“What the hell are we gonna do now?” Rainbow Dash screamed to Dark Lightning. The two were standing close together, their bodies practically pushing against each other as they attempted to stay as far away from the Trotters that were approaching en masse.

“How am I supposed to know?” He growled back. Dark Lightning clenched his teeth as he forced another bolt of lightning down from the sky. It struck a three-legged unicorn that had hobbled clumsily toward them. In an instant it became scorched and fell to the ground, twitching wildly and then falling still.

He looked around at the balloon wreckage again, hoping to find something, anything, that could aid in their escape.

Fabric, wood, rope…

“Dark, hurry up…” Rainbow Dash was beginning to lose her cool.

Celestia dammit! Fabric, wood, and rope… What they fuck can I make with this…?

The Trotters were incredibly close now. Rainbow was visibly sweating as the tattered ponies neared her continuously, biting viciously at the air. She let out a yell as one lumbered forward unexpectedly. With a quick turn, Rainbow Dash bucked it in the head with a loud crunching noise. It fell to the ground, tripping several other Trotters behind it.

“Seriously, hurry the fuck up!” She screamed at him, returning to his side.

Fabric… Wood… Rope. Wait! Rope!

“Rainbow, help me throw the balloon onto the Trotters by that building.” He nodded his head hurriedly to a nearby home. The two pegasi grabbed the balloon fabric in their mouths and tossed it into the air, watching it drift over the Trotters. Dark Lightning grabbed a splintered piece of wood and stabbed it through an edge of the fabric, into the ground. Rainbow Dash saw his plan and did the same. Disoriented by the tarp, the Trotters underneath staggered in random directions, entirely unsuccessful in their attempts to break free.

“Get some wood.” Dark told Rainbow Dash who immediately complied. He reached down to the ground and grabbed the rope at his hooves. “All right, follow me.”

The two jumped onto the covered Trotters to their immediate surprise. Under the balloon, they could feel the decimated bodies and watched blood soak through the fabric from the prolonged exposure to wounded Trotters. Some Trotters tried biting through the fabric, their teeth occasionally tearing it slightly. The pair galloped quickly on top of the Trotters and reached the end of their balloon fabric.

“Oh shit.” Dark Lightning tripped slightly but caught himself before he fell into the horde of Trotters before him. Rainbow grabbed his mane and pulled him back up.

“Die after you get us out of here.” She said to him, almost mockingly. Underneath them, they could feel the Trotters shifting aimlessly as they attempted to figure out where they were and, more importantly, what was standing on their backs. Before them, more Trotters were still coming toward the balloon crash. The group was still too dense to maneuver safely.

“Ok, rookie. What’s your plan again?”

Dark Lightning grabbed the wood from Rainbow Dash and tied it hastily to the rope. With a well-aimed throw, he tossed the wood into an open window and tugged back on the rope. The wood quickly became lodged in the windowsill.

“Does that answer your question?”

“Ahhh, shit.” Officer Valor grumbled, opening his eyes slowly. His head had a dull ache that pulsed repeatedly, giving him the urge to vomit. Valor gently tried to rise to his hooves, but found himself restrained with ropes. The room he was in was entirely black; the barricaded windows let in tiny streams of dying light that failed to light up any aspect of his surroundings.

He frantically moved his head trying to find some hints to his location, his breathing increasing rapidly as he did so. His eyes suddenly stopped at a doorway that led to what appeared to be a kitchen. A steady beam of fluorescent white light ominously beamed out, flakes of dust floating slowly in the light. The light began to flicker unexpectedly, much to Valor’s dismay.

“Hey, fix that stupid light!” A strange voice called from in the kitchen. Officer Valor tried piecing together the accent, figuring that the voice was from a male; more than likely from the outskirts of Manehattan or even Detrot City.

“Oui! Ze lights are too dim!” Another, higher pitched voice cried out. Valor was confused by the French accent this other pony had. A wave of panicked washed over him as he realized there must have been several ponies in the group that had captured him.

“Okie Dokie Loki!” A third voice replied somewhat excitedly. Valor strained his eyes to see what the pony looked like that entered his field of view. His vision still fuzzy from the blow to his head, he could make out a pink blur with a straightened mane. In its mouth was a spoon that it used to hit the light gently several times. It flickered slightly and then continued beaming, slowly waving back and forth.

