SIX HOURS AFTER THE EVENTS OF "INTO EVERFREE"

Spike stirred in his sleep.
Celestia watched him worriedly. Her old best student had risked death searching for one of her friends. While that was the morally right thing to do, there were still problems. Spike, for example. He had been heavily injured and wouldn't be up and about for quite a while. It was a miracle that Twilight had managed to levitate him out of the worst of the Ursa's claws.

"Princess Celestia, do you think he's going to be alright?" Twilight said as she rushed into the room. She had just arrived from the cave, where Luna and some Pegasi were subduing the beast to search for Fluttershy. The Ursa had been tied up with ropes carried by the Pegasi after Luna had put it into a trance. Fluttershy was not found yet, and the pegasi were checking through the rest of the forest.
"Yes, Twilight. He is through the worst of it."
"Oh my... I really messed everything up. I should have asked for your help from the start, but I was so worried and-"
"Hush. That doesn't matter now. You should learn from this Twilight. I will always be able to help you, as a friend, even if you are no longer my student."
"O-of course, Princess."
"I will send word when we find Fluttershy. It is strange that she has not been seen for so long. I will send someone to care for Spike. But now, I should head back to the palace. It is nearly time to raise the sun again."
Celestia's horn grew bright, and then a moment later there was a flash. Celestia was gone.
Twilight walked up to the bed.
"Spike, you never do think things through... but neithier do I. We both messed up." she said, looking like she was about to cry, then yawned. "I-I've been up all night, I really need to sleep..." A flash of sun shot through the window. "Oh." she said "Of course. I'll go meet your helper, then go to bed. I really hope everything works out..."

The Madame was feeling furious again. The lavender mare had survived, and her annoying dragon only got some scratches. She was certain that Pinkie could have finished them easily in the forest. Yet she hadn't. Something was wrong.
"Pinkie!" she shouted down the stairs of the tower like structure atop Sugarcube Corner "Come here!"
"No!"
The Madame was actually shocked by this. Pinkie would never disobey her. Never before anyway. But she was in a strange mood.
"We must draw ze numbers! Now! You know what happens when zey aren't drawn..."
There was a crash from downstairs and a small gasp. It sounded like Pinkie had broken something. A moment later, Pinkie appeared at the top of the stairs. Her hoof was bleeding.
"Now what have you done, Pinkie? We will need to bandage zat up later. But come now, we must draw ze numbers."

No. The numbers had to be going for spite now. Please no...
"Well zat is zat. No more trouble." the Madame said to PInkie. "Now we can get back from zat blunder in the forest. When ze Lavender one is gone, we can get on az before."
Pinkie stared at the number for a while, and with no expression said "Do you ever wonder about what we do sometimes?"
This was a dangerous sort of thought. Now the Madame thought she knew why Pinkie was being so strange. "Non!" she replied "We do what we do. We have to. We have ze numbers."
"Of course..." Pinkie said "But why do we have the numbers again? My friends were just planning a party then, and you showed up. Of course, I'm very grateful" she said hastily as she saw the Madame's face go furious for a moment "But should I kill ponies for that?"
"Non! You kill zem for the food now. And ze numbers. You can't disobey ze numbers, we both know."

Pinkie looked at the number and the book of ponies again after the Madame had gone, smirking in satisfaction that Twilight would finally die this time, then sighed. The Madame was right. Pinkie didn't know if the Madame actually liked the work or not. It was just work to her, and if it was enjoyable then it was all the better. Pinkie had enjoyed the work when she started it about... was it a year? A year ago, Dash had died. But there were ponies before her too, the unmissed. Before the numbers had started she would just pick up some poor pony from Canterlot. Then she opened the numbers, opened the book and Dash was chosen. Applejack had come next, a few months after Dash. Then Rarity, who had been a few days before Fluttershy. Now Twilight had been chosen. She looked at the pictures in the book and reminded herself absently that she would need to update it, with the new ponies that were arriving in Ponyville. The numbers were strange now. After Rarity, she had tried to ignore the numbers and slipped the number back in, saying she thought they had enough meat. She, the Madame, and all the ghostly ponies had taken ill in their dreams. She heard them scream when they slept. Monsters made of shadow and twisted wood tore at her and ripped her to pieces in her dreams after the illness had started, and she somehow was whole again each time and ready to be torn again. Dash was there, and simply told Pinkie that she was disappointed in her. Pinkie didn't know why she cried in that dream at the time. It was when she was at ease with the killings, when she thought Dash would be truely gone. Applejack had appeared the next night, and told the monsters that they could have Pinkie for all she cared. Rarity had appeared the next night and when Pinkie tried to crawl away from the monsters had been brutally kicked in the chest by Rarity, back into them. Rarity said nothing. After her old friends visited her each time, the pain she suffered from the monsters held few fears as she just sat, horrified and crying in her dream. She didn't know what the others dreamed of. She felt it best not to ask. After Pinkie finally killed for the number she had brought out, the dreams stopped. She never wanted to do that again. She didn't think she could ever stand it again.

Her tears dripped onto the floor and mixed with the blood from her bleeding hoof.