asked.

"His name is Storm, he's an old friend of my sister." Scootaloo replied.

Sarah was now cautious, she didn't like that kid, but that was just because he gave her goosebumps. "Huh, well, you might as well get it over with, holding it in will only make it worse." She said.

Apple Bloom for once spoke openly to Sarah, albeit after the three discussed something. "How did you figure that out?" She asked.

Sarah shrugged. "Eh, psychiatrist." She replied casually.

If it wasn't for a keen eye, Sarah wouldn't have noticed the feint twitch in Apple Bloom's left eye. "You went to a psychiatrist?" Sweetie Belle said in confusion. "For what?" She asked.

Sarah was not willing to tell the truth at that exact moment, so she gave a small misdirection. "I had anger problems when I was younger, I later discovered that it stemmed from a repressed memory......lets just say I don't like talking about it." She said before flying up a little, so that she was hovering next to the group.

Apple Bloom grumbled, she herself wasn't happy with how the situation was, as Applejack and Sarah were now distant, so she resolved to talk to Sarah tonight, no matter what.

______*that night, 10:00 PM*______

Apple Bloom opened her left eye and looked around, she saw no signs of anypony awake, so she carefully got off her bed and quietly walked up to the door, while most of the house was asleep by now, she knew that Sarah preferred this time to walk around and clear her head, she put her ear up to the door and listened, she heard something going down the stairs, so Apple Bloom quietly opened the door, and closed it just as quietly when she left the room.

Apple Bloom headed towards the stairs and saw the light from a small candle move downstairs, she went down the stairs quietly and looked around for Sarah, seeing nothing.

Apple Bloom did not like this house at night, not one bit, but she was willing to work past it as she headed into the living room, there she saw the candle sitting in its brass holder, just sitting on the side table, just before she could move she heard a voice behind her. "Why are you still awake?" Sarah's voice was strangely horrifying when she was quiet.

Apple Bloom looked behind her and saw Sarah standing there with a neutral look on her face. "Well?" She asked.

She swallowed her pride, and mustered her courage and spoke. "We need to talk." Apple Bloom said quietly.

Sarah closed her eyes and shook her head, she sighed and placed Apple Bloom on her back and flew up the stairs, landing without a sound.

"You could have chosen a better time kid, but whatever." Sarah said as she opened her bedroom door and allowed Apple Bloom inside.

As the two sat down, Sarah spoke. "Look kid, I'm just going to get this out of the way, I know I hid the truth from you, and for that I'm sorry, and I know your upset that Applejack and Big Mac hid this from you, but can you seriously blame them, they thought they were doing the right thing for you." She said.

Apple Bloom nodded. "I know that, and your apology is accepted, it's just, oh boy.....its hard to explain." She said.

Sarah chuckled. "I got a bunch of personalities living inside of me, each with their own thoughts, I think I can understand." She joked.

Apple Bloom grit her teeth and spoke. "That right there is one of the things that's making me mad, you killed somepony, and your able to completely ignore and laugh about stupid things." She said.

Sarah sighed and lowered herself and talked quietly. "Listen, Apple Bloom, you have every right to be angry at me, killing somepony......its a horrible thing, and there are times when I wonder if I deserve to be free......and sometimes, I think I don't." She paused and looked at her younger sister.

"But then I start feeling normal again, how good it feels to be able to do basic things, when I first got here, I was so excited to be using shower because of my crappy living conditions before, I'm not saying we need to immediately like each other, but we should at least try to get along, if only for Applejack's sake." Sarah finished.

Apple Bloom nodded slowly. "Fine, but you need to promise me something." She said.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"When I'm older, I want you to tell me everything, I deserve to know." Apple Bloom said.

Sarah sighed, she reached out and patted Apple Bloom on the back. "You have my word, but......when I tell you, you keep it secret, no one needs to know that horror." She said before going quiet.

Apple Bloom walked up to the door and looked back at Sarah. "Are you and Applejack going to be alright?" She asked.

Sarah chuckled. "Yea, we'll be fine, we are just dealing with a difficult situation right now." She replied.

_____Sarah's dream*______

Sarah sat with Fear and Anger as they watched a meteor shower. "How long do you think it will be before we have to commit the deed?" Anger asked.

Fear rested her head on Anger's shoulder as she watched the shower. "Come on Anger, don't spoil the night, it's such a nice one this time." She asked.

Anger looked into Fear's eyes and sighed. "Fine, but only because your too damn adorable to refuse." She said.

Sarah laughed quietly and watched the shower, frowning only when she felt a disturbance. "Well well, isn't this a beautiful sight, makes me want to vomit." Said the voice of Insanity.

"Shut up you damn ghost." Sarah said as she stood up.

Anger was about to stand when Fear stopped her, she growled and went back to watching the shower.

Sarah walked up to Insanity and looked at it crossly. "I thought I told you not to disturb us tonight." She said.

Insanity shrugged. "You did, I didn't listen, where's the fun in that?" It wondered.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Need I remind you that you are taking refuge in MY mind, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here." She stated.

Insanity held a hoof up and spoke. "Calm down Sarah, I'm just trying to let you in on something you may want to know about." It said.

Sarah blinked and the two of them were in Insanity's domain, a twisting cavern of winding pathways, and spiraling spiral staircases. "You know how I told you that there were more of us?" Insanity asked.

Sarah nodded. "Five others, why?" She asked.

Insanity held a hoof out and a magical orb appeared, and it revealed four familiar faces. "I am detecting two of my brethren amongst these four, so I would be cautious about what you do from this point on." It said with amusement.

Sarah sighed, the faces were that of Storm, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "You think that these.....Elements of Chaos, are in these four?" She asked.

Insanity held its hooves up. "Hey, I didn't say they ALL had one, just two, I'll leave the actual finding up to you." It said before vanishing.

Sarah sighed to herself as she returned to the meteor shower, content to simply watch.

'Oh I hope my target gets here soon, I don't think I can handle any more waiting.' She thought to herself as she enjoyed the shower.

She looked at Anger and Fear, she smiled as she watched the two. "You two are a cute couple." Sarah said.

This of course, only made Anger......well, you know. "WE ARE NOT DATING!" Anger shouted.

Fear just stifled a laugh.

Author's Notes:

Well, I don't know why, but this particular chapter made me have so much writers block, probably because it went off track a little, but hey, might as well TRY to keep it together.

Anyway, this chapter was intended to set ground work, so if it didn't answer any questions, that's fine.

This still is its own story by the way, some of the stuff here may become relevant in a future story.

So, in this chapter, we had some talking, more talking, and a little bit of a talk, but it mostly made more questions, which wasn't intentional at all, so, sorry, but I couldn't bring myself to rewrite this one.

I guess as always, See You Next Time!

Ps....one of these days, I will stop being lazy, and I will find a photo for that damn voice line!.........or not, whichever, I don't know.

Timing is key.

_____*Ponyville, 5:10 AM, three days later*_____

Sarah sighed in contentment as a cool breeze blew past her face, she was sitting on the barn's roof as the calm morning light illuminated the farm, she smiled as she flew up to a nearby cloud and laid down on it, she closed her eyes as she felt the soft cloud on her fur, she felt another breeze run through her hair, she breathed softly as she dozed off.

Sarah then was awoken an hour later by the dreaded beast of the farm, it's infernal cries echoed throughout the orchards, and she suddenly felt the urge to reignite her killing instincts, if only to choke the life out of that infernal rooster.

Sarah opened her eyes to an unfamiliar sight, there was a small yellow envelope in front of her, with no message, no writing, or even a postal stamp, she silently opened it and pulled out a small white paper with writing on it.

"Your target will be in Ponyville at four thirty and will meet his contact at the local deli, if he is dead before twelve o'clock midnight, your contract will be completed, and you shall never hear from us again, if you fail, you die, the choice is simple.....do not fail."

Sarah sighed to herself as she crumpled up the paper. "I guess it's finally time." Fear said in her mind.

"You ready for this Sarah?" Anger asked.

"I don't WANT to kill again, but I don't have a choice here, let's just get this over with." Sarah replied mentally before flying to the house.

______*Ponyville, 3:40 PM*______

Sarah sighed to herself as she took her position, beginning her wait for her target to show up, she knew who it was, what he looked like, she knew his plans, and his security, she even knew his food preferences.

She was in the sky on a cloud, the weather team was finished for the day so there wouldn't be any unexpected guests.

Sarah's target was a unicorn stallion named Geram, he was the leader of an underground organization that sought to overthrow the current government, at least, that's what 'they' told Sarah, she was not concerned about this, if she could have a second chance to be free......she was going to take it.

Sarah eventually saw her target approach the deli, she watched silently as he sat down, with his two bodyguards nearby, she then watched as a brown furred stallion with gray hair sat across from him, and passed a document over.

Sarah was not concerned about the documents, her focus was Geram, not some secret meeting.

Sarah then watched, she waited as the two ate, and then parted ways.

With her target in motion, Sarah flew to another nearby cloud, and began to observe as he moved through town.

Sarah sighed to herself. "This is going to be a long night." She said to herself. 'At least I told Applejack I was taking the day off.'

______*later that day, 9:00 PM*______

Geram had moved himself to a small compound just outside Ponyville, it was commonly used by visiting nobles and merchants so no one would suspect anything wrong.

Sarah looked through the window with her binoculars, she was perched on a cloud looking in on Geram as he read the documents from before, she then looked to the nearby windows, she saw bodyguards in what appeared to be the break room, she looked to another, she saw more guards standing over two shady looking stallions as they talked.

All of the guards wore simple suits and we're all tough looking. "Not so tough when they're dead." Sarah muttered.

Sarah looked through one more window, and she saw a blue furred mare asleep on the bed, she whistled and stared for a few moments before shaking her head clear of those thoughts, she then slapped herself. 'Bad Sarah.' She mentally berated herself. "Nice ass though." She muttered a few moments later.

"Meh, I've seen better." Pleasure teased.

Sarah blinked. 'Not now guys, I need to focus.' She reminded before looking to Geram's room.

'Alright, short of slaughtering everyone and possibly dying, how do I do this?' She pondered.

Sarah then looked around some more, and she noticed a broken piece of wall in the compound, she raised an eyebrow. "Possible escape." She noted.

Sarah looked and saw something that could possibly help her, it was a wooden board with multiple keys. "Hmm......I could use that." She muttered as she stood up and silently flew to the hole in the wall.

Sarah landed and looked around, she saw no guards, and there was no one on the other side. 'If they don't see me, this whole place will be easy to escape from.' She thought as she entered what seemed to be an old storage room.

The storage room was old and dusty, as well as covered in webs, Sarah quietly moved to the nearby door, being careful to not knock over any of the old boxes or vases.

Sarah opened the door, it let out a loud creak as the old hinges moved, seemingly the first time in millennia, she peaked out into the hall to search for guards......none were in sight, which was fortunate.

She carefully walked out of the room and into the hallway, like the storage room, it was old, but there were no webs, and only minimal scarring on the walls from age.

Sarah soon found a crossroads that led to three different hallways, she recognized them from her earlier recon, she knew that one led to a dead end where the kitchens and dining area was, another led to Geram and his secure section of the compound, the last one led to what seemed to be the makeshift garrison, where the bulk of the guards were.....along with the attractive mare.

Sarah once again shook her head. 'Pleasure, fuck off with the hormones, I need to focus.' She ordered.

She started walking to the guards garrison, she needed to cut off the reinforcements before she went after Geram.

As she went to carefully open the door to the garrison, she heard talking on the other side, she stopped and hid.

Sarah waited until the guards passed by to open the door, she peaked past the door and saw two guards walking away, she walked through the door and quietly closed the door.

Sarah was now in a room with a few tables, some couches and a few stone busts, she saw two doors, one was directly in the room, the other was down a short hallway, where the two guards were.

She quickly hid in one of the corners as the two guards started to walk by. "I still don't get why we need this large compound, the boss is just one guy!" The guard on the left said.

"It isn't our job to understand, we are getting paid to keep him safe, and this building secure." The other guard replied.

"Who's going to come here?" The first guard asked. "Everypony thinks we're just staying here until our business is done." He added.

Sarah quietly moved up behind them as they talked, she waited until the one kept talking. "I don't think the boss cares what you think man, we have our orders, and we should follow them." He said as he reached for the doorknob.

Sarah then made her move, she reached out and placed one hoof on the first guards head, and the other by his neck, she quickly snapped his neck and rushed the other guard as he tried to attack.

She quickly dodged the lunge and threw a swift punch to his neck, once he was on the ground, she snapped his neck.

Sarah grit her teeth but she continued on, she quickly hid the bodies and opened the door the guards went to open, she peaked to see what was there, inside was a practical squadron of guards sitting around drinking, there were quite a few barrels of wine and beer, she carefully closed the door and walked to the other door.