What the fuck… Valor’s vision was returning, the blur decreasing at a rapid rate. He watched the pony stand and stare at the swaying light, its head slowly following the lamps movements. He could hear her softly humming a song, tossing several words in sweetly. Ok, a pink mare... Valor thought to himself, taking notes on his environment. He blinked furiously to help keep his sight clear. And at least two more ponies in the kitchen.

Suddenly his eyes noticed the streaks of red that stained the far wall behind the pink mare. He remembered the drips of wet blood he saw when he first entered the building, noticing that now they were much bigger. They were still slightly wet, glistening gently in the bright, white light. He could feel his breathing increase uncontrollably, a small gasping noise escaping his mouth.

The pink mare stopped moving her head suddenly and quickly turned her head to face into the dark room Valor was laying in. Fuck, fuck, FUCK! He tried to hold back his breathing. The last thing he wanted was any attention before he could come up with a plan of escape. The humming continued as the pink mare smiled into the room, her straight pink mane looking frazzled and sticky with dried blood.

“Oooooh! I think he woke up!” Her smile widened as she began slowly walking to Valor. He could see her eye twitching slightly as she approached him. Valor tried desperately to free himself, unsure of the mare’s and the other ponies in the kitchen’s plans with him. He felt the rope dig into his forelegs and gave up, a slight trickle of blood running down his hoof.

“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!” The pink mare pronounced happily, the toothy grin on her face quickly losing its cheerful effect and adding to Valor’s uneasiness. Her wide, unblinking eyes swept over Valor’s body, finally settling on his cutie mark.

“Oooooh, handcuffs! That’s so cool! Were you a policepony? Did you ever arrest anypony really mean? Did you ever…” Pinkie Pie stopped her stream of rapid fire questions long enough for her eye to twitch suddenly, her face remaining entirely the same. She let out a giggle and closed the space between their faces. He could feel her warm breath against his muzzle.

“Did you… did you ever kill anypony?”

“And just how the fuck are we gonna swing that?” Rainbow Dash asked Dark Lightning, dumbfounded. “The ropes too long! We’ll just hit the ground.”

The Trotters they were standing on were still maneuvering randomly beneath them, but the sheer mass of bodies limited their movements greatly making standing on them possible, albeit still difficult. Trotters had long since started walking aimlessly around, apparently losing interest in the balloon crash after finding no meat. However, a small group was still gathering at their hooves.

“We’re not gonna swing it. We’ll try and fly it.” Dark Lightning grabbed the rope tightly in his mouth and fly into the air, ignoring the sharp pain in his wings. He moved slowly toward the building when suddenly he felt his right wing begin stinging sharply. It shot back to his side and he began plummeting to the ground, the rope swinging him toward the building wall. He hit it with a loud thud and scrambled up the wall in through the window.

“Your turn!” He screamed out to Rainbow Dash. He felt a smile coming to his face from the rush of excitement, but remembering their situation quickly stopped. The Trotters at the edge of the canvas were beginning to turn around and leave the tarp, making it increasingly unstable to stand on.

“Dark! Throw the rope!” She screamed at him, feeling the “ground” slipping away. She lost her footing and fell to her haunches, sending the Trotter she landed on to the ground. She heard a loud rip and turned to face a horde of bloodied Trotters. Their milky eyes glistened from underneath the shadow of the make shift tarp; their voices joined together in a single wanting moan.

If she wasn’t frozen in place from fear, she would have heard Dark Lightning screaming down to her to fly up as high as she could. She would have possibly thought of that herself, possibly even noticing that her fall knocked back several Trotters, giving her a small space to possibly escape from. Instead, she stood face to face with a disfigured earth pony mare with an orange mane. On its flank was a large bite mark, part of a carrot appearing below it.

“Oh Celestia, Carrot Top! What… what happened to you…” Rainbow Dash reached a hoof to her friend, half expecting her to reply with a smile. Instead, the mare’s dead, emerald eyes stared ahead blankly as a gurgling noise escaped its open mouth. In a second, Rainbow Dash found herself on the ground underneath Carrot Top who tried desperately to bite into Rainbow’s cyan coat. Rainbow Dash struggled mightily, holding her dead friend back with both of her hooves. She could feel her strength sapping quickly with each step the other Trotters took toward her.

Officer Valor stared up at Pinkie, refusing to answer her question. Her grin faded quickly, turning into a disappointed frown.

“Ugh, you’re no fun! The other ponies at least spoke to me!” She whined. “I know you’re mad I tied you up like a Hearth’s Warming Eve turkey, but I didn’t want you running away!” She moved her face back and plopped her flank down on the hardwood floor with a small thud. Her straight, pink mane dangled carelessly to the floor and covered half of her face.

