Here's the edited chapter four, and I must warn you; there are some darker tones in this chapter, so reader discretion is advised! Plus, this and the previous chapter take place before "Keep Calm and Flutter On".

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Part 4: Instant Karma

Fluttershy was feeding her animal friends outside her cottage when she spotted a yellow Pegasus and light blue unicorn approaching.

"Oh, hi, Vincent. Fictionary," greeted Fluttershy.

"Hi Fluttershy," Vincent mumbled under his breath, still upset.

"Um, if you don't mind me saying, Vincent," said Fluttershy, "but you seem upset about something."

"Somepony's been telling lies about me," moaned Vincent, "and now Twilight and her friends think I'm a nasty pony!"

"What?!" Fluttershy's eyes widened in surprise.

"Rarity and Applejack don't want me to be around Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom anymore," Fictionary sulked, "and as for Scootaloo, well, she doesn't want to be 'round me in case Rainbow Dash is with her as well…"

"Trust issues," Vincent explained.

"But that's not who you are, surely?" said Fluttershy, "You're one of the nicest stallions I've ever come across, and I'm sure Twilight thinks so as well. Oh, I'd go out with you if I wasn't with Big Macintosh."

Vincent smiled slightly, but was still upset deep inside. "Twilight said Fictionary and I could stay with you for the time being…"

"Oh, I love the idea!" said Fluttershy. After feeding her animal friends, she led Vincent and Fictionary inside her cottage. The Pegasus stallion already felt better, but he couldn't shake off the accusations Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash said towards him.

---

All of that was about to unexpectedly change for the worse. Two days later, Twilight (with Spike's help) was asking around Ponyville where the name-calling originated. Sometimes, she and Spike got answers from one pony who got it from another pony, but not one of them, so far, had mentioned Snips and Snails.

Twilight and Spike were at Sugarcube Corner, deep in thought when Pinkie bounced up to them in her usual, excited way.

"Hey Twilight and Spike!" she said, "What are you asking everypony around for?"

"We're asking to find out where the name-calling started," Twilight explained.

"Name calling?" Pinkie was confused, but then realized what her friend was on about. "Oh, you mean the ponies laughing at Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity?"

"That's them," said Spike, "and we don't know where they got it from, but they claim it came from Vincent."

"From Vincent?" gasped Pinkie, "But he's a nice guy; he'd never insult a filly!"

"That's what we think too," said Twilight, "for now, he and Fictionary are with Fluttershy until I find the pony responsible for framing him."

Snips and Snails were also at Sugarcube Corner at the time eating their slices of carrot cake when they overheard the two mares' conversation. Both colts knew what Twilight was talking about, and couldn't help feeling a bit guilty.

"D'you think it was a bad idea to trust in them?" asked Snips to Snails.

"Eh, I guess," said Snails, "what do we do?"

"Tell them the truth, I guess," Snips shrugged.

---

Meanwhile, outside on the streets of Ponyville, a cloaked yellow stallion with blue hooves was walking past several ponyfolk. The stallion in question was Vincent, wearing a disguise under Fluttershy's suggestion.

"I'm gonna get my canvases and art tools," he told himself, "and then head on back to Fluttershy's. I haven't done any paintings for about three days and hopefully I'm not too rusty."

Unknown to him, as he walked to the Metrostallion House, Fictionary was following shortly behind him.

"It's good to get out every now and then," said Fictionary, "even if I don't have to go to school."

"It sure is… blank flank!"

A frown crossed the light blue unicorn filly's face; she could guess who it was and didn't even turn around.

"Let me guess… Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, I presume?"

"You guessed right, Fictionary," the pink earth filly smirked, walking up alongside, "where's your big, bad brother gone off to?"

"He's headed for the Metrostallion House to get some supplies," Fictionary said firmly, unwilling to take in their nonsense, "you two don't scare me!"

"I bet your brother does," Silver Spoon giggled rudely.

"Leave Vincent out of this!" snapped Fictionary, "He's not mean; what did he ever do to you?!"

"We're not saying," said Diamond Tiara, and before Fictionary could respond, she got kicked in the side by Silver Spoon!

"OW!" cried Fictionary, "What was that for?!"

"That was for making us look like fools!" Diamond Tiara sneered, before kicking Fictionary in the leg.

Unfortunately for the two Earth fillies, who should spot them but Vincent! Suddenly, everything appeared to happen at once…

Applejack, Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh had brought in two cartloads of apples when they heard an angry yell.

Twilight, Pinkie, Spike, Snips and Snails were just exiting Sugarcube Corner when they heard two shrieks of horror.