Sarah had a plan, and she knew what to do, but first, she needed a match.

She entered the other room after making sure it was clear, it was the bar area, she saw everything she needed in the room, but first she needed to clear out the three guards.

One was in the bar area, the second was apparently passed out at a table, the last was walking around restlessly, there were multiple tables and bar chairs around the room, and there were portraits along the walls.

Sarah quietly made her way towards the bar, thankfully, the dim lighting in the room helped her hide, she kept out of sight from the wandering guard, and she hid by the bar.

Sarah breathed quietly and grabbed a small wood chip on the floor next to her, she then chucked it at a wall away from the bar.

The two sober guards heard it and the wandering one walked over to investigate, that's when Sarah struck, she swiftly moved to the guard being the counter and snapped his neck, she then hid once again.

The wandering guard scoffed as he found the source of the sound, he looked back at the bar and raised an eyebrow. "Kor?" He asked curiously.

Sarah watched as the guard walked to the bar and looked on the other side, he gasped in shock and ran to the other side and knelt down to see if his associate was still alive.

Sarah quickly rushed in and snapped his neck, she sighed to herself. 'So much death.....Anger, is Joy watching this?' She asked.

"No, she hid away, she wants no part in this." Anger replied.

"A shame, it's so delightful to watch." Sadism added.

Sarah then looked at the last guard, she quickly moved over to him and saw a large knife, she mentally sighed and killed him with his own weapon, she held on to it and continued with her plan.

Sarah grabbed a bottle of alcohol and ripped off some of the fabric from the guards suits, she also took a few matches, she soaked the cloth in alcohol and grabbed a match, she left the bar and headed for the main garrison, she lit the match as she neared the door, she lit the cloth on fire and threw the door open.

As all of the guards looked in her direction, their faces of anger turned to ones of fear as they watched Sarah throw her makeshift firebomb.

Sarah quickly shut the door and locked it before running away, attempting to block out the screams as the guards burned.

_____*back at the small crossroads.*______

Sarah walked to the part of the compound that Geram was holed up, she heard shouting coming from that direction. "We have an intruder! find them and kill them!" Geram was heard ordering.

Sarah opened the door and saw multiple guards running around and securing the rooms, luckily, she was able to avoid detection. "Wait! No don't kill the lights!" A guard said in panic.

She carefully moved through the room as the guards searched the area blindly, trying to find the intruder.

The room she was in was the main entrance to the compound, there were small stairscases leading up and down, as well as several tables and couches, as well as some closets, the room was dark, likely because the candles and lamps in the room were shot in a blind panic.

Sarah saw one guard seperate from the others, she looked around to see if anyone was nearby to ambush, but so far, she saw nothing.

Seeing her opportunity, Sarah quickly ran up and stabbed the guard in the head, before retreating to the shadows.

"Do you see that!?" One guard asked in a panic.

"See what?" Another asked.

"There! In the shadows! I saw something!" The panicked guard shouted.

"Hul, Loa! check it out! find Arx and get him back here!" A guard ordered, apparently the captain.

Sarah grinned as the two guards stepped away from the brightened area, she knew that it was meant as a trick to draw her out, as the two unicorns had their horned lit brightly, she decided to avoid them and went for another isolated guard.

She snapped his neck and retreated once more into the darkness, thankful that she was able to see well in the darkness.

Once again, more guards came down to assist in the search, but this was the opportunity Sarah needed, she moved quietly and quickly towards the first set of two before leaping and cutting one of their heads off as they looked away.

The other one reacted and fired a magical blast at Sarah, she managed to dodge it and she lodged her new knife into her opponents skull, she then found what appeared to be a smoke bomb on his suit. "Kill that intruder now!" The captain shouted.

Sarah quickly fled as the other guards moved in, she threw the smoke bomb at them and hid, as they coughed she threw her knife at the one furthest from her, and snapped the neck of the other.

Now there were only five guards left, and they were all in the light, Sarah retrieved her knife and examined the guards, the captain and two other guards were unicorns, one was Pegasi, the last was an earth pony, she noticed that the Pegasus was obviously shaken by the sudden deaths of his companions, the earth pony was showing signs of fear, and the unicorns stood undisturbed.

Sarah retrieved another smoke bomb from one of the fallen guards, she decided that the time was now, she flew at great speed towards the Pegasus, all the while throwing the smoke bomb at the unicorns.

As the bomb exploded and caused the unicorns to cough violently, Sarah killed the Pegasus and earth pony with ease, she was able to kill two of the unicorns before the captain teleported away and lit up the room.

Sarah was now revealed, she stood defiant as the captain looked at her with intensity, his anger was obvious, but beneath that, a stillness, as though he cared not that his entire squad of guards had just died. "Assassin, you meddle in something far greater than yourself!" He shouted.

Sarah said nothing as she walked towards him.

The captain's horn lit up and he summoned several orbs of magic. "If you think I'll go down easily, your wrong!" He declared.

Sarah chuckled as she pulled out a match. "What's so funny assassin?" The captain asked, as though insulted.

Sarah flicked the match at the captain and he screamed in rage, he threw the orbs out and Sarah dodged.

The captain then grabbed several tables and couches and threw them at Sarah, intent on crushing her.

Sarah simply dodged calmly, the captains rage making him unable to focus.

So when Sarah propelled herself off one of the thrown couches, she was able to lodge her knife into the guard captains heart, he gasped and clutched weakly at the knife, she then spoke. "I take no joy in this." She said simply as she twisted the knife, ending his life.

Sarah then walked away as she lit another match and threw it behind her, igniting one of the couches, the fire then slowly spread from there.

Sarah opened the door to Geram's room and immediately heard music, it was.....classical. "An assassin, I was wondering how long it would take for them to send one." Geram's voice said as he walked into the room, he lit a cigar and took a few puffs from it.

Sarah approached Geram silently as he chuckled. "But I never thought they would send YOU......hello Sarah, it's been a long time." He said.

"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked.

Geram threw the cigar to the ground and stepped on it. "I'm not surprised you don't remember me, but I'll indulge you." He replied.

Geram walked to the window and looked at Sarah. "I was once known as Doctor Geram Blacklight, I performed your operation, to give you your wings." He stated.

Sarah growled and ran up to him, she put the knife to his throat. "YOU TORE ME APART!?" She shouted.

Geram was calm as he took a breath. "I saved your life girl, perhaps it's time you found out HOW and WHY?" He said.

Sarah shoved him back and looked at the nearby clock, it was almost ten thirty. "Explain." She said.

Geram took a breath and continued talking. "You are not the only one with two magical cores Sarah, there were others, and all of them died, for one reason alone......they had no way of releasing the incredible amount of magic they produced, by giving you your wings, I saved you a terrible fate, though it seems you already have one ahead of you, I kept you in containment as we performed tests, to ensure you would survive." He stated.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Then why don't I remember these things?" She asked.

Geram sighed. "That is the result of selective memory repression, those crooks in that organization forced me to tamper with your memories, so you would have no recollection of their operations, of course, they will never admit to such a thing.

Sarah walked forward. "My concern isn't the organization, i simply want to go back to my life, and forget all of this." She stated.

Geram chuckled. "And you think killing a formal Doctor will end all this?" He replied.

Sarah scoffed. "Do you honestly think I'll fall for that? your part of a plot to dethrone Celestia and Luna, and while I couldn't give a shit about politics, I owe Luna a debt, and with your death, I'm free." She said calmly.

Geram then frowned. "I had hoped that you would see reason, and help me destroy the organization, but if you will not see reason....." He trailed off as he went to pull and a blade from the nearby drawer.

Sarah quickly lunged forward and stabbed Geram, he gasped for air as he felt the blade pierce his lung, he tried to stab Sarah with his own knife but she headbutted him before removing her knife and then stabbing him in the shoulder.

Sarah suddenly felt a wave of emotions flow through her, as she removed the knife from Geram's shoulder, she grinned and stepped back, as the stallion fell to the ground, Sarah slowly licked the knife off of the blade, she let out a satisfactory moan at the familiar taste before approaching Geram once again. "S.....Sarah Wait!" He pleaded. "I-I-I......I can fix you!....I can give you your memories back!" He swore.

Sarah tilted her head and pouted. "Bored now." She stated before plunging the dagger into his heart, ending his life, she looked at the knife and licked the blood off one side, she then looked at herself in the reflection, she fixed her hair and smiled as she walked to the window, she grabbed her last match and set Geram's body on fire, she then broke the window and flew out of there.

______*somewhere in the Everfree, 11:00 PM*______

Sarah finished cleaning off the blood in the stream, she sighed and held her head in her hooves. "I can't believe I lost control back there." She said to herself quietly.

"I mean, you did enjoy it, you just let that get to you." Sadism pointed out.

"Not helping." Sarah said as she tried to forget about the taste of blood in her mouth.

Sarah shook her head and flew to Sweet Apple Acres, but as she flew, she couldn't help but wonder what became of that mare, she hadn't run into her, and she was just hoping that either she didn't die, or her death was quick.

When Sarah landed back at the farm, she walked up to the house and opened it using her lockpicking skills.

She locked the door behind her and shook her head, she just wanted to sleep right now.

After Sarah entered her room, she saw that Applejack was waiting for her. "Where were you?" She immediately asked.

Sarah blinked and held back the memory for now. "Doing something I didn't want to do, why are you in here?" She asked.

Applejack stood up and looked at her sister. "I should be asking you a similar question, why did you run off?" She said.

Sarah walked to the end of her bed and sat down. "I had to do something that I didn't want to do, I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner." She repeated calmly.

Applejack tried to hold on to her anger.....but she couldn't, instead she walked up and sat next to Sarah. "Look, you know that I'm just concerned?.....right?......I want you to be able to live your life, not be stuck worrying." She said quietly.

Sarah nodded. "I know that, but I could say the same about you, you worry a lot......look, don't worry about me, I'll be alright, I just need time to sort everything out." She replied.

Applejack stood up. "That's what worries me." She said before walking to the door. "Night Sarah." She said.

"Night AJ." Sarah replied before walking over, closing her door, and going to sleep on the bed. "Please let tomorrow be better." She muttered.

______*the next day, Ponyville, 1:09 PM*______

Sarah was stuck selling apples today, apparently this was Applejack's creative punishment, stick Sarah with Apple Bloom and send them to town to sell apples.

Sarah had just sold Mr. Cake a few apples when Apple Bloom felt like chatting. "Hey Sarah......not to be rude, but why did you come along instead of Applejack?" She asked,

"This you and Aj's thing?" Sarah asked curiously.

Apple Bloom sighed and placed more apples up. "Kinda, I mean, Big Mac will sell apples, but he doesn't talk." She replied.

Sarah nodded. "Yea, big brother has never been much for conversation." She said. "As for your question, I think Applejack is punishing me for coming home late last night." She explained.

"Why would you let her?" Apple Bloom asked curiously.

Sarah shrugged. "Eh, I owe her one, I figure it's better not to make the sister MORE angry after an outburst." She replied.

Apple Bloom went to say something when a purple furred unicorn mare with a magenta mane and tail came up to the stall, she had blue eyes that seemed to have a red aura about them, she had three black lines under each of her eyes, and two larger ones above them. "Oh, hey, can I help you?" Sarah asked absently.

The mare thought on it before saying something. "No, I came over here to bother you." She chuckled. "Yea actually, how much for three apples?" She asked.

Sarah grinned. "Well........three bits." She answered.

The mare handed over three and took three apples. "Oh uh, I was wondering." The mare started. "Do you know where I can find a place called Suger Cube Corner?.....kinda new to town." She asked.

Sarah nodded. "Yea, the big building that looks like a gingerbread house, you can't miss it." She replied,

The mare smiled. "Thanks, maybe I'll see you around?" She said.

Sarah shrugged. "Perhaps, depends if I ever come to town." She replied.

The mare then held a hoof out to Sarah. "I'm Aqua Wave by the way, Everypony just calls me Wave though." She said.

Sarah shook Aqua's hoof. "Sarah Apple, don't confuse me with my sister Applejack." She replied.

Aqua blinked. "Twins?" She asked.

Sarah nodded. "Yep." She replied.

Aqua shivered for some reason. "Ok then, I'll see you." She said.

Sarah gave a half nod. "Same to you." She said before looking at Apple Bloom. "Now then, what were you about to say?" She asked.

Apple Bloom seemed mildly disturbed but talked anyway. "I was actually going to ask what your cutie mark means." She said.

Sarah shrugged. "Heck if I know, it either means I'm a twin, good at making Apple based jewelry, or something else." She replied.