“What do you mean ‘other ponies?’” Valor finally spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. His voice was somewhat raspy from being knocked out. He tried remembering the last time he had something to drink…

Pinkie Pie abruptly giggled at his question. “You silly filly! You think you’re the only pony to help me with my party?” Out of the blue, she pulled a green spotted party hat and shoved it onto Valor’s head, the elastic band snapping loudly against his light brown coat.

Valor cringed slightly. “Well no, you got the other ponies in the kitchen. What do you need me for?”

“Ponies in the kitchen?” Pinkie asked, giving Valor a look of confusion. A smile appeared on her face in realization. “Oh! You mean Rocky, Sir Lints-a-lot, Mr. Turnip and Madame LeFlour!” Her face quickly turned to a fearful frown. “They… they aren’t too nice when it comes to helping me with the party…” Pinkie Pie’s voice trailed off as she turned to stare back into the kitchen.

“Pinkie, is everything ok? Are they hurting you?” Valor questioned quietly, lest the unknown ponies hear him. His eyes scanned over her body searching for cuts or bruises. Several splotches of blood stained her pink coat and straight mane; however none of it seemed to belong to her. “Pinkie, my name is Office Valor. Twilight sent me to get you and bring you back to the library.”

Pinkie Pie brightened up instantly, her mane randomly turning into a large poof. “Really?! Twilight’s alive? Howbout everypony else?”

“Yes,” he said calmly, shushing Pinkie Pie. Any unwanted attention from the other ponies could damper his plans greatly. “Untie me and we can get out of here.”

“What? Are you crazy!? I can’t do that! What about the party!” Pinkie jumped up on her hind hooves and waved her forelegs excitedly in the air.

“Shhh! Pinkie, please untie me. I’ll talk to everypony in the kitchen. Maybe they can handle your… party.” Valor felt sweat on his brow as he tried desperately to get Pinkie to let him free. Silently, he tried breaking through the ropes again, only to reopen the cuts on his wrists and continue bleeding.

“Uh… uh…” Pinkie Pie turned her head back and forth between the policepony before her and the kitchen. “Just sit here; I’ll go ask my friends!” She turned abruptly and trotted happily into the kitchen.

“Rainbow!” Dark Lightning cried out the window. He watched in horror as Rainbow Dash collapsed under the unexpected weight of the yellow mare. His first response was to fly to her rescue, only realizing halfway out the window that his right wing refused to flap.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” He mumbled lowly as he surveyed his surroundings for anything that could save Rainbow Dash. He heard her scream and quickly returned to the window. Rainbow Dash punched a hoof into the mare's face that knocked it off of her and into the dirt, sending some flying into the air. She dashed to her hooves again, finding herself in an even worse situation: Trotters surrounding her, entirely ready to feast.

Dark Lightning let out a soft sigh and dove out of the window, the rope that dangled from the windowsill swinging lightly from the breeze he created. He landed with a thud and galloped to Rainbow Dash, ramming the sporadically located Trotters in his path out of his way. Rainbow Dash was only a few feet away, blocked by a wall of Trotters. She stood in the center, backing away from her constantly closing space, pure terror on her usually collected face.

Dark Lightning smiled wickedly and shot into the air, his wings spread as wide as they could go. He concentrated his powers, feeling the power of the lightning flow through his body, revitalizing him. He glided over the Trotters with ease and landed dead center in the horde. Upon seeing Dark Lightning, Rainbow Dash jumped, frightened.

She grabbed him tightly, pulling his body as close as she could. Dark Lightning furrowed his brows as the smile of his face grew larger. He reared up on his hind legs and stamped his front hooves down on the ground, feeling the energy in his body disappearing in a flash. A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky straight toward Dark Lightning, splitting in half when it neared him and Rainbow Dash. It struck the ground with a massive amount of force, a large shockwave of electricity shooting in every direction and electrocuting the Trotters nearby.

The smell of burnt flesh began filling the air as they all fell to the ground. Several remained twitching involuntarily as the current continued passing through their rotted bodies; still more had smoke rising from their opened wounds, caramelized blood mixing with the dirt to make a putrid blend.

Dark Lightning stood still with Rainbow Dash holding onto him thankfully. The feeling of power had long since left his body, leaving him feeling weak and unsteady. Dark Lightning collapsed to his haunches, Rainbow Dash preventing him from hitting the ground.

