As it turned out, the game night wasn’t quite as enjoyable as Twilight had hoped. The game Dr. Layne had set up was easy enough to learn, all one had to do was know how to add or subtract numbers. But having to hold cards in her hooves was an ability that was completely alien to Twilight. For so long she had relied on her magic to handle the flimsy pieces of paper, that she was at a complete loss as to how to actually hold them. It took her several attempts and many bent cards before she admitted defeat and used her wings.

“Alright, I think I’ve got it!” Twilight said when she finally got a grip on the cards.

“And you managed to keep some of them intact, I’m impressed,” Dr. Layne said sarcastically, holding his cards in his hooves with ease.

“That wasn’t very nice, Dr. Layne,” Fluttershy said with a stern look.

Dr. Layne chuckled, “Oh, I’m just messing. Anyway, who’s going first?”

Pinkamena shrugged. “I dealt, so I guess Fluttershy will.”

“Oh, okay,” Fluttershy said. She looked at her cards for a moment, selected two and placed them on the floor between the four ponies. “I’ve got a nine of spades and a two of hearts, making seven.”

“Alright, my turn,” Twilight said as she laid down a six of spades and a four of clubs, “and I’ve got ten.”

Dr. Layne sighed and laid down a ten of clubs and a nine of hearts. “One.”

Grinning, Pinkamena placed down a nine of clubs and a six of spades. “Fifteen, I win!”

They played several rounds of the game without really keeping track of who was winning the most, though Twilight was certain that it was Pinkamena. The first couple of rounds went by fairly quickly, but it wasn’t long before the novelty of the game ebbed and they began making light conversation. At first they talked about how Dr. Layne came up with the game and they were entertained by a short story about the doctor’s experience as a tutor, and how he designed the game to teach foals about negative numbers. Eventually though, the conversation turned to one that Twilight wasn’t quite ready to have yet, even if it might’ve been unavoidable.

“So, Twilight, what’s it like walking on four legs?” Fluttershy asked when the conversation slowed.

Twilight swallowed and looked away. “Fine, I suppose. I guess Dr. Layne told you why we walk on four legs?”

Fluttershy nodded her head. “I think it was what you were trying to tell me, but it made more sense somehow when the doctor said it. There’s just one thing I still don’t understand, how come you always used to walk normally back in Ponyville? You didn’t just force yourself to do it, did you?”

Twilight faked a cough and looked at Dr. Layne for an answer. The pegasus sighed and said, “Well, that’s something I’ve been trying to build up to, you see,” he paused and looked over at the door. “Dread’s been gone an awfully long time, hasn’t he?”

“Yes, he has, hasn’t he?” Twilight said, faking a grin, “I wonder what’s taking him.”

“I don’t know, I mean he couldn’t have left more than half an hour ago. I mean he’s probably just now-” Twilight swatted Pinkamena with the tip of her tail. “Ow! Twilight, why would you-”

“We’re changing the subject,” Twilight said through gritted teeth.

Pinkamena scowled at Twilight and rubbed at the spot where she had hit her. “Geez, you could’ve just told me.”

Twilight resisted the urge to growl at Pinkamena and said, “You don’t think he got lost do you?”

“No, no, I’m certain he’s fine,” Dr. Layne answered, “perhaps we should get back to the game. Fluttershy, I believe it was your deal.”

Dr. Layne grinned at Fluttershy, who had her eyebrows furrowed, causing her patchwork skin to wrinkle and stretch in a way that looked almost painful. She took a deep breath and said, “Dr. Layne, Twilight, Pinkie Pie. I want you to know that I am very thankful for the way you’ve been treating me since my accident. I don’t think I would’ve been able to survive if it hadn’t been for all your kindness and patience. For this reason, I would like to ask that if you’re going to keep something from me, that you not be so… blatant about it. Please?”