"You still bothered by not having one of these stupid butt tatoos?" Sarah asked.

Apple Bloom looked at Sarah with obvious annoyance. "Says the one who has her cutie mark." She replied.

Sarah grinned. "Says the one who didn't care about them before and after getting it." She countered.

"Thanks for that comeback Anger." She mentally said.

"No problem" Anger replied.

______*Ponyville, Golden Oaks Library, 3:00 PM*______

Sarah looked at Twilight as she lay on the floor. "Why I'm I here again?" She asked.

Twilight sighed and looked at Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "Can you please explain this while me and Minutte figure this out?" She asked.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Ok, Sarah, here's the basics, Twilight and Minutte are trying to find out what killing Memory did, and if you lost any memories at all......other than you forgetting Twilight." She said.

Sarah nodded. "Ok then." She replied.

The door to the library opened soon after and in came Storm, Rarity and Sweetie Belle. "Oh hey, what's up?" Sarah asked.

"Sweetie Belle here wanted to check the library for anything helpful for her magical studies." Rarity explained.

Storm shrugged. "I'm here because I felt like bothering people." He said simply.

Sarah then heard Insanity in her head. "That's them!" It declared.

"What?" Sarah asked mentally.

"The girl and the whelp!" Insanity stated.

Sarah looked around casually, not focusing on anything. "Rarity and Storm?" She wondered mentally.

"Not the big one!" Insanity shouted.

Sarah let her gaze wander as she looked at Sweetie Belle. "She's an Element of Chaos?" She asked in disbelief.

Author's Notes:

So......that all happened, grim, dark, disturbing, plot twists.

Anyway!......meet Aqua, new character, excited to see where that goes?.......maybe.

So Sarah completed her task, but now she has to live with her actions, and the mysterious organization is revealed to have to have taken a part in removing some of Sarah's memories.

Also, Sarah seems to be losing control over herself, she is afraid of this, but she is confident she can control it.

As always, See You Next Time!

A change of pace.

_______*Sweet Apple Acres, the next day, 7:00 AM*______

The days were hot, very hot, especially when you worked on a farm for a few hours, there was usually a breeze flowing through the farm to keep everypony there cool.

The door to the Apple family house opened and Apple Bloom walked out, she took in a breath of fresh air and started walking towards the barn, she had a few chores to do before heading to school.

Applejack followed out the door and walked towards the apple orchards, she smiled to herself as she adjusted her Stetson hat as a breeze blew through her hair. 'I love this farm.' She thought to herself.

As Applejack headed off to work, Apple Bloom entered the barn and walked over to three bales of hay stacked on top of eachother in a pyramid fashion, she jumped up on top of the first one and pushed the top one off, it was heavy, but not impossible.

Apple Bloom's only chores before heading to school was to spread one bale of hay across the barn floor and feed the pigs, afterwards, she could head to school.

As Apple Bloom worked on spreading the hay, she found herself humming a small tune as she worked, but once she finished with the hay, she found herself lost in thought as she wordlessly worked on getting the slop for the pigs.

'I should probably talk to Applejack......I have been avoiding her a lot recently, I guess I was just upset that she didn't tell me I had another sister, and then there's what Sarah did as a filly.' Her thoughts trailed off as she fed the pigs and released them so they could eat.

Apple Bloom put the bucket back in its usual place and headed to the house, as she opened the door she heard Sarah and Granny Smith talking. "I can make my own lunch Granny, I'm not a filly anymore." Sarah said with an annoyed tone.

"I know that young'un, that's why I'm making you and Applejack's lunch." Granny's voice stated with an obvious humor to it.

Apple Bloom walked into the kitchen and saw Sarah sigh as she paced. "That doesn't make any sense Granny, Applejack can cook as well as mom could." Sarah said.

Granny just looked at Sarah. "And I taught your mother everything that she knew about cooking, but not everything that I know." She countered.

Sarah just sighed in defeat. "You know what.......thanks Granny." She said as she looked over at Apple Bloom.

"Hey Apple Bloom, you ready for school?" Sarah asked.

Apple Bloom nodded in response.

Sarah gained a grin. "Oh really, then where's your lunch and saddlebags?" She asked teasingly.

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes at her sisters antics and headed to get her saddlebags.

Sarah chuckled to herself and recieved a wooden spoon to the back of the head for her trouble. "Hey! what was that for?" She asked with a tone of annoyance.

Apple Bloom smiled to herself as she put her saddlebags on and headed back to the kitchen, along the way she ran into a red faced Sarah who simply gave her a small bag holding her lunch and walked to the door wordlessly.

"See you later Granny!" Apple Bloom shouted out.

______*Outside, on the way to the school.*_____

Apple Bloom looked at Sarah, who closed the door and began walking, her red face showing no signs of vanishing, so she decided to simply follow her sister.

Sarah's face was more annoyed than angry, she looked as though she had lost an argument several times over, if it wasn't for the fact that Apple Bloom was mildly scared of what Sarah would do if asked about it, she would have immediately asked.

After a few minutes of walking, Apple Bloom decided to say something. "Um.....so Sarah, what was that about?" She asked.

Sarah simply took a breath and spoke. "None of your business.......fine, Granny decided it was fun to embarrass me." She replied,

Apple Bloom's curiosity was now piqued, she looked at Sarah. "What did she say?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head. "THAT really is none of your business." She stated.

Apple Bloom simply looked forward as they walked, it took a few minutes, but Apple Bloom spoke again. "Sarah, why do you think Applejack has you walk me to school?" She asked.

Sarah shrugged. "Simple, she wants us to get to know eachother, and I don't blame her." She replied.

Apple Bloom looked down at the ground, she thought of what to say, and soon made up her mind. "Do you think she's mad that I won't talk to her?" She asked quietly.

That question made Sarah stop walking, she took a breath and looked at her younger sister. "To be honest? no, she's concerned for you, from what I hear, you two were thick as thieves your whole life......much like she was with me." She replied honestly.

Apple Bloom looked at Sarah. "Did you ever stop talking to her all together?" She asked curiously.

Sarah sighed and continued walking. "Yes.....once." She said.

Apple Bloom listened as Sarah spoke.

"It was AJ's eighth birthday party, we were holding it at our house, our friends and family had come, and even friends of the family, Applejack was so anxious and excited, cousin Hilde was over and our parents were so proud of her." She sighed as she kept on walking.

"I was talking to Applejack in her room, she had asked me to follow behind her into the party, she said that she wanted me around for support." She said calmly.

Apple Bloom blinked. "How does this mean you didn't talk to Applejack?" She asked.

Sarah sighed. "I had a friend, a Pegasus named Ferris, he had died recently and Everypony just seemed to forget about him in favor of Applejack's birthday, at least that's how I saw it at the time, so In my anger, I took it out on Applejack, hard." She shook her head slowly.

Apple Bloom said nothing, instead, she allowed Sarah to speak uninterrupted. "She burst into tears and I left the party in a storm of anger.....in my eyes, Everypony valued a party over my dead friend, so I hid In the barn, content to grieve my own way, it took about four hours, but dad found me, he was very angry so when he ordered me to tell him why I would make AJ cry, I told him." She paused as she took a breath.

As the two got closer to the school, Sarah continued her story. "After listening to what I had to say, dad forced me to apologize to AJ and then grounded me for the rest of the day, and the next few days after that." She finished.

Apple Bloom had looked to the school with a thoughtful expression, she soon looked at Sarah. "Um, Sarah?" She asked quietly.

"What is it kiddo?" Sarah asked.

"Applejack and Big Mac won't talk about it, and Granny evades the question......but what were Mom and Dad like?" Apple Bloom asked.

Sarah visibly stopped moving, she took a breath and looked at Apple Bloom. "They......they were good hearted ponies, they loved their family and friends with all their heart, just like AJ, they would never turn away a friend in need, I never knew or met anypony like them in my entire life." She said as she continued walking.

"Dad was strict but caring, he was orginized and focused, but could be very flustered when put on the spotlight, kind of gruff, but lovable all the same." She paused. "Mom......was eccentric, she cared deeply for her family and friends, and would go out of her way to make sure they were alright, she had very strange yet fun ideas for family activities, she clashed with dad on more than one occasion over their habits, but she never once seemed to actually get mad at me or Applejack, she only got angry at Big Mac once, but that was before I was born, and he doesn't remember it." She chuckled. "I wish I had gotten to know them both better though." She whispered quietly,

Apple Bloom said nothing, but noticed the small tear under Sarah's left eye and the visible tremble in her left foreleg, so as she and Sarah reached the school, she looked at her sister. "I guess I'll see you later?" She said.

Sarah nodded. "Have a good day at school." She replied calmly.

Apple Bloom quickly headed for the school as Sarah walked back home.

Seeing her friends, Apple Bloom joined her fellow crusaders as they walked to the classroom.

______*one hour later.*______

Apple Bloom was slightly annoyed, no, not because of the lesson, in fact she was enjoying it as it was based on her favorite subject, history, right now they were learning about the founding of Canterlot, it was pretty revealing information.

But, It was actually the fact that the seating arrangements somehow got messed up, and now Apple Bloom was sitting next to Diamond Tiara who seemed to enjoy it as she was in the corner while her nemesis teased her subtly.

Eventually, Diamond Tiara seemed to quiet down as she apparently focused on the lesson.

Apple Bloom was actually pleased that Diamond saw fit to stop her teasing early, if only for a short while.

Apple Bloom glanced over at her friends and saw that Scootaloo was dreading the class, as usual, and Sweetie Belle was listening carefully.

After a couple more hours, Miss Cheerilee let the class out for lunch, which Apple Bloom was positive would mean more teasing from Diamond Tiara, she walked over to one of the tables with her friends. "Hey Bloom, you alright?" Scootaloo asked out of the blue after sitting.

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow and looked at her Pegasus friend. "Uh, yes?" She said out of confusion.

"You sure? I mean, you seem very distracted." Sweetie Belle pointed out as she sat down.

Apple Bloom nodded. "I'm sure, I just have a lot on my mind at the moment." She replied.

Apple Bloom sat with her friends and pulled out her lunch. "So Scootaloo, you paying attention this time?" She asked.

Scootaloo shrugged. "Why should i?.....its not like I'll actually need history for anything in life." She replied.

"Or it was just too boring and you don't want to know?" Sweetie Belle offered.

Scootaloo chuckled. "Yea, that seems like me." She replied.

"I wonder if you fall asleep in every history class? or just the ones that don't involve flying?" Said an all too familiar voice.

Apple Bloom sighed and looked at Diamond Tiara. "What do you want this time Diamond Tiara?" She said automatically.

"Nothing that you can give me blank flank, though I am curious......with so many of your friends getting or having their cutie marks, it must seem very overwhelming for you." Replied the rich filly.

Scootaloo went to say something but Apple Bloom stopped her by holding her hoof out. "Diamond, do you know what my sister says about ponies that disrespect other ponies?" She asked calmly, without looking at the filly.

Diamond Tiara scoffed. "Probably nothing, but it's probably something along the lines of, 'don't pay them no mind, they are just angry." She replied mockingly.

Apple Bloom grinned and looked at Diamond Tiara. "Not Applejack, Sarah.......Sarah Apple." She corrected.

Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. "You mean you have a blank flank sister?.....not surprising." She teased.

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Nope, same age as Applejack, she says that the ponies who disrespect other ponies either have no respect for themselves, or like something they see and won't admit it." She shrugged. "Never bothered to ask her which she actually meant." She said.

Diamond Tiara furrowed her brow. "I respect myself very much, you don't have any right to say otherwise." She stated angrily.

Apple Bloom looked at Diamond Tiara curiously. "Then by that logic, you must like something about us." She said as she pulled a hay sandwich out of her lunch bag and took a bite.

Diamond Tiara said nothing as she walked off, her face one of frustration and confusion.

Scootaloo looked at Apple Bloom. "Did Sarah actually say that?" She asked curiously.

Apple Bloom shook her head. "No, she said something that is apparently not fit for fillies and colts, she then told me that, as a more tame version." She replied as she continued to eat her lunch.

Sweetie Belle looked at the school and then at Scootaloo. "You ever wonder why Diamond Tiara teases us? at all? I mean it's not like there is a point to it." She asked her friends.

"If I had to guess, I would say that she has a superiority complex." Scootaloo stated easily.

Apple Bloom chuckled. "And here I thought you hated big words Scootaloo.

______*hours later, just after school ends.*______

Apple Bloom breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the school, she could see Big Mac waiting for her, she was excited as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were spending the next two nights at the farm, not including today, the trio hurried over to her brother and stopped as they reached him.

"Hey Big Mac, you wanted to walk us home?" Apple Bloom asked.

Big Mac simply nodded in response before leading them to the farm.