“Shit, Dark…” She looked at him with concern in her magenta eyes. He didn’t respond, feeling his mouth go numb as well as the rest of his body. It was all he could do to try and stay conscious. Rainbow Dash noticed and helped him back onto his hooves, putting his foreleg over her and led him to the library. “Let’s get you somewhere safe…”

“Pinkie, wait!” Valor whispered loudly, but she didn’t hear him. “Fuck.” He muttered under his breath. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small bowl with liquid in it. The feeling of intense thirst passed over him suddenly as he eyed it achingly. He tried pushing his body to the floor, but remained upright. All the while, Valor could hear Pinkie arguing with the other ponies:

“What do ya mean let him go?!” The outer-Manehattanite yelled suddenly.

“But, Rocky! He’s gonna bring me to Twilight and everypony else!” Pinkie cried in defense.

“You should just stay here.” Another masculine voice replied, somewhat menacingly.

“I… I know, but I miss my friends, Mr. Turnip.” She sounded on the verge of tears, clearly torn about what to do.

“But, my dear, think about the party!” A formal voice said. “You’d be letting everypony in town down if you gave up now!”

“Oui! I agree with Sir Lints-a-lot!” Valor could only assume the final voice belonged to Madame LeFlour, but paid little attention to the content of their discussion. With a well-placed shove, Valor found himself lying on his side, next to the bowl.

“I guess you’re right. I’ve already baked so many tasty treats! I should at least finish baking before I leave…” Valor could hear Pinkie Pie walking around in the kitchen and listened for the sounds of other hooves. When he didn’t, he began to worry; but the feeling faded quickly as he inched forward and found his face directly above the bowl. Valor dropped his face in the cool, cold water and felt it against his coat. Refreshed, Officer Valor began quickly drinking it, the cold water stinging his sore throat.

“Hey, maybe you could get your friends over here!” Rocky offered to Pinkie Pie.

“But… but…” Pinkie Pie sounded dismayed.

“We need as many ponies as possible.” Sir Lints-a-lot quickly rebutted.

Pinkie Pie sighed. “I guess your right…”

“Precisely. Why not get that policepony in here first?” He added again.

Officer Valor picked up his head at the mention of his profession and stared toward the doorway. Pinkie Pie stood between the frames and watched Officer Valor, her mane once again deflated. She wore a deep frown on her face and shook her head sadly.

“I’m sorry.” She said quietly and began walking toward him, her hooves dragging against the floor.

Dark Lightning opened his eyes slowly to find Rainbow Dash sitting before him. Her prismatic mane hung partially on her face, blocking one of her tear stained eyes. When she noticed him waking, she lunged thankfully on to him and began sobbing. He returned with a small hug and looked around his new surroundings.

“Where the hell are we?” He asked, noting the large bookcases surrounding him. A massive window stood on the opposite wall; through it he could see stars beginning to dot the sky.

“We’re in the library. I brought you here after you… well, after you saved me.” She responded, quickly hugging him again. She pulled away and stared at him, tears welling up in her eyes again. She flipped her mane back, revealing her other eye. A smile crossed her face. “Not bad for a rookie, I guess.”

“A rookie?” Dark said, laughing. “Ah, screw off. If it weren’t for me, you’d be nothing but a pile of bones.” He stretched his wings and rose to his hooves, feeling a bit tired still. “Did Valor get back yet?”

“Oh, goodness, you’re awake!” Twilight called down to Dark Lightning and Rainbow Dash. “Are you feeling any numbness or shortness of breath?” She began walking down the steps to the foyer.

“Eh, just a crick in my neck. I’m good though. Who’re you?” Dark Lightning twisted his head, cracking his neck loudly.

“Twilight Sparkle.” She announced, cheerfully. “And you’re Dark Lightning, I presume? Rainbow Dash has told me a lot about you while you were resting.” She trotted up to him and studied his body closely for any damage. “You have the power to control lightning, right?”

“Yeah, something like that.” Dark Lightning looked around the library, familiarizing himself with everything. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were speaking about everything that had happened since the outbreak began. He went upstairs and found Rarity lying in bed, breathing heavily in her sleep. Her broken leg hung out from under her covers looking yellow and swollen. He cringed at her and returned to the main floor.

“Did Officer Valor get back yet?” He asked again. Rainbow Dash and Twilight turned to him, frowning.

“Not yet.” Twilight Sparkle answered. She looked concerned. Rainbow Dash noticed and put a hoof on her shoulder.

“Valor? He’s a badass. He’ll get back here soon and I know it! I wouldn’t be surprised if he already rescued everypony else and is leading them here now.”