Dr. Layne sighed. “All right, you’ve got us. We’ve got a few more secrets, ones I won’t be telling you for your sake, but I guess I can let you in on this one. The truth is that Twilight and I, we’re not like the ponies you knew back in Ponyville, or any part of Equestria. The truth is, the truth is-”

“The truth is,” a genderless voice cut in from an unseen intercom, “you’re a long way from home.”

A chill shot through Twilight’s spine. She instinctively turned her head toward the vault door, her legs readying themselves to run at the first sign of danger. Beside her, Pinkamena growled.

“What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked, her voice shaking.

“Oh, nothing much, sweet Fluttershy,” the Administrator said in its mockingly sing song tone, “We at Sleipnir were just looking over the facility’s new layout and just so happened to notice that your friends were doing an appallingly awful job of telling you how they tore you from your world, prevented you from receiving proper medical attention, and forced you to endure time with the pony who betrayed you. We just thought it would be kind of us to give them a helping hand.”

Fluttershy squirmed and shifted closer to Dr. Layne, who put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. He glared at the ceiling and said, “You don’t normally grace us with a conversation, so what do you want?”

“Want? We at Sleipnir desire nothing but to see that our patients are treated with the upmost efficiency. Unfortunately, we at Sleipnir lack the necessary equipment to provide the necessary healthcare for several of our guests. As such, we have prepared an opportunity to escort any pony safely off of the ship, on one condition.”

Dr. Layne snorted. “Well then, what is it?”

The Administrator’s voice shifted to a more masculine tone. “We at Sleipnir have noticed that one or more of our guests has been consorting with an individual who would undo all the progress that Sleipnir has made. As such, we ask that Miss Twilight Sparkle be delivered to us.”

Dr. Layne stood up and stomped a hoof. “No!”

“Wait a minute,” Twilight said quickly. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized what she was about to do, but she swallowed her fear and forced herself to think of the others. “If I give myself over, do you promise to send my friends back home?”

“Twilight, what are you-” Pinkamena started to ask.

“Of course,” the Administrator said, “We at Sleipnir see no reason to deceive any of our patients. If you come quietly, your friends will be allowed to leave the facility unharmed.”

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In her mind, she saw Fluttershy reuniting with her friends and getting the medical help she needed, Dr. Layne being able to live a normal life as a normal scientist, and Pinkamena being admitted into a proper asylum, and maybe even under Dread’s care. “Alright, Administrator or whatever your name is, tell me where I have to go.”

“Twilight, no,” Pinkamena said. Twilight ignored her. There wasn’t any reason for them to suffer in the hell that was Sleipnir. Not even Pinkamena.

“Due to recent events, the layout of our facility has been altered,” the Administer said, “if you would kindly walk down the hall from your air lock, you will find a shuttle that will take you near to our head office. We at Sleipnir thank you for your compliance.”

Twilight got up to her feet and slowly made her way towards the vault door, taking care not to hurt her injured leg. She tried not to think about what the Administrator might want with her, or what he would do when she met him, but images of horrific torture wedged themselves into her mind, causing her knees to tremble slightly.

As she reached the door, Fluttershy called, “Twilight, why are you doing this?”

Without looking back, Twilight took a deep breath and said, “I made a promise.”

Twilight placed a hoof on the vault door, and was getting ready to open it when Dr. Layne shouted, “Are you serious?”

Twilight turned to look at the doctor, who was scowling at her from across the room.

“Do you really,” Dr. Layne continued, “believe that that thing would ever keep its word? Really?”

“Well…” Twilight said slowly. She kicked at the ground and shook her head. “I guess I really didn’t think about, I just assumed-”

Dr. Layne snorted. “If you want to go, I won’t stop you. But do you really think it’s worth throwing your life away on the promise from the same thing that’s been toying with us since day one?”