The crusaders walked with Big Mac and began to talk about all kinds of things, a few things about cutie marks obviously.

Apple Bloom looked to her right as they passed Bon Bon's sweets, she noticed Rainbow Dash standing with Minutte talking, she chuckled at the irony.

As the group of four neared the entrance to the farm, Big Mac was approached by a mare, now it wasn't exactly uncommon for mares to approach Big Mac, but it was unusual for one to simply ask him for directions without even glancing at the rest of him.

Apple Bloom recognized the unicorn mare as Aqua Wave, the mare that Sarah flirted with a little bit, she was currently asking for directions to Barnyard Bargains, which wasn't very surprising, that was a good place to look at if you are new In town.....it also sells some pretty comfy furniture.

'If only Diamond Tiara was more like her father, she would probably be tolerable to be around.' Apple Bloom found herself thinking as the group neared the farmhouse.

______*later that day, Sweet Apple Acres, Sarah's room, 9:00 PM*______

Sarah smiled to herself as she plucked away at the guitar strings, testing the sound, then playing a soft melody, she had been dealing with three hyperactive kids the entire time they were together, and was glad to have the quiet time.

Sarah took a calming breath and simply played her music in silence, that is, until the door creaked open five minutes later, she stopped playing and looked over without moving her head, she relaxed a little when she saw it was just Apple Bloom. "I thought you were asleep." Sarah muttered.

Apple Bloom shrugged. "I......I couldn't sleep." She replied before entering and closing the door.

Sarah set her guitar down and looked at Apple Bloom directly. "I know that feeling, trust me, it isn't pleasant." She said with a grin.

Apple Bloom walked up to Sarah. "Why don't you ever play when somepony else is around?" She asked curiously.

Sarah let her grin fade as she stared at the guitar. "I have my reasons." She said sadly before she looked at Apple Bloom. "What's bothering you?" She asked calmly,

Apple Bloom rubbed her left hoof. "Ever since I learned about your......incident." She shuddered. "I haven't been able to sleep much, and even though I know you wouldn't do anything bad now.......I can't sleep for some reason." She replied nervously.

Sarah placed a calming hoof on Apple Bloom's shoulder. "I get it Bloom, you learned something you don't like, and now your afraid it will happen to you?" She questioned, but the flinch from Apple Bloom confirmed it. "You have nothing to fear from me Apple Bloom, and no force on Equis or Tartarus will make you do what I did." She said as she stood up and walked to the door. "Put these thoughts behind you, don't think about it, and you'll feel better in no time." She said as she opened the door.

Apple Bloom looked at Sarah. "And if I don't?" She asked.

Sarah sighed. "Then, I will help you through it, but let's just hope it doesn't come to that." She replied.

_____*later that night.*______

Sarah rubbed her eyes as she sat on her bed, she looked to her right and saw multiple scribbles and doodles on the bed, as well as many crumpled up pieces of paper, she took a breath and closed her eyes as she felt a familiar presence awaken inside of her. "I wondered when you would actually talk to me." Insanity's condescending voice droned mentally.

"If you weren't so unbearable to be around, I would visit more often." Sarah replied.

Insanity laughed for a time, and eventually calmed down. "So.....what brings you to the back of your mind?" He asked.

Sarah opened her eyes. "Didn't realize I needed permission." She said.

"Hah! but seriously, why are you talking to me?" Insanity asked.

Sarah looked outside. "It's getter harder to control these urges, pretty soon I'll need someone to hold the madness back." She replied.

"Your madness is like a plague, you need to fight back or else it will take over, or flat out kill you." Insanity replied.

"I just hope it doesn't spread to anyone else, no one deserves this torment." Sarah said calmly.

Insanity sighed. "Never let the others know, but for once, having less nut jobs will be helpful to me, so yes, I agree.

Sarah pulled herself under the covers and closed her eyes. "Night psychopath." Sarah muttered.

Author's Notes:

Not much action, but then that WAS the point, this was more of a development/ filler chapter in the story anyway.

I actually had an entirely different direction this could have gone, but I wasn't going to use it as it was an old, worn down concept and would not be enjoyable to write or possibly read.

The price of freedom.

_____*Unknown*______

"I had thought I was free, that I could live my life with the past behind me, I never truly believed I was off the hook however, but I had hopes.....they were the hopes of a fool but I wanted them to be true nonetheless."

"What a fool I was, no......people like me are hunted feared and coveted for their abilities, their powers or their intelligence, I tried in vain to protect those that I love, but i failed them, I failed them all because I was a fool, but even though I have lost them, i can still fight.....to avenge them, and to prevent this from EVER happening again."

"So now, as I see my life flash before me, I pray to whatever God or immortal that's listening.......and I pray for forgiveness for what I must do, for they are here, and they will not let me leave with my life, so I will take theirs."

Two bright orange eyes snapped open as several armed figures approached, and a twisted grin formed on my face. "Time to have some fun."

______*Sarah's room, four days earlier, 2:00 PM*______

Sarah sat back on her bed, deep in thought, she was bored, with so much work being done on the farm, they had somehow caught up and even finished the work that would have taken two more months to finish.

Sarah looked out the window and blinked, she actually wished that some of the many trees would spontaneously grow apples so she would have something to do.

She heard a dark chuckle in her mind as she sighed. "You know, for someone so friendly, you sure don't have anyone to hang out with." Insanity mocked.

"Thanks, I just needed that reminder." Sarah said as Insanity appeared as a ghost in front of her bed, his sharp teeth forming a grin. "I'm surprised that you haven't said something to the others about me, after all I DID try to kill your sister." He taunted.

Sarah got off the bed and walked to the center of her room, she looked at Insanity. "Your enjoying my boredom aren't you?" She asked.

Insanity shrugged. "I'm just stating the obvious, your boredom is a coincidence." He replied snidely.

Sarah shook her head and looked at her guitar, she walked over and grabbed it before sitting on the bed, playing the same melody from a week ago.

Insanity listened for a while before speaking. "Why don't you play why others are around?" He asked.

Sarah stopped playing and looked at Insanity, her expression was one of pain and sadness. "Like I told Apple Bloom, I have my reasons." She said evasively.

Insanity walked up to the bed and sat down next to Sarah. "And yet you have no problem playing near me." He pointed out.

"That's different, your always near me." Sarah countered as she stood up and walked to the door, she then heard Insanity speak. "Your growing complacent Sarah." He stated.

The statement alone made her look at the Element of Chaos. "What?" She asked.

Insanity stood and approached her. "If you think for a second that the people who sent you on that assassination are just going to leave you be? then you are a fool." He stated, his voice firm and his tone serious.

"Then I'll deal with it." She replied easily as she walked out of the room, heading for the stairs.

Insanity appearing at the bottom of the stairs made her pause for a second, before she kept on walking. "This may have crossed your mind Sarah, but if you die I lose my host, the best one I've had in a long time I might add." He said as he walked next to her.

"So before you do something stupid like try to take on an army, you might consider getting back into some old habits." Insanity suggested.

Sarah looked at Insanity with a stern glare. "I am NOT becoming that monster again, I don't care what happens, nothing will make that happen." She stated firmly.

Insanity sighed as he returned to Sarah's mind. "I can think of a few things actually." He muttered to himself.

______*Ponyville, two hours later.*______

Sarah was currently walking through the town mindlessly, not really caring about buying anything or going anywhere, she just wanted to find something of interest, but it was difficult to do so in this boring town.

Sarah paused in her walking as she thought on that. 'Do I find this town boring?' She looked around and as she watched the other townspeople go about their days, she blinked and started walking back to the farm. 'I guess I do, nothing of interest.' She thought to herself.

Insanity appeared next to her. "That's why so many strange things happen here, the town is so boring that most wouldn't even realize it right away." He said.

Sarah simply looked at him without saying anything. "If you REALLY want some excitement, why not travel?" He suggested. "New town, new perspective and new tails to chase." He said suggestively as he watched an orange furred mare walk by, he whistled as he looked at Sarah, who did not look amused. "Oh come on, you can't tell me that you don't want some one on one action?" He asked.

Sarah sighed and continued walking without saying anything. "You know, what about that Wave girl?" He asked, Sarah looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Now I KNOW you have the hots for her." He teased.

Gritting her teeth, Sarah flew into the air and landed on a cloud, she heard laughing as Insanity appeared on a nearby cloud laying on his side. "Why the angry face? I'm just saying what your thinking." He said with a grin.

"Why don't you shut up!?" Sarah snapped. "I have enough on my mind without you making it worse!" She said angrily.

Insanity gave a half hearted shrug. "You do have a lot on your mind, but I'm not the problem, the only question is....what exactly is tying you to this place?" He asked.

Sarah looked at the farm and then at Insanity. "It may have slipped your mind, but I have a family that I care about here." She replied.

"True, but why hasn't your beloved sister spoken to you in a week?" Insanity asked curiously, but his tone was condescending.

Sarah growled. "Shut up Insanity." She warned.

Insanity grinned. "Or you'll do what?" He asked. "You can't kill me, and you don't scare me at all." He pointed out.

Sarah looked away and crossed her arms as she hovered. "Besides, with your past?" A dark chuckle came from the ghost. "You'll be lucky to make it to your forties." He said.

Sarah bit her lip and her expression saddened as Insanity spoke. "Think about it, your little sister is feeling the same madness that claimed you." He paused as Sarah looked at him. "Now if you ask me, there might just be some residual madness leaking from you, just enough to corrupt her young mind." He stated.

"I won't let Apple Bloom do what I did, if I need to suffer to ensure she doesn't commit such an act, I'll gladly pay that price." Sarah replied.

Insanity blinked and then laughed hysterically a moment later, afterwards he looked at Sarah. "And if your madness consumes you?....after all your little personalities are gone, your head may be stable for now, but if push comes to shove, you'll just let go and allow yourself to feel what you felt that day." His expression immediately turned serious. "Or need I remind you of that horror?" He asked.

Sarah looked away and closed her eyes. "Just leave me alone, I don't need you messing with my head anymore." She replied.

"Fine, but don't forget that I'm in here as well, i won't LET you do something stupid." Insanity said before vanishing.

Sarah sighed quietly to herself as she flew towards the farm in silence, her head swimming with doubts and concerns for the future. "Need to focus." She whispered to herself.

_____*at the farm*______

Sarah flew towards the house when she saw something peculiar, two cloaked figured speaking with someone at the door, curious, Sarah flew in quietly and listened in. "Stop playing dumb, we know she lives here." The one one the left said, their voice heavy distorted.

"I told you two already, I don't know where Sarah is, now leave my home!" Granny Smith's voice ordered firmly.

Sarah watched as the two figures looked at each other and then at Granny. "We will return, and next time we will not be as kind." The one on the right said before they vanished into thin air.

Sarah watched in silence as the door shut, she sighed to herself and flew to her window.

"What's wrong? can't go through the front door?" Insanity asked teasingly.

Sarah sighed as she flew into the open room. "I don't need a lecture right now damn it." She replied harshly.

Insanity appeared at the door and gave her a smug grin. "You hide from your family, you hide what your doing from them and you barely leave the room." He shrugged. "I think you could USE a lecture." He added.

Sarah scoffed and walked over to the closet, she looked down and grabbed her guitar, she looked it over and then carried it to her bed and sat down, beginning to play her song.

Insanity for once, said nothing as he returned to Sarah's mind.

______*the next day, 3:00 PM*______

Sarah walked with Applejack as they headed into town with their apple cart, Sarah had a thoughtful look on her face as they walked, and her sister noticed it. "Sarah?" Applejack said.

"Huh?" Sarah muttered, looking at Applejack.

Applejack's expression was one of concern, one that Sarah knew all too well. "What's going on with you?" Applejack asked.

Sarah shook her head dismissively. "It's nothing that I can't handle AJ, trust me on that." She replied.

Applejack slowed her walk to a halt as she looked at her sister. "I trust you Sarah, you know I do but you have been avoiding the entire family, what's wrong?" She asked again, her tone more firm than before.

Sarah examined her sister for a moment before sighing. "Applejack.....how do I put this?" She shook her head sadly. "I'm thinking of leaving Ponyville." She answered.

Applejack's eyes were wide in shock as she stared at Sarah. "B-b-but what about the farm?....and the rest of us? you have family here!" She questioned.

Sarah looked away and started walking. "I know." She replied quietly.

"This has something to do with those robed ponies doesn't it?" Applejack asked.

Sarah looked at Applejack. "No it doesn't but they are concerning regardless." She replied as the two continued their walk.

"Where would you go?" Applejack asked curiously.

Sarah shrugged. "I have no idea, but being here makes me uneasy, too many memories here." She replied.