“You told him Sugarcube Corner was near the crash site. What if he’s held up in a building?” Dark Lightning said suddenly, walking to the front door and looking through the peep-hole for any Trotters in the vicinity. “It’s dark out. If he’s trying to come back now, he’s as good as fucked. I’m gonna go help him.”

“What? Are you crazy?! You’ll get yourself killed!” Rainbow Dash cried to him. “Besides, you’re weak. You have to rest.”

“Dark, please. Come back and lay down a bit longer.” Twilight waved a hoof, beckoning him to the makeshift bed he woke up on.

“You’re gonna let him stay out there like this?” Dark Lightning narrowed his eyes. “He risks his life to save your friends and you’re letting him die out there?” Twilight looked hurt and turned away. With that, Dark Lightning unlatched the door. He suddenly found himself on the floor, Rainbow Dash on top of him.

“I’m not letting you open it. He knew what he was getting into. We told him not to go, he made his own decision.” She clambered off of his body and stared down at him. “Valor will be fine. You and I both saw what he was capable on Cloudsdale. He and Pinkie Pie will get here somehow. And if you so much as go near that door again, you’ll never come back in here.”

Rainbow Dash turned and went to Twilight Sparkle who sat in a corner on a pillow. Her head rest on her hooves, the sound of sobbing filling the otherwise silent library. Dark Lightning remained on the floor and frowned at the front door.

Celestia dammit, Valor. Where are you…

Officer Valor was motionless as Pinkie Pie dragged him toward the kitchen by the ropes. He watched the dark room grow farther away and the blood on the kitchen wall grow closer. The overwhelming silence of the kitchen confused him; the realization that he hadn’t seen these mystery ponies or heard them move washed over him.

The light shone upon a massive assortment of baked goods; cupcakes, muffins and the likes lined the walls. Valor was surprised by the loud sound of fly’s buzzing around the room, all attracted by the strange aroma that filled the air. What bothered Valor more was the presence of not only no ponies, but instead of several strangely placed items wearing party hats.

He eyed a small pile of rocks sitting on a stool that stood next to a bloody kitchen table. A knife sat close by, gleaming menacingly in the fluorescent light. Nearby was a half empty bag of flour, the sack wrinkled to the point of slightly resembling a face. A rusty bucket full of rotting turnips sat on the counter near a plate of cupcakes, a large ball of lint by its side. While Pinkie Pie dropped Valor onto the kitchen floor, it suddenly clicked.

“Pinkie, you have to let me go. We need to get to the library.” Valor began, trying to rationalize with the insane mare.

She quickly went to the pile of rocks and phased out. “What are you talking about? She’s gotta stay here with us!” Pinkie Pie dashed over to the flour and grasped it in her hooves, some of the white powder falling to the floor in a small pile.

“Oui! She must be here for ze party! Zese treats won’t cook zemselves!” She squeaked in a high pitch voice. In an instant she was back by Valor’s side, completely oblivious to her changes in personality.

“What the hell is all this talk about a ‘party’?” Valor demanded. He could feel rage boiling up in his body.

“Everypony’s been so sad recently…” Pinkie Pie sighed as she looked down at Valor. “Every day they’re outside moaning and, and crying!” Tears were forming in her blue eyes as she explained. “Nopony even comes over anymore…” Her voice trailed off.

“Pinkie…” Office Valor was cut off by Pinkie, who slapped a hoof against his face.

“And one day!” She began again, excitedly. A grin began forming on her face. “One day, Rocky came up with a super-wonderful idea! He said I should throw everypony a party!” With that she darted toward the counter and grabbed cupcake, returning to Valor. She extended it happily and waited for him to bite it.

“Uhh, no thanks.” Valor said softly, reeling his head back. Pinkie Pie frowned angrily and pushed the treat into Valor’s face. His eyes opened wide at the foul, strange taste in his mouth. He recognized the bitter, metallic taste of blood and grimaced.

“So I made everypony a big cake!” She quickly grew a stern look on her face. “But nopony ate it. It just sat there all day! Can you believe it?”

Officer Valor spit the cupcake out of his mouth and wished he had more of that water to eliminate the horrible taste it left behind. Pinkie Pie frowned at him and walked over to the kitchen table. Three bones lay on the floor, partially blocked by one of the wooden legs. Alarm washed over Valor.