Twilight thought about it for a moment. The images of her friends being happy still burned in her mind. She looked at her friends; Fluttershy was trembling on the ground, and Pinkamena crying silently. Twilight’s heart sank. She wanted to tell Dr. Layne that any risk was worth it for her friends. She wanted to say that the Administrator might keep his word and that she didn’t care what happened to herself. But Dr. Layne had a point.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight turned away from the door and returned to her friends. “Sorry, Administrator,” Twilight said, spitting at the ground, “but I don’t think I’ll be joining you after all.” Pinkamena beamed and tackled her in a constricting hug. Fluttershy joined her a second later, though her hug wasn’t quite as strong.

“Well now, that is unfortunate,” the Administrator said in a mockingly cheerful tone, “under normal circumstances be would applaud you for your denial of our offer, but sadly you cannot be allowed to live.”

There was a loud ‘zap’, and then the room went dark, save for a pale green light coming from beneath one of the bed sheets. Fluttershy let out a loud squeal and ducked beneath. Pinkamena released Twilight and let out a low growl.

“And that’s our cue to leave,” Dr. Lanye said. “Take what you can carry and leave the rest, I’ll bet my good wing something’s coming for us.”

“What about Dread?” Pinkamena asked.

“He’ll have to catch up, now let’s move!”

Twilight’s eyes darted around the darkened room, seeking anything that might be important. She focused on the bed sheet where the green light was coming from and removed them to reveal the Book of Newt, its cover emitting the green light.

As soon as she exposed the book, a deep laugh rumbled through out the walls, sending a chill down Twilight’s spine. Choosing to ignore the laugh, Twilight scooped the book into a nearby bag and slung it over her shoulders. The sudden weight caused her leg to erupt with a pain that nearly caused Twilight to collapse.

Gritting her teeth and fighting off tears, Twilight shouted, “I don’t think I’ll be able to carry Fluttershy.”

Dr. Layne swore, “Alright, I’ll carry her.”

A moment later, after Twilight helped Fluttershy onto Dr. Layne, she checked the bandages on her leg to make sure they wouldn’t fall off.

When she was done, Dr. Layne said, “Pinkie, you’re going to have to open the door and go out first. Twilight and I will follow. Our goal is to try and get to the hole that leads to the laboratory. If something goes wrong, we keep moving until we reach the end of the hall. Got it?”

“Yup,” Pinkamena said. She hopped over to the vault door and turned the large valve on it. The door screeched open, letting in a rancid smell that caused Twilight’s eyes to water. It was the same smell she and Pinkamena had experienced earlier, and Twilight silently wished that Dr. Layne hadn’t made them leave.

Clutching her nose, Pinkamena walked through the door, followed by Dr. Layne, and then by Twilight. Aside from the smell, the hall seemed safe enough, if a bit dark. As they walked, their hoof steps echoed throughout the hall, giving the impression that it was much larger than it was.

Minutes passed, and the smell started to get to Twilight. She tried breathing through her mouth, but still the stench managed to break through. Twilight stopped to cover her nose with her hooves, and this seemed to work. Breathing a sigh of relief, Twilight tried to think of a more permanent solution to her annoyance. It was too late to go back and get some cloth, and her wings certainly wouldn’t block the scent.

Twilight was considering plucking some of her feathers and shoving them up her nose when her ears picked up the sound of something wet flopping on the floor in the distance. She pricked her ears to try and figure out what might be making the noise, but it was too soft for her to get much out of it.

Ignoring the rancid smell, Twilight hurried onwards to catch up with the others. Her bad leg kept her from moving too quickly, and she had no idea how far ahead they moved on without her.

Behind her, the wet, slopping sound grew louder. Twilight sped up her pace, sending sharp spikes of pain up her leg, causing it to buckle underneath her. She let out a small cry and forced herself to her feet.

Whatever was behind her must’ve heard her cry, as the slopping noise started beating faster. Despite her protesting leg, Twilight forced herself to run. Every time her hooves struck the ground, it was like her leg being battered by a boulder, and every time she pushed off from the ground, it was as if her leg was being ripped apart.