As the sisters walked by Carrot Top, they paused their conversation until they were once again alone. "Your always welcome here Sarah, don't forget that alright?" Applejack asked.

Sarah nodded and looked up at the sky as she pulled the wagon. "It's times like this that I wonder what it would have been like to grow up as a Pegasus, ever wonder what it would be like if you grew up as something else?" She asked.

"No." Applejack replied truthfully.

Sarah chuckled as they eventually reached the market and began to set up the stand. "You always were proud of who you were AJ, at least, from what I remember." She said quietly as she worked.

Applejack simply worked in silence as she worked with Sarah to set up their apple stand so they could get to work.

Sarah looked around at the ponies around the market, she sighed to herself and went to grab a basket of apples, she nearly jumped when she saw Insanity grinning at her, standing next to the stand. "I'm hurt, I've been with you for so long I though we had a bond?" He asked, faking his emotional turmoil.

Sarah said nothing as she worked. "You know, I'm surprised that you haven't flown the coop knowing that those robed guys are after you." Insanity said calmly.

"But then I realized something.....you must WANT them to find you, give you a real reason to, shall we say, let loose?" He asked, his tone making what he meant quite clear.

Sarah gave Insanity a quick glare to silence him, she then looked at Applejack. "Hey, you alright to manage the stand alone for a while?" She asked. "There's something I need to take care of." She added, her voice kind of strained.

Applejack raised an eyebrow at Sarah's peculiar behaivor, but nodded.

Sarah quickly flew off and found an isolated cloud to stand on, she noticed Insanity appear behind her on an imaginary cloud. "I will only say this once, I am never going to allow myself to turn into that monster again, so stop trying to piss me off!" She snapped, her angry voice nearly a growl.

Insanity merely grinned. "You may as well get used to me little girl." His condescending tone making Sarah even angrier. "I'm going to be around until you die, and don't think suicide is an option." He chuckled darkly as he lowered his head.

"I could just say something you know, I don't think anyone will be very happy about an Element of Chaos running around." Sarah argued.

Insanity looked at Sarah and opened his eyes, his grin grew into a demented one as glowing yellow eyes opened. "Just try it girl, then everyone will think your insane, and then you will face either an insane asylum or you will need to run, either way I win!" He laughed as he vanished into thin air.

Sarah shook her head as her head suddenly felt like it was splitting, she clutched her head as the world around her started spinning and changing colors rapidly until it stopped, she collapsed on the cloud as her breathing became ragged. "N.....not again." She muttered as she let go of her head, she gulped and slowly stood up, she took a deep breath and hovered a little for a moment before flying back to Applejack.

"I thought I was past this, why is it starting up again?" She asked herself.

______*the next day, 8:00 PM.*______

Sarah walked back to the farm slowly on the dark roads, she had spent most of the day with Minutte who was tired of her brother, she then spent the rest of her day with Wave at her house, which was where Sarah was walking home from.

A cool breeze blew through the air and ran through her hair, Sarah chuckled as she looked up at the sky, the moon shining bright as the stars formed constellations.

Ponyville was very quiet at night, the townspeople preferring to stay indoors at this hour instead of being up and about, Sarah however enjoyed this solitude as it allowed her time to herself.

Sarah watched as a couple of stray cats ran between alleyways and the town, as well as a few stray dogs.

Sarah continued walking until she reached the gates to the farm, where she hestitated to enter, she stood still, standing at the border of the farm in silence. "Sarah?" Insanity asked quietly, his usual tone replaced with a calm one.

Sarah looked at Insanity who stood next to her. "I could just leave, right now, go anywhere I want and never look back." She sighed and started walking again. "But then I would have to live with the guilt that I never said goodbye, that my own family didn't know if I left or if I was taken." She looked at Insanity sadly. "I can't do that, no matter what I'm going through." She said.

Insanity said nothing for a moment and then he spoke. "Did I tell you who my first host was? since I came back?" He asked.

Sarah shook her head. "No." She said,

Insanity walked ahead of Sarah and looked at her in the eye. "He was nobody, a homeless man with nothing to lose or gain, I took his body and discarded the rest, and then I came here, I attacked Applejack to test her strength as the Element of Honesty, and then I tried to use one of my many powers on the Element of Laughter and Storm, to see who they truly were." He then vanished into Sarah's mind. "When he avoided my attack, I knew there was something in him he didn't want to be shown, but by then, my host was killed and I was back to finding another, one that was actually capable of holding me." He explained.

"Me?" Sarah asked in disbelief.

"At first I thought that you were just another lunatic, not worth my time, but the madness within you is great, it rivals my own in many ways." Insanity replied. "It must be hard to believe, Element of Insanity and all, but it's true." He added.

Sarah was about to say something when she smelled something on the air.......she sniffed the air again and found that whatever it was, it was burning.

Sarah flew into the air and looked around, her eyes widened as she spotted the farmhouse burning in the distance. "No." She whispered as she flew as fast as she could, determined to save her family from the flames.

Sarah landed in front of the house and ran up to the broken door, she quickly broke it down and ran inside as she coughed from the heavy smoke, she held her right hoof over her eyes and looked around, her eyes straining to see anything, there were piles upon piles of debris strewn across the floor and almost everything was engulfed in flames. "Applejack! Big Macintosh! Apple Bloom! Granny!" She called out desperately.

When she heard nothing, Sarah coughed from the smoke and quickly forced her way past the debris blocking her way up the stairs, she searched frantically for anyone but found no one in the hallway. "Anyone!?" She called out.

Sarah heard a faint coughing coming from her room and she ran the door, she rammed it once, but the door stood firm, she rammed it again, and the wood creaked from the pressure, she braced herself and rammed it once again, only this time the door came off its hinges and Sarah soon found the source of the cough.

Sarah quickly rushed up to the barely conscious Apple Bloom and picked her up, she placed the filly over her back and carried her out of the room.

Sarah coughed loudly and quickened her pace as the ceiling collapsed in the room.

The building was quickly coming apart as Sarah quickly reached the door and exited the house, she managed to get a good ten feet from the door when she collapsed and dropped Apple Bloom.

Sarah breathed heavily and looked back at the house, she braced herself and went to go back inside only for the entrance to collapse and the flames to intensify.

Her eyes widened in fear as she fell to the ground, her face one of fear as she watched her home burn to the ground, she would not have moved at all if it hadn't been for a silent cough to snap her out of her trance.

Sarah looked at Apple Bloom and sighed to herself. 'Don't worry kid, I'll make sure you get help.' She said to herself as she picked up her little sister and flew off towards the hospital.

"Whoever did this won't get away with it, I swear It." She swore quietly.

______*the next day, Ponyville Hospital, 1:00 PM*_______

Sarah angrily paced back and forth in the hospital, she was worried about Apple Bloom for sure, but she was very concerned about where Applejack, Granny and Big Mac were.

Thankfully Apple Bloom's injuries were not fatal, slight bruising, a few burned off patches of fur, multiple shallow cuts and a broken hoof, truth be told she got off lucky, considering the entire roof had collapsed on the house.

Sarah heard doors open and she saw the doctor that had helped Apple Bloom walk out, he walked over to her and spoke. "I covered your sisters cuts with bandages and a healing salve, the fur will come back in time and the bruising will heal within the week, but the hoof was badly broken." He paused a moment to take a breath before speaking. "I've placed it in a cast and she'll be able to walk again In a couple of weeks, but as badly damaged as it was, there is a possibility that she may always feel pain in that hoof." He added.

Sarah took a breath. "Well......what are the chances for that?" She asked.

The doctor sighed and took his glasses off to clean them. "Fifty fifty I am afraid ma'am, so let us hope that we get the better half of that." He replied as he put his glasses back on.

Sarah shook her head as she walked around a little. "How long do you recommend she stay here?" She asked.

"At least a week." The doctor replied.

Sarah looked at the doctor and nodded. "Alright, is she awake?" She asked out of curiosity.

The doctor shook his head. "No, she has been asleep all morning, she should be awake soon though." He replied.

Sarah nodded. "Thanks doctor." She said before walking away. 'You should talk to your sister Sarah, she needs to know your alright.' Insanity advised.

'No can do Insanity, I have something to do.' She told him as she walked.

_____*outside.*_____

Sarah sighed as she looked around, nobody even seemed aware of the fire yet, or if they were they weren't saying anything.

Sarah was about to start walking when she heard a voice near her. "Sarah Apple?" The voice asked, the voice was distorted.

Turning around, Sarah saw a stallion wearing a black cloak standing next to another cloaked stallion. "No." She said calmly.

The stallion on the left approached by a few steps. "You will be coming with us, if you at all care about your family." He threatened.

Sarah growled and stared at him. "If that was a joke, it wasn't funny, now go away, I'm not going anywhere with you freaks!" She snapped angrily.

The one on the right simply shook his head. "We tried to be civil, now we have no choice but to resort to more direct methods." He stated.

Sarah quickly backed up from the pair as they approached her threateningly, one thing she did notice however was that no one nearby seemed to notice. "Why are they ignoring you two?" She quickly asked.

The one on the right was quick to answer that question. "A spell that makes us invisible to their eyes, as well as nullifies sound and touch, in other words." He paused as he vanished into thin air.

Sarah's eyes widened, but she decided to take action at that moment, she rushed the other cloaked stallion and tackled him, he braced himself and withstood the charge, but was caught off guard as she headbutted him and kicked him in the stomach.

She was about to run off when a large net covered her and quickly tightened around her, she tried to break out of it but it had tangled up her hooves and the net was sealed by magic. "Let me out of here you cowards!" She shouted.

The larger of the two stallions simply grasped the net and spoke. "Shut up." He ordered.

The net glowed and almost immediately Sarah felt sleepy, she tried to stay awake but her eyes closed and she fell unconscious.

______*later*______

Sarah groaned quietly as her eyes slowly opened, she felt very weak and groggy, her vision was blurred and she could not move, she blinked a few times and her vision was slightly restored, she could tell that she was still inside the net, and that it was glowing a soft brown. 'Ugh.....this net, what did they do?' She asked herself.

'They knocked you out and kidnapped you, the net is enchanted to put the victim to sleep and then keep them weak, classical kidnapping tool.' Insanity answered.

Sarah waited for some time and her vision returned to her, so she could now see clearly, she immediately noticed that her hooves were bound by rope to prevent movement, she could also tell that she was gagged to keep her quiet, though she didn't need vision to feel the tape over her mouth. 'They couldn't at least use cloth?....tape hurts like hell when you remove it.' She complained mentally.

Insanity chuckled. 'I'll be sure to remember your preference next time you have a wet dream.' He replied with an amused tone.

Sarah still felt weak, but she wasn't groggy anymore, she looked around as best as she could and saw that she was in a wagon of some kind, hidden away from prying eyes no doubt. 'So who do you think those two goons were?' Insanity asked.

Sarah mentally sighed to herself as she realized something when she saw a large machete in the corner. 'Their names are Ferret and Kinto, they work for the organization as kidnapping specialists, I ran into them once before during my......service.' She told him, she then moved her hooves with one slight motion and she undid the rope around her hooves, she then removed the tape from her mouth and pulled two parts of the net apart.

Insanity sighed. "Sarah, there is no way that those idiots would leave the net vulnerable to a physical assault." He mentioned as he appeared on the other side.

'Then you do something.' She said as she stopped pulling on the enchanted net.

Insanity grinned and returned to Sarah's mind, when she felt herself lose control of her hooves she almost panicked, but when her hooves touched the net and it wilted away she grinned. 'Cool' She replied.

Insanity chuckled and receeded into her mind once again, returning full control to Sarah who quickly got herself free of the net and felt her senses fully return to her, she walked over and grabbed the machete and examined it, the blade itself was typical enough, simple design, but the handle was dark brown wood with dark green colored vine patterns. "It's been a while since I had to use one of these." She commented quietly.

Footsteps near the door at the other end of the wagon caused Sarah to quickly hide behind a stack of crates, she peaked out from the dark corner of the room and saw the door open to reveal a dark green furred unicorn stallion with yellow eyes. 'Kinto.' She identified.

Kinto closed the door and walked closer to where Sarah had been kept, she readied her blade to kill him in a moments notice when the door opened again. "Kinto, she isn't going anywhere, not with all the drugs we pumped her full of." Ferret stated.

Sarah blinked. 'I don't feel drugged.' She said mentally.

'Dont complain, I'm keeping them from affecting you until we are safe, fair warning, your probably going to feel horny or sleepy when they take effect.' Insanity replied.

Kinto huffed and walked to the door as it closed, seeing her chance, Sarah advanced carefully and quietly, she hid behind objects and other items until she neared Kinto who had neared the door, in one fell swoop, she covered his mouth and pierced his heart with her blade, his muffled screams didn't reach Ferret as he slumped over.