“One day,” She began again. “I saw a pony eating another pony! It was so gross, I felt sick. But it made me think.” Officer Valor spotted a nail sticking out of the hardwood floor a few feet away. He slowly moved himself over it and began rubbing the ropes that restrained him on it. Pinkie Pie stared at the piles of food and scanned them.

“Why would one pony eat another one? Does my cake taste that bad?” She asked to no one in particular. “Of course not!” She cheerfully answered herself. “So I thought, ‘maybe ponies taste good!’ I took a couple of the ponies in the street and tried using my recipes. And everypony loved them!”

The ropes around Valor’s wrists began fraying, but not nearly enough to break free. When Pinkie Pie turned to face him, he stopped moving.

“Then it sounds like you solved the problem. Why do you need me?”

“They kept moaning!” She screamed at him. “I gave them every cupcake I made and they kept making those fucking noises…” Pinkie Pie began sobbing. “I just want them to stop. I want them to be happy…”

With that, Pinkie Pie grabbed Valor and dragged him toward the kitchen table. The ropes were stuck on the nail and with a tug, Pinkie Pie managed to separate them, the ropes fraying even more. She used all of her strength to lift him onto the table. He could the feel the blood on the tale seeping into his coat, as well as tears from Pinkie Pie dripping onto him.

“Pinkie Pie, why do you need me?” He asked again, trying to keep his composure.

She trotted to the counter and grabbed a small set of knives in her teeth. Panic flooded through him. He pulled as tightly at the ropes as possible, but remained restrained.

“Pinkie Pie, those ponies are all dead.” Officer Valor hardly had enough to time to finish speaking when Pinkie began yelling.

“Fuck you! Who are you to tell me what’s alive and dead! Those ponies are walking around!” She sniffled lightly. Valor could see the anger and sadness in her eyes.

“You know they are, Pinkie. You’ve seen how disfigured some of them are. There’s no way anypony could survive like that.” Pinkie just stared at him with tears welling up again. “I know it’s hard, but we have to try and accept this.”

She dropped the tray to the floor with a loud clang and began crying again. “I don’t want to do this anymore…” She said in between sobs to the rocks, bag of flour and bucket. “I can’t hurt anypony else.”

Her eyes went blank and she grabbed the rocks. “What do you mean stop? Don’t you wanna make them happy?” She bounced the rocks in rhythm to what she said. In a flash she was holding the ball of lint.

“You ran out of bodies outside. We agreed on using more… fresh ingredients.”

Pinkie Pie reverted to her regular self. “I don’t care! I didn’t want to ever hurt anypony.”

“Shut up, you foal!” Pinkie was moving “Rocky” once more. “I always knew you’d crack up sometime. I’ll bake for the party myself then.” Pinkie Pie grabbed a knife and put it in front of Valor. Her eyes stared deeply into nothing.

Officer Valor thrashed wildly on the table, feeling the ropes around his wrists snap under the extreme force. He hit the knife to the floor with a free hoof and pushed himself off the table.

“What is this? It’s downright despicable!” Pinkie Pie cried in Madame LeFlour’s voice. Valor reeled back a hoof and smacked Pinkie Pie across her face, knocking her to the ground. He stood over her and watched her eyes blink quickly and glance around the room. She spotted the bucket of turnips and frowned.

“Are you ok?” Valor asked as he offered her a hoof. She gratefully took it and pulled herself back on all fours.

“I’m… I’m so sorry…” She said softly, avoiding eye contact with Officer Valor. “I didn’t mean to hurt anypony. Honestly, I just…. I lost myself.”

Valor smiled uneasily and pulled Pinkie Pie into a hug; one that she returned gratefully. She cried lightly, remembering everything that she had done. The ponies she had killed, the insanity she had suffered through.

“Please forgive me… I… I…”

Valor let her go and looked at her face with a kind smile. “It’s too late to go back to the library tonight. Let’s stay here and go back tomorrow.”

Pinkie Pie nodded and went into the kitchen again. She picked up the flour, bucket of turnips, dust ball and the rocks and threw them outside. She returned to Valor and approached a couch.

“I guess,” She sniffled. “I guess I’ve always been a bit crazy.”

Valor looked at her and grinned. “Pinkie, there’s a fine line between laughter… and lunacy.”

Pinkie Pie laughed and wiped her eyes. She leaned back on the couch and felt exhausted. Her body welcomed the feeling of rest and within a few moments she was already drifting away.

“Valor?” She said softly.

“Yeah Pinkie?” He replied. He sat on the opposite end of the couch.

“I hope you can forgive me…”

“…Get some sleep.”