Rainbow Dash was in the sky relaxing on a cloud when she heard a pair of thuds.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle had bought some fabrics for new dresses when they saw a commotion not far from where they stood.

"What do you two think you're doing to my sister?!" Spike and the five mares cringed; they knew that screech all to well.

Vincent had pinned down Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to the ground; the yellow Pegasus had an angry look on his face, and the two Earth fillies looked frightened.

"Please don't hurt us!" Silver Spoon begged in fear.

"Wasn't calling your 'friends' names bad enough?!" added Diamond Tiara.

"And how do you know about all this, eh?!"

"We're not saying!" snapped Diamond Tiara, "Like we're not saying how we made up stories about you-"

Diamond Tiara gasped and covered her mouth in shock; she had blurted out everything!

"Oh, nice going," Silver Spoon muttered sarcastically.

"You WHAT?!" Vincent roared furiously, taking everypony in the vicinity by shock. They'd never seen him angry like that before. "First you bully my sister, and now THIS! Why, you ignorant little brats! I ought to-"

"Don't hurt them!" shouted Apple Bloom, "They might be bullies, but it doesn't give ya any right to beat them up!"

Her little statement took most of the others by surprise; a few years ago, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bullied Apple Bloom for being a "blank flank", but since then, Apple Bloom had slowly been moving on, as were Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

"Apple Bloom's right," her older sister agreed, "just let them go already, Vincent; we now know everything!"

Vincent did so, but was still angry. He then turned his attention to Applejack, quietly snarling in anger.

"Oh, and that's coming from somepony who refused to listen to me?!"

"Vincent, none of us-" Applejack tried to explain, but Vincent wouldn't listen.

"Understand the pain I had to go through?!" he yelled in anger, "How can you lot be so selfish?! I work hard to raise one member of my family, and yet I get no credit or respect at all for it! I came here to start fresh, and then my life turns upside down no thanks to two little brats! Do any of you have any idea on what it's like to be all by yourself in this forsaken land, AND NO PARENTS ARE THERE TO SUPPORT YOU?! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?!"

Vincent flew quickly away before anypony could reply. Fictionary stood up, slightly in pain, and ran after her brother, leaving behind a stunned crowd. After a few moments of stunned silence, everypony was now glaring angrily at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

"What in Celestia's name were you two thinking?!" Twilight said angrily, "Telling lies to get back at somepony!"

"But Fictionary-"

"We don't care for yer reasonin'!" snapped Applejack, "Now look at the damage you two have caused!"

"Yeah, even blackmailin' us for the Foal Free Press paper wasn't as bad as this!" added Apple Bloom. She and Sweetie Belle cringed slightly at the memory.

"Of all the worst things you had to do," Rarity almost screamed, "this is the! Worst! POSSIBLE! THING!" Everypony else looked at her. "What? I really mean it."

"You're a real pair of meanies!" Even Pinkie Pie was angry with them.

"Pinkie," said Twilight firmly, before turning her attention back to the two Earth fillies, "and I managed to get some dirt off you two from them…"

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked over and saw Snips and Snails next to Twilight.

"You ratted us out, didn't ya?!" Silver Spoon growled, shaking a fist.

"And good thing we did too!" retorted Snips, "At least we came clean without somepony yelling in our faces!"

Before more arguments could break out, a very frantic-looking Fictionary ran up to the group, gasping for breath.

"Everypony!" she gasped, "It's Vincent! I tried explaining everything to him, but he yelled in my face, I think he locked himself in his room and now I think he's trying to end his life!"

That brought out a collective gasp from everypony, except Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

"We've no time to lose," said Twilight, and then turned to the two Earth fillies, "I'll personally have a talk with Miss Cheerilee about you two…" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon gulped nervously, until the latter spoke quietly up.

"I told you somepony'd be suspicious…"

"Quiet! We're in enough trouble as it is…!"

---

Quickly, Fictionary, Spike, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash arrived at the Metrostallion House and entered the building. Fictionary went to get a particular book while Spike and the four mares went upstairs to Vincent's room.

"Vincent!" called Twilight, knocking on the door, "It's just us! We promise not to hurt you!"

After no reply, and without hesitation, Rainbow Dash, kicked the door open, nearly smashing it to splinters, to what they could describe as horrifying!

There was Vincent, lying on the floor; he was barely breathing, a razor was next to him, part of his right ear was cut off, his glasses were stained red, and amongst it all, he was lying on a small puddle of red liquid. They knew it wasn't paint.

"Oh my stars!" gasped Rarity, looking pale in fright, but it was hard to tell.

"What in tarnation has he done to himself?!" gasped Applejack.