Sarah felt some blood on her hoof as she let the body drop to the floor with a thud, she looked at her hoof saw that it was bloodstained, she set it on the ground and walked to the door, she opened it carefully and peaked outside, she saw that she was on a large wooden wagon being pulled towards some unknown location, the main cart ahead of her had a small tarp concealing a potential hiding place, Sarah flew up to it and hid inspected it, she grinned and hid inside as she heard Ferret speaking.

Since it was still daytime, Sarah would be at a slight disadvantage, but when Ferret spots his brothers corpse, she would end him.

Ferret came into view as he walked to the wagon, he approached the door and opened it before stepping inside to find his brother.

Sarah immediately flew inside before the door closed, she then hid herself as Ferret searched for Kinto, eventually he neared where the unicorn died, he spotted the blood and quickly rushed to try and save his brother.

Sarah struck immediately, she flew to Ferret quickly and with one swing of the machete, Ferret's head was cut off, blood splattered onto Sarah's face and she landed, she dropped the machete and looked down at her recent victims, she sighed and moved to leave the wagon, a small clatter behind her made Sarah jump as she cautiously searched the room.

Insanity's ghost appeared near a few barrels. "What's with all of this junk?" He asked, referring to the strange plethora of items strewn across the room.

Sarah walked over and kneeled down at what had fallen, she was shocked to discover what it was. "The brothers gathered items from their targets, special ones, the very weapons that made them infamous." She grabbed the object and showed it to Insanity.

Insanity's eyes widened. "Is that what I think it is?" He asked.

Sarah nodded. "The very knife that killed Hilde and Uncle Spud." She replied, the knife was worn, the once shiny metal blade now bloodstained and aging, the handle was black with a red spiral pattern. "Kitchen knives don't come like that." Insanity pointed out.

"My own design." Sarah replied as she grabbed a small leather strap and sheathed her knife in it, she looked at the blood on her face and shook her head. "I'll clean that off later." She said before walking to the door.

As she stepped outside to the bright sun beating down on her, Sarah flew up and spotted an all too familiar building in the distance, it was a gray building made of stone that looked like a prison. "Do you know that place?" Insanity asked.

"Yes, it's the headquarters." Sarah replied as she flew towards it.

"I'm not so sure a frontal assault is wise." Insanity warned.

Sarah grinned. "Who says I'm charging in? I have a plan in mind." She said.

Insanity sighed. "I hope your right." He muttered.

______*Six hours later, nighttime.*______

The night air was chilling now, as opposed to the hot air from the day, Sarah had allowed the drugs in her system to run their course, with Insanity speeding up the process of removing them, she looked down at the headquarters and examined it.

There was a forteen feet high chain link fence surrounding the complex which was at the least eight houses large in width and length, there were at least fifteen guards on each side with seven additional guards for the front entrance, there was ten Pegasi and six Griffons on the roof to act as air support, Sarah noticed that they had many lights around the complex, and four guard towers surrounding the complex, she grinned and walked away from the little ledge she was on.

"Mind filling me in on this plan?" Insanity asked as he materialized next to her.

Sarah looked at the ghost. "We both know you can look into my mind to see my plan, so why are you asking me?" She asked.

"Because I'm a nice guy." Insanity answered.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I was here once before, I remember how I got away, and knowing the organization, they are more likely to hide the fact that a weakness like the one I used exists, rather than fix it." She said.

Insanity chuckled. "So your using their preference to control information against them?.....I knew I loved you for a reason." He said before vanishing.

"Don't get your hopes up." Sarah said as she approached her destination, the base of one of the towers, she extended her wings and flew over the fence, knowing that there was an alarm spell, she had Insanity make the spell believe that they were an insect.

Once she landed on the ground, Sarah walked up the door of the guard tower, she entered it and looked up, seeing that it was just a spiral staircase up, she flew silently up, when she reached the top, she found two guards searching for movement on the outside.

Sarah waited for them to be looking away from eachother before making her move, she flew to the guard on the left and covered his mouth with her hoof and shoved her knife into his throat, the other guard apparently hear this and tried to run to the alarm, he gasped in pain as Sarah threw the knife at him and it plunged into his heart.

Sarah quickly silenced him for good and retrieved her knife, she then flew down and neared the back entrance, where the loading of supplies happened, she managed to hide behind a stack of crates as a pair of stallions walked by, she waited for a few moments before moving to a large wagon similar to the one she was in before, since there was people everywhere, she needed to be careful. "Alright boys! bring it in!" The foreman shouted.

Sarah grinned at the stroke of luck, she climbed under the wagon and hid herself as the wagon began to move.

The wagon entered a large room filled with crates, barrels and other supplies, but Sarah saw it all as cover, so when the wagon stopped and the amount of people diminished to only four, Sarah left her hiding spot and snuck over to a pile of barrels, she looked out from her cover and saw the four workers conversing, two stallions and two mares, she quickly made her way across the loading area and towards the door to leave.

As Sarah neared the door, it opened and the foreman stepped out. "Alright! let's get this stuff out of here, we're done here." He ordered.

Sarah was thankfully that they were now leaving, so she quickly and quietly ducked inside the door, and made her way through the halls.

Soon enough however, thunder struck outside the building, and a loud voice could be heard. "We got ourselves a wild storm everyone! get candles lit and have someone check on the power!" A commanding voice shouted.

Sarah grinned as she reached a crossroads, she headed down a familiar hallway and Insanity appeared in front of her. "Where are you going?" Insanity asked.

'The power room.' Sarah replied mentally as she quickly moved through the empty halls.

"Where is everyone? you would think with a secret base there would at least be someone in these halls." Insanity asked.

Sarah chuckled, as she hid in a cubby, three Pegasi ran through the hallway to the left and headed towards the power room. "Remember, there's a wild storm here, everyone is bracing for it." She replied quietly as she headed in the same direction as the Pegasi.

Sarah quickly reached a moderately sized room with two doors and a large metal machine, she saw many workers maintaining the machine, she calmly hid and analyzed the room.

'Two guards, one by each door and seven workers walking about, now which room can I do the most damage from?' She asked herself mentally.

Sarah soon heard a thundering crash of lighting nearby, she heard the sound of crashing stone somewhere behind her, glancing over her shoulder, Sarah saw nothing. "Must have been in the hall." She whispered.

Looking back at the room, she saw that everyone in the room including the guards had gone to do something about the damage.

After they were all gone, Sarah quickly took her chance and ran to the room on the left she went inside and saw that it was filled with supplies and tools, she growled and went for the other room, discovering that it was filled with complex machines and tools.

Sarah left the room and looked at the large machine, she grabbed a nearby wrench and sighed. 'I had hoped to be subtle about this, but oh well.' She thought as she swung the wrench at the machines wiring, when it impacted the wiring sparked fiercely, almost electrocuting Sarah before she could avoid it.

The machine exploded and the room turned dark, all light sources removed.

Sarah grinned and flew up to the ceiling as the people came back. "We've been sabotaged! find the one responsible for this now!" One of the guards ordered.

With the power gone, Sarah had only one thing to do, she drew her knife and flew down silently to the unicorn guard, she slit his throat and proceeded to eliminate the magic users, one by one.

The workers panic turned to be in Sarah's favor as she killed them, some tried to flee, only to recieve a knife to the eye, some tried to hide in the side rooms, only for Sarah to pierce their hearts.

Eventually, no one was left alive, Sarah left the power room and discovered the damage from the lightning strike, it was a massive hole in the ceiling that allowed the moon to shine bright into the dark hallway.

Sarah walked forward and stood in the moonlight, she looked at her knife that now shined bright with blood shimmering in the moonlight, she cleaned it off on her hoof and continued walking.

The loud commanding voice from before once again spoke. "What is going on with the power!? find out now!" He boomed.

Sarah soon entered the part of the headquarters she knew better than any other, the Confines. "Sarah, how do you know that your family is here? it really could have been an accident." Insanity asked.

Sarah looked at Insanity. "Because they wouldn't have gone after me if they couldn't follow through with their threats." She whispered as she began to walk the familiar halls.

"What is this place?" Insanity asked.

'Its called the Confines, or as the prisoners call it, The Lab, this is where I was butchered and experimented on, this is where most of my life was spent.' Sarah replied, the anger in her mind at the mere thought of this place actually scared Insanity.

Sarah walked down the halls and soon she spotted a familiar number on the wall. "Eight three b." She shivered.

Insanity was about to ask what was wrong when Sarah held her head and screamed, he could feel the intense pain course through her mind as the world shifted rapidly between reality and some strange orange tinted world.

Sarah looked up and the world stayed consistent for a while, but she knew where she was, or more importantly, when she was.

Insanity was about to ask what she was staring at when he saw it, a little earth pony filly with purple eyes, blonde hair and tan fur was being dragged across the floor screaming, he was speachless as they threw her into a cell and left her there as it was sealed shut, he watched and listened as the young filly cried, he was about to tell Sarah to stop watching when he heard the filly speak.

"How could they?" She asked herself, tears streaming down her face. "I trusted them, and they turned their backs on me, abandoned me to these people." The little filly growled and looked up, her eyes locking with Sarah's. "I'll make them pay, when I get out of here, I'll make them suffer!" She swore, pure hatred in her words.

"Sarah, we need to get moving." Insanity said.

Snapping out of it, Sarah quickly got moving, searching the cells one by one for her family, she passed many cells, and even had to kill a few guards that showed up and got in her way, but Sarah soon reached the last row of cells.

"If they aren't here Sarah, we need to get out of here, the guards might be elsewhere but we will need to be careful regardless." Insanity stated.

Sarah nodded silently and began to walk along the hall, she passed a few griffons, a Minotaur and a familiar unicorn, Sarah stopped and looked at the cell's occupant. "Wave?" Sarah asked.

Sure enough, the purple unicorn mare looked up and spoke. "Sarah?....what are you doing here?" She asked, her voice strained.

Sarah opened the cell door and removed the magic blocking device from Wave's horn. "I'm here to find my family, I think they might be here." She said.

Wave lit her horn, allowing Sarah to get a better look at her, Wave's left eye was black from bruising and both her eyes were bloodshot, her nose was badly damaged along with the rest of her head, her hoofs were shaking and cut all over. "Why did they bring you here?" Sarah asked out of concern.

Wave took a pained breath and looked into Sarah's eyes. "They.....wanted to know, where YOU were, and how to find you." She replied, her voice raspy and dry.

Sarah caught Wave as she almost fell, she then proceeded to carry her along the hall. "Come on, I'll get you out of here, try not to talk too much." She said confidently, but with a gentle tone.

Wave smiled as they slowly walked. "Don't make a promise you can't keep Sarah, what if your family is worse off than me?" She asked painfully.

"Then I'll get you all out." Sarah boasted with a grin.

Wave winced as they walked. "Pl.....please don't make light of this." She begged.

Sarah's expression turned grim and she paused to think, when she started to talk again, she wasn't very enthusiastic about it. "If I can't get you all to safety without a fight, then I'll fight for you all." She replied.

Wave looked at Sarah and took a few more pained breaths. "I....think I heard.....one of the guards." She took another breath. "Questioning your family, asking where you were." She stated.

Sarah nodded and the two reached the last few cells, and Sarah's eyes widened, she set Wave down by the wall and rushed to the cell door, she forced it open and spoke. "Applejack!" She called out.

"Ug......Sarah? no-it's.....a trap." Applejack strained to say.

Sarah heard footsteps nearby and she looked down the hall that she came from, she spotted four armed soldiers led by an earth pony stallion larger than Big Macintosh. "The girl is right Sarah Apple, and you took our bait!" He declared.

Sarah growled as she backed up, she got close to the lock and saw her brother inside, she bashed the flimsy lock off and looked at the stallion. "So what now? you kill me?" She asked.

The stallion laughed loudly, but once he was done, he spoke. "No, you are going to return to our service! no one stops being an assassin and lives!" He declared.

Sarah glanced over and saw that Wave was gone. "Why me? I'm no one special!" She asked.

"Not special?" The stallion chuckled. "You hold two magical cores and survived for thirteen years without dying to magical overload, you held incredible potential that was revealed after killing your cousin Hilde, and you were able to kill two of my best men with ease." He said, as though reading a biography.

"I'm not going to be your assassin! so you can forget it!" Sarah snapped.

The stallion grinned wickedly. "Are you sure about that? after all your family is on the line here, and let's not forget about your little play thing." He threatened.

Sarah's eyes widened. "You......you would kill an Element of Harmony?......just for an assassin!?" She angrily shouted.

The stallion shrugged. "Why not? what good are some little girls when you could easily eliminate the threat with one swift strike?" He asked.

No one said or did anything for a while, no sound or movement was in that hall for what felt like eternity.

Sarah closed her eyes and thought on her options, which weren't many.

"Come now Sarah Apple, it is an easy decision!" The stallion stated.

A thundering crash of lighting blazes across the sky, releasing a powerful sound that made everyone unable to hear, Sarah's eyes snapped open and she growled. "I'd sooner kill you!" She snapped before vanishing.

"Kill the prisoners!" The stallion ordered.

"Sir, they're gone!" One of the soldiers replied out of shock.

The stallion looked at his soldier. "Find them now! they can't have gone far!" He ordered loudly.

Sarah watched from the shadows as the soldiers split into two groups of two in order to find their escaped prisoners, while the large stallion calmly walked forward as he spoke. "You cannot win Sarah Apple, I command every soul in this complex, and all of my prisoners are thirsty for blood." He declared.

Sarah quietly stalked him as he walked alone, his voice betraying no fear or emotion. "Even if you do kill me, and escape this place alive, you won't be free, your family are targets for the organization now as is your little unicorn friend." He then looked up at the ceiling, directly where Sarah was hiding. "Now come down here and surrender, it will be easier for us both." He stated calmly.

Sarah said nothing as she dropped to the ground, she looked at the stallion with an angry glare. "Some call me monster." She began. "And for the most part they are right, I am a monster with a terrible lust for blood." She stated. "But your are a monster as well, no sane being would threaten innocent lives just for a killer." She then landed on the ground.

"Very dramatic, but you won't be free of us, not in the way you want, that life is far from your reach." He said.

Sarah chuckled. "Perhaps, but at least I'll be free of the organization, one way or another this ends tonight." She said before flying off.

The stallion immediately gave chase, but as he ran his voice boomed through the halls. "Soldiers! Sarah Apple is here in the complex! capture her and the escaped prisoners and bring them to me immediately!" He ordered.

Sarah turned the corner and left the Lab, she flew into a pair of Griffon guards, she unsheathed her knife and slashed the throat of one of the guards, the other one lunged at her and slashed her side, Sarah winced in pain as the griffon then grabbed her shoulders and tried to pierce her chest with his beak.

Thinking fast, Sarah managed to free her right arm and punched him in the beak causing the guard to release a screech of pain, she then thrust her knife up and pierced his neck, she pulled it out and flew off in a hurry as she heard the sound of armored feet approaching.

Sarah quickly flew up a flight of nearby stairs and continued going up, she eventually reached the top of the stairwell and broke the door open to find a small armory, where she was attacked by a pair of kangaroo guards who threw javelins and slashed with scimitars.

Sarah dodged a javelin and threw a nearby throwing axe at one of the guards, it simply dodged the axe but wasn't able to dodge the knife that Sarah has thrown in the direction it dodged, the knife embedded itself into the guards heart and it fell over dead.

Sarah dodged the sword swipe from the other guard and retrieved her knife, the guard quickly lunged and swung viciously at Sarah, she wasn't able to dodge in time and the sword tore a hole in her arm, she cried out in pain as the kangaroo attempted another assault, however Sarah quickly dodged the next attack and she lodged her knife deep into the guards skull.

Sarah panted and winced in pain as she started to feel her injuries, she wasn't able to stop however as she heard multiple sets of armored footsteps rapidly approaching, she ran off towards the other exit, finding a large room with no other way out and two side rooms, the room had tables and maps, as well as armor and weapon racks around the room.

Sarah barricaded the door with some nearby chairs and a small table, she didn't hear the footsteps approaching, but she couldn't be too careful, she sighed and started to walk to one of the side rooms.

As she walked, Sarah allowed herself a moment to reflect. "I had thought I was free." She muttered. "That I could live my life with the past behind me, I never truly believed I was off the hook however, but I had hopes......they were the hopes of a fool but I wanted them to be true nonetheless." She sighed as she leaned against the wall, her injuries catching up with her.

"What a fool I was, no......people like me are hunted feared and coveted for their abilities, their powers or their intelligence, I tried in vain to protect those I love, but I failed them, I failed them all because I was a fool, but even though I lost them, I can still fight......to avenge them, and to prevent this from EVER happening again." She looked at her knife and licked the blood clean.

Sarah then walked to a symbol on the floor and stood on it, she saw her vision change as she saw ghosts of her family and friends, and even her inner personalities. "So now, as I see my life flash before me." She smiled as she saw memories of her past play out before her.

Sarah closed her eyes as she whispered. "I pray to whatever God or immortal that's listening.......and I pray for forgiveness for what I must do, for they are here, and they will not let me leave with my life, so I will take theirs." She heard many armored footsteps come closer.

Sarah's eyes snapped open, they were bright orange and a maniacal grin formed. "Time to have some fun." She said.

The armored soldiers charged at Sarah who immediately vanished before their eyes, a strange aura emerging in the room.

Sarah swung her knife down on one of the unaware guards and her knife glowed orange, it pierced the Minotaurs helmet as though it were paper and he collapsed to the ground.

The other guards quickly attacked Sarah, she easily dodged the halberds and the sword as she slid across the floor, her grin never leaving her, one of the Minotaurs charged and swung its massive halberd down on her, and in an unexpected move, she allowed it to impact with her, the blade tearing into her right shoulder.

Sarah looked up at the minotaur and grinned. "You are going to have to do a lot better than that to kill me." She taunted as she grabbed the halberd with her left hoof and easily lifted it out, even with the soldier attempted to force it down.

Sarah laughed and vanished from sight, and just as quickly the same halberd cut the minotuars head clean off, she then launched at one of the guards, who swung her sword at Sarah In an attempt to kill her.

Sarah simply moved around her so quickly the female griffon didn't have a chance to react as Sarah stabbed her in the back of the head, blood splattering onto her face.

Finally Sarah turned to face the last guard, who readied himself for combat, she raised her knife and licked the blood off, letting out a soft moan of pleasure, and to the guards horror, Sarah's wounds healed themselves almost instantly.

She then let out a mad chuckle as she proceeded to kill the last guard brutally.

Sarah looked around at the death she caused, and grinned. "Time to deal with the rest of them." She said,

Insanity chuckled. "Yes.....use my power, wipe these wannabes out, slaughter them!" He laughed maniacally.

_____*an hour later*_____

Sarah smiled to herself as she watched the complex explode from her vantage point in the sky, she was perched on a cloud right now, her glowing orange eyes the only things lighting up this dark night. "Your family escaped, they are rattled, but they'll be alright." Insanity said as he appeared next to Sarah.

"Wave is alright, she took a beating but she is stronger than she looks." Insanity added calmly.

Sarah said nothing as she watched the flames. "You don't even care do you?" He asked curiously.

"I fucking care." Sarah said as she stood up and looked at Insanity, her eyes back to normal. "The whole point of this was to keep my family safe, but after tonight....." She sighed. "There is no way that I can go back, someone like me has no place in a peaceful town like Ponyville."

Insanity watched as Sarah hovered, he returned to her mind. "I'm going back home, and then I'm leaving, the orginization is still out there, and my family won't be safe until I'm gone." She began to fly back home, knowing the way.

"What will you say to them? they are your family Sarah and they will want you to stay." Insanity pointed out.

Sarah smiled. "I know, but i won't stay, not until I learn to control my bloodlust." She replied.

Insanity sighed to himself. "Did I ever tell you why I came back? my true reason for returning to Equestria whenever I found a worthy host?" He asked.

Sarah shook her head. "No, why?" She asked as she flew.

Insanity was silent for a time, but he soon spoke. "I'll tell you tomorrow." He promised quietly.

______*meanwhile, Las Pegasus.*_______

The stormy night continued in the city, and looking out towards it all, stood Omu Sarto, an earth pony stallion with brown hair and golden brown fur, he had one yellow eye and one green eye, no tail or cutie mark, he was well built and slightly taller than most stallions, the most defining feature about him was a knife scar across his left eye, the green one.

Officially he was a business man who dealt with transportation and exotic goods, his true business however was that of smuggling, slavery, the acquisition of power artifacts, and even arms dealing.

As he looked out to the stormy night from his window, he heard footsteps coming closer to his office door, he glanced back and saw a lanky kangaroo male enter the room, he seemed to be out of breath. "Terrance." He said, his voice smooth and calm, giving the impression of a refined person. "Didn't you learn how to knock before entering the room?" He asked calmly.

Terrance nodded rapidly. "O-o-of course sir, I uh.....I'm sorry." He said.

Omu turned around sat down on his chair. "I thought I told you not to come speak with me until you found something out about the Orginization?" He asked.

Terrance nodded and nervously twiddled with his fingers. "You did sir." He gulped. "That's why I'm here, their headquarters sir.......its been destroyed." He replied quickly.

Omu blinked at the news, he then smiled as he stood up. "This is perfect, by any chance do you know how it happened?" He asked.

Terrance nodded as he pulled out a folder. "It was done by this woman sir.......she did it alone." He said as he set the folder on the desk carefully.

Omu took the folder and opened it, finding an entire section based on a Pegasus mare called Sarah Apple, he chuckled. "I see, thank you Terrance, but if you would, I have a new assignment for you, one that will not be as exhausting as your previous one." He said as he walked to his bookcase.

Terrance nervously walked over to his employer as Omu pulled a book, the bookcase slid to the side and revealed a six feet long two feet wide chest, it was made of obsidian and had blue glyphs surrounding it, they glowed and danced along the surface of it.

Omu then muttered some incoherent words and the chest opened up to reveal a long stone staff with strange markings and a dark blue orb as the head.

"What is this?" Terrance asked curiously.

Omu looked at Terrance. "It is an ancient artifact called the Staff of Entropy, you are to study it and learn everything there is to know about it." He said.

"But sir.......I'm not an archeologist, I work with technology.....not artifacts." Terrance argued.

Omu nodded. "Exactly, this staff is not entirely magical, it has old technology built into it, so I leave this with you." He walked behind his desk as Terrance looked at him. "You begin tomorrow Terrance, remember, do not fail me." He stated.

After Terrance left the room, Omu chuckled as he looked at the folder. "Sarah Apple......I simply must meet you, and our mutual friend." He grinned as he set the folder aside and looked outside.

"Insanity, you finally found your match."

Author's Notes:

That took a lot longer than I expected, mostly because I wasn't writing for a while there.

Anyway I just wanted to point out this is not the final chapter, though it does feel like it.

So Sarah almost lost everyone she cares about, and is now planning on leaving in order to take the Orginization's attention elsewhere, and we also introduce a newcomer to the story.

How does he fit in? you'll find out if I ever get around to writing it, but I will say that it won't be in this story because it isn't part of this plot.

As always I hope you enjoy.

Epilogue: Sarah's choice.

______*Canterlot Castle, the next day, 6:00 AM*______

Celestia was currently inside one of many offices of the castle, she was going over reports and requests from the military and the people, it was boring work, but it beat listening to the nobles in court and it was quiet work.

Even though it was a normal day for Celestia, she was thankful that she had a pot of hot tea sitting on the small counter behind her, as it was chilly today.

However, her normally quiet morning was interrupted as the door to the office opened and Quick Note, one of Celestia's personal spies walked inside, he seemed unsettled. "Quick Note, you seem troubled." She observed as she paused her work.

Quick Note nodded and approached the desk. "Celestia......I have bad news." He said quietly.

Celestia looked to the other members of staff inside the room, there was only three. "Why don't you three take a break?" She said.

With that, the office workers left the office and after Celestia put up a sound ward on the room, she spoke. "What's happened?" She asked.

"It's the Orginization Princess." Quick Note replied. "The headquarters have been destroyed." He added somberly.

Celestia's expression remained neutral, but she spoke with a concerned tone. "How did this happen?" She asked.

Quick Note shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know, there were no survivors." He said.

Celestia stood up and conjured a magical window to Canterlot, she looked down at the city with a worried expression. "This isn't good, the Orginization has disgusting methods, but they get results when more peaceful means fail, if they lost their headquarters it's only a matter of time until they are gone." She said, she then looked at Quick Note. "Any news from Manehatten?" She asked.

Quick Note sighed. "Gone, explosives destroyed the base and all soldiers are dead." He replied.

"The Artic?" Celestia asked.

"There is no reason to believe they were behind this, but we cannot rule them out as a suspect." Quick replied.

Celestia sighed and looked at her spy. "Go and learn the status of the remaining locations, and if the captains of those bases are alive, have them report to the Castle." She ordered.

Quick Note nodded and walked out of the room.

Celestia dismissed the window and returned to her thoughts. 'Perhaps I should speak with the Artic? we cannot continue this pointless war anymore.' She sighed and removed the ward from the door, she sat down and returned to her work.