"Looks like he could have…" Rainbow Dash couldn't finish her sentence.

"Well, don't just stand there!" said Twilight, lifting up Vincent with Spike's help, "We need to get him to hospital and fast! No time to waste!"

---

In a matter of minutes, the fivesome – along with Fictionary – rushed Vincent to Ponyville Hospital as fast as their hooves (feet in Spike's case) could carry them. Fictionary had also brought a book with her, but nopony was sure why, but she promised to tell them when they arrived.

They quickly burst through the doors and went up to the reception desk. The receptionist was startled by the commotion.

"My brother's ear got cut off," gasped Fictionary, explaining to her, "he's bleeding and I'm scared that he'll die!"

"I see," the receptionist replied calmly, looking at the unconscious Vincent on Twilight's back and the yellow Pegasus' ear in an ice bag in Spike's hand.

"Code Red at the front desk," the receptionist said through the intercom, "recovery unit ASAP!"

Quickly, several pony doctors brought out a stretcher, then they took Vincent off Twilight's back, accepted the ice bag Spike handed to them, and they lay the unconscious stallion on the stretcher. Everyone could watch as Vincent was taken away to the recovery unit.

"Please be okay," panted Fictionary to her brother, "I don't wanna lose you like our parents…"

"What happened to your parents, dear?" asked Rarity.

Without a word, Fictionary used her magic to pull out the book from her bag and set it on a nearby table. She motioned for Spike and the four mares to sit down with her as she opened the book. Just then, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy burst in.

"Where's Vincent?" asked Pinkie, "Is he okay? Huh? Huh? I brought him some flowers, but I didn't know his favorite kind, so I brought every kind of flower I could!"

She paused, noticing their solemn expressions. "What?"

"What did happen?" asked Fluttershy quietly, "Somepony told me he was in trouble."

"He cut off part of his right ear," said Rainbow Dash, "and thank goodness you didn't see it, Fluttershy; it was bloody, so to speak." Fluttershy cringed at the thought, but quickly shook a mental image of Vincent in a pool of blood out of her head.

"Hey, what's with the book you brought with ya?" asked Pinkie.

"That's our family album," Fictionary explained, "there's more to Vincent than many of you think; up until now, only I was aware of his secrets and past.

"When he was a young colt, even before I was born, he was susceptible to bullying from his peers. He tried to ignore them, but they kept teasing him until one day, Vincent lost his temper and beat up one of the bullies. It resulted in him getting into trouble, as well as the bully… I forget his name."

"So that's why he got mad at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," said Applejack.

"Seeing anypony getting bullied sets him off, yes," said Fictionary, "then a few years before we came to Ponyville, we heard that our parents were killed in a cart accident in Fillydelphia, our first home town."

"Wait a minute," said Rainbow Dash, "you two came from Liverhoof, but you're also from Fillydelphia?"

"It's the town we were born in both, yes," said Fictionary, "we left a week later after we got the tragic news, because Vincent was suffering from painful memories about our parents and bullying. We lived in Manehattan, Canterlot, and Las Pegasus, all each for a brief period before we moved to Liverhoof, where we lived up until February this year. That's where he picked up his accent.

"So you see, my brother suffers from painful memories, and other than me, only his therapist knew as well. He was doing what he could to support me and himself, for I'm the last of his family, since we lost connection with other members."

There was dead silence. Not one of the six mares, not even Spike, could say a word; they were all shocked by Fictionary's story about her brother. Fluttershy was weeping quietly, Pinkie's mane slightly deflated in sadness, Twilight and Spike stood in silence, and Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity felt terribly guilty.

"I don't believe it," said Rainbow Dash after what felt like eternity, "we were angry with someone who worked hard for his sister…"

"All because of a dumb pack o' lies," put in Applejack glumly, "Ah feel like a bad apple, ah, no pun intended."

"The poor fellow," said Rarity, "I, too, feel bad for what I've done…"

"All he wanted was some friends, and it seems like we'll never speak to him again!" added Pinkie, almost ready to cry.

"I'm sure we will," said Twilight, "but for now, we need to give him some time considering what he went through today. We should try to carry on with our lives and give Vincent a chance to calm down."

Everypony agreed with Twilight, and they hoped that would be the case.

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The title comes from the John Lennon single of the same name, "Instant Karma!" Vincent cutting his right ear off is based on what actually happened to van Gogh. The painting depicts van Gogh with his right ear cut off, but in reality, it was a mirror painting, and he cut off his left ear. Vincent van Colt cutting his right ear off loosely pokes fun at the "mirrored" painting.

Oh dear... what's Vincent going to do when he wakes up? Wait and see!