Celestia took a quick second to write a letter and then sent it with her magic. 'Explosives......just like last time.' She thought to herself as she worked. 'Could the same person have destroyed the headquarters?' She considered.

_____*Ponyville, 11:40 AM*______

Sarah sighed as she quickly walked through town on what appeared to be a warpath, she was heading for a very specific building right now and she didn't want any distractions. "Are you sure about this Sarah? absolutely sure?" Insanity asked as he walked beside her.

'Yes, I'm sure about this.' She replied.

Insanity rolled his eyes as he appeared in front of Sarah and walked backwards staring at her. "Ah young love." He teased.

Sarah said nothing as she reached the building she was looking for, she knocked on the door and waited for a response.

A few moments later, the door opened to reveal Wave, her head slightly bandaged. "Hey Sarah." She greeted.

"Hey Wave." Sarah said casually.

Wave stepped to the side and allowed Sarah to enter. "Thanks for checking on me." She said, her tone was a grateful one.

Sarah looked at Wave after she closed the door. "No problem.......actually Wave, I came here to ask you something." She replied, her tone changing to a more serious one.

Wave walked to the couch and sat down. "What is it?" She asked curiously.

______*Ten minutes later.*______

Wave leaned back in silence, she had heard Sarah's explanation about why she wanted to leave, but she was still puzzled.

"So, your really leaving?" Wave asked quietly, she was staring at the ceiling for no real reason.

Sarah nodded. "I.....think it's best, I can't go back home with the Orginization out there, at least this way my family is safe." She replied.

Wave looked directly at Sarah. "And you want me to go with you?" She asked, when Sarah nodded again, she sighed. "Why? we've known each other for a while now, but why would you want me to go with?" She asked.

Sarah let out a sad sigh and stood up, she walked behind the chair and spoke. "Because it would be nice to have someone to travel with, I know more than anyone that being alone isn't fun." She replied.

Wave studied Sarah's face for any sign that she wasn't lying, but she couldn't find any even after staring for a few minutes. "Listen, I didn't like staying in Ponyville, and i was going to leave anyway." She sighed. "But if you really want to make it work with us like you said, I need you to be honest with me." She said.

Sarah nodded. "I......I know." She replied quietly,

Wave stood and looked Sarah straight in the eye. "How long do you plan on hiding the truth from your family?" She asked.

Sarah blinked in confusion. "I'm confused......the truth?" She asked.

Wave sighed and facepalmed, she then looked up at Sarah again. "About being Insanity's host?" She asked.

Sarah's eyes widened as she froze in shock. 'How does she know?' She asked herself.

Insanity appeared and shrugged. "How the hell should I know?" He asked.

Wave looked at where Insanity stood. "Perhaps if you asked me, I would tell you both." She replied.

Sarah looked at Wave in shock, somehow the unicorn could see Insanity. "How......how can you see him?" She asked.

Wave looked at Sarah. "Magical bloodline." She answered calmly.

Insanity groaned and walked to the wall and tried to bash his head on it, but since he was a ghost, it did nothing. "What's wrong with you?" Sarah asked.

Even though Insanity said nothing, Wave thankfully answered. "Short version, magical bloodlines can see the ghosts of their ancestors if the departed has a strong enough will and hasn't passed on." She replied.

Sarah looked at Insanity. "Wait, your Wave's ancestor?" She asked curiously.

Insanity gave Sarah a death glare. "A one night stand gone wrong, how was I supposed to know that the girl got pregnant?" He replied angrily.

Wave blinked and then looked at Sarah again. "Let's get back on track, how long do you plan on hiding this from your family?" She asked.

Sarah sighed as Insanity returned to her mind. "I.....i was going to tell her, hopefully after the Orginization gave up on me." She replied, she sounded ashamed.

Wave walked up to Sarah and hugged her. "You need to tell her now, being a host for an element of Chaos isn't easy, and you might not have another chance." She said quietly.

Sarah quietly returned the hug and smiled. "Thanks." She then seperated herself. "But how do you know how hard it is to be a host?" She asked.

Wave tapped her markings. "Whenever an Element of Chaos leaves their host, they leave behind a mark, this one is the mark of Deception, she wasn't with me long, about a month, but she sensed that her true host was near, and she left." She replied.

Insanity quickly returned and spoke. "Deception was with you? did she mention anything about the rest of us?" He asked.

Wave shook her head. "She just said she had something to do, otherwise we didn't talk much." She said. "Now get going, I need to get my stuff, I'll be waiting at the train station." She said as she walked to the hallway.

Sarah walked out of the house and headed back to the farm. "So now that we have our traveling companion, what now?" Insanity asked.

"We need to talk to Applejack, she needs to know about this." Sarah replied.

Insanity sighed and floated lazily in front of Sarah. "I know I'm the Element of Insanity, but this sounds like a stupid idea, in case you forgot, your sister tried to kill me." He stated.

"After you attacked her." Sarah countered.

Insanity rolled his eyes. "Good point, but it was still rude." He said.

Sarah unfurled her wings and flew up, she then started flying to the farm. "What was the reason?" She asked.

Insanity floated nearby Sarah as she flew. "Hmm?" He asked.

"For coming back? you said you would tell me." Sarah reminded.

Insanity chuckled and let himself smile. "To be perfectly honest Sarah.......I wanted to find a replacement." He stated.

Sarah paused and looked at Insanity. "A replacement? why?" She asked.

Insanity tapped his head. "One thousand years, endlessly searching for the perfect host so I can return to the world." He sighed. "It damages the mind in ways that can't be healed, I just want it to end at this point." He looked at the sky.

Sarah continued flying to the farm. "Why are you in this predicament anyway?" She asked.

"Not by choice." Insanity replied, clearly happy for a change of topic. "A thousand years ago, I was actually a shaman, my village looked to me for guidance, my visions and prophecies were sought after by the Royal sisters before Discord's fall, I told them of a mysterious power that could defeat Discord and free the land from his grip, this didn't sit well with Discord, who personally saw to it that I was driven mad by my visions and made me into the Element of Insanity." He explained.

Sarah looked at Insanity. "So, Discord gave you incredible power at the cost of your mind?" She asked curiously.

"Free will actually." Insanity corrected. "Before the Sisters took him down, Discord forced myself and the rest of the Elements of Chaos to assault the Equestrians." He explained. "We were mostly successful in this, but we were eventually banished and forced into our current predicament." He continued.

Sarah soon landed in the orchard and walked to where the farmhouse was. "How do you know that Applejack is here?" Insanity asked.

Sarah smiled. "We had a secret place, where we would go if something was bothering us, I caught her going there last month." She said.

"And you believe she'll go there?" Insanity asked.

Sarah nodded. "Yea, she will, I know It." She said as she walked.

_____*a few minutes later*_____

Sarah walked into the small grove of trees and spotted Applejack sitting on a log staring into the pond. "Applejack, I knew I would find you here." She said.

Applejack turned around and saw Sarah walking up. "I thought you left already." She said, confusion was plain in her tone.

Sarah noticed the red circles under Applejack's bloodshot eyes. "You didn't sleep, and you've been crying......what's going on with you?" She asked.

Applejack wiped her eyes and looked down at the pond. "Isn't it obvious? my sister is leaving again." She said sadly, fighting back tears. "Just when things were looking up, you decide it's time to leave, then we were abducted, only to escape a close death at the hooves of people who couldn't care less." She choked out as she sobbed.

Sarah sat next to Applejack and put her arm around her sister. "Your talking like I'm never coming back." She said quietly. "I'll visit when I can, and one day, when I am ready to settle down I'll come home." She promised.

Applejack leaned into Sarah's chest and cried, it was unusual to her friends to see her cry, but to Sarah it was a common sight. "Applejack, before I leave I need to tell you something." Sarah said calmly.

Applejack managed to stop crying after a few minutes, once she was calmed down enough, Sarah spoke. "I've been hiding something from everyone, and it's time that someone knows." Sarah looked at Applejack and took a breath. "I'm the host for the Element of Insanity." She stated, her tone completely serious.

Applejack's eyes widened as she heard this, she backed away slightly. "Sarah.......I, how is this possible? Insanity died." She said in shock.

Sarah shook her head. "No he didn't, you can't kill an Element of Chaos Applejack, just like the Elements of Harmony can't be destroyed." She stated.

Sarah stood up and walked to the other side of the pond, she chuckled a little bit. "You know, it's ironic, your the Element of Honesty, and I'm the host for the Element of Insanity, two sisters on opposite sides." She shook her head as she looked at Applejack with a small smile. "But that doesn't mean we need to hate each other, I would like to part on good terms with you, after all we are sisters, we might argue but we shouldn't hate one another right?" She asked.

Applejack took a breath and walked over to Sarah, she pulled her into a hug and spoke quietly. "Please, just be safe, we'll miss having you around here sis." She said sadly.

Sarah returned the hug gently. "And I'll miss you guys, maybe next time we meet I won't have psychopaths after me." She laughed a little bit at that. "But seriously, don't overwork yourself, you need time to heal and I'm sure that Ponyville can survive with our family taking some time off to recover." She replied.

With that, Sarah walked to the edge of the little grove and stopped at the exit. "Applejack." She said, her voice now dead serious.

Applejack looked at her sister with curiosity. "Yea?" She asked.

Sarah looked back at Applejack. "While I was living here, I felt my old urges returning all the time." She smiled a little as she looked forward. "Help Apple Bloom out, she needs to know that she won't do the things I've done." She said before walking away.

______*The train, an hour later.*______

Sarah and Wave were sitting in the back of the train, it was quiet as not many people were on the train this time. "Where are we going again?" Sarah asked.

"Las Pegasus." Wave answered. "It's a good place to go when you want to avoid attention." She answered.

"True, unless someone knows your there." A nearby voice said.

Sarah and Wave looked and saw a Griffon with black feathers and a brown beak walked up to them, his eyes were the classical yellow of his race, he wore a strange dark gray vest that kept his wings free. "Hey, guess your on this ghost train as well." Sarah greeted.

The griffon nodded and sat down across from them. "Actually, this car was paid for by my boss." He stated, he noted Sarah's skeptical glare, he raised a claw calmly. "Don't worry, I won't try to kick you out, actually I was sent here to give the both of you an invitation."" He said.

Sarah looked at Wave who was just as confused, she looked at the griffon. "Who is your boss?" She asked.

The griffon handed the two of them a letter from inside his vest. "I work for Omu Sarto, he is a powerful man who would like an audience with you." He stated.

Sarah opened the letter and read it aloud for Wave to hear. "Greetings Sarah, if you are reading this it means Jarvin was successful in his assignment, I know about the damage you caused to the Orginization and would like to speak with you about our mutual enemies." She looked at the griffon. "What if we choose not to speak with him?" Sarah asked.

Jarvin cleared his throat. "Continue reading if you please." He replied.

Sarah sighed and continued reading. "I strongly recommend that you come and speak with me, I am certain that Insantiy will jump at the chance to speak with his brother, Jarvin can take you to me." She read, her eyes wide in shock.

'How the how does this Omu know about me? and which brother is he talking about?' Insanity wondered.

Wave looked at Sarah. "Sarah?" She asked out of concern.

Sarah chuckled and looked at Jarvin. "Well Jarvin, I accept the invitation." She said.

Jarvin nodded. "Good, when we arrive I shall take you to speak with my boss." He said before standing up and walking out of the car.

After he was gone, Wave spoke up. "This is a trap Sarah." She said.

Sarah looked at Wave. "It's obvious that this Omu knows about Insanity, and he knew we would be on this train, if he wanted to capture us he could have done it when we boarded or when we find a room to stay in." She replied.

Insanity appeared in the seat that Jarvin had been in. "And he said my brother, he didn't say which one but we can't ignore this." He stated.

Sarah sighed. "Wave, I know this is a lot to ask, but we owe Insanity, if it weren't for his power we could have died back at the Complex." She said.

Wave looked out the window for a minute before looking at Sarah. "Alright, I'll go with, but at least promise me you'll be careful." She asked.

Sarah nodded and slung her right arm over Wave's shoulder. "What fun would that be?.....but for you I'll try." She said as Insanity vanished.

Wave rested her head on Sarah and smiled. "My hero." She said sarcastically.

Sarah rested her head on Wave's and glanced outside. 'One adventure ends, another begins right away, at least now I'm not alone in this.' She smiled as the two remained how they were, content to remain with each other for as long as possible.

Author's Notes:

That's all folks!

Porky pig references aside, I think this turned out very well, I couldn't decide how to do this at first, but I felt that this was the best way after a lot of internal debate.

So that's the end of the Twin Apples, I know it didn't focus on Applejack.....at all, but that's on me and I can't find it in my heart to change it, but I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, thanks for reading.