She made it about ten steps before collapsing. Whatever was making the slopping sound was almost upon her, she could hear the noise clearly now. She tried to get up, but her leg wouldn’t do what she told it to. With few options left, Twilight started pulling herself forward with her front legs, and screamed for help.

As she pulled herself forward, Twilight hazarded a look behind her. When she did, the slopping noise ceased, leaving Twilight in a void of silence that was broken only by distant hoof steps. For a second, she stared into the void, unable to make out any details. Then, the creature opened its eyes.

What little light there was in the darkened hall way seemed to have reflected off the creature’s huge, bulging eyes. Whatever it was stared at Twilight unblinkingly, as if calculating its next move. Slowly, a wide grin stretched across the creature’s face, splitting its lips and cracking its skin. Its teeth were large and cracked, yet so white that they seemed to illuminate the area around them. Twilight’s heart caught in her throat. She turned away from the thing and tried once again to get to her feet and run. She managed to get up, but her leg resisted any effort to make it move.

“Oh, Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student,” the creature said in a raspy, gurgling voice, “you don’t have to run from me.”

Twilight screamed and tried desperately to walk on three legs. She hobbled a couple of steps, then something wet and clammy wrapped itself around her bad leg. She tripped, and fell to the ground.

The monster’s tentacles wriggled across Twilight’s body, its icy tendrils feeling every nook and cranny. Twilight squirmed and tried to get away from the monster’s clutch, but it merely laughed and pressed down on her with a mass of tentacles

“All I ever wanted was to be closer to you,” The monster gurgled, “and you went and did THIS to me!” The monster pressed squeezed Twilight’s torso, forcing the air out of her lungs.

Twilight struggled to get free, but she didn’t have the strength to undo the monster’s hold on her. She could only close her eyes and groan with terror. Every fiber of her being told her to fight, but she couldn’t move a muscle. The world seemed to collapse around her, leaving her in a dark, cold void where all she could do was wait for the monster to have its way with her.

Behind her, the monster purred.

“You hurt me, Twilight; I hope you know how that feels. Now, where shall I begin?”

The monster’s tentacles shifted and focused solely on her head. Two of the tendrils wormed their way into Twilight’s nostrils, with two more feeling around her eyes.

The tentacles in her nose pushed themselves in slowly, making Twilight’s nostrils burn as they moved. Twilight sputtered involuntarily and pulled at the tendrils desperately to get them out.

“Help!” Twilight cried out faintly.

Laughing, the monster slowly removed its tentacle from Twilight’s nose. As soon as they were out, Twilight gasped for air, filling her lungs as much as possible. Her nostrils burned as they were filled with air, and something wet and warm trickled down from them onto Twilight’s lips.

“Not very pleasant, is it?” It gurgled, “But enough with the appetizers, onto the main course!”

Chuckling, the monster tore the bandages from Twilight’s leg. Her mind went white with the pain, and she screamed flailed wildly.

“Let me go!” Twilight cried, her voice weak from a lack air, “just let me go!”

“Let go?” The monster asked, gurgling and laughing, “But sweet Twilight, the fun is just getting started!”

The monster’s cold, wet tendrils felt around Twilight’s wound, it was as though her leg was being ripped apart. Tears started rolling down Twilight’s face as they started to dig down further into her torn up leg.

The monster’s tentacles pressed down harder onto Twilight’s wound, and seemed just about ready to make the plunge, when a high pitched voice shrieked, “Get off of her you freak!”

There was a loud ‘Splat’, and the monster reared off Twilight and sputtered. The next thing Twilight knew, some pony had grabbed her and was now carrying her down the hall. Unsure of exactly what was going on, Twilight took the opportunity to catch her breath.

“Pinkie?” Twilight asked, her mind still half in a daze.

“Not now, Twilight,” Pinkamena panted, “that thing’s still after us.”

Twilight blinked and looked back. Sure enough, the monster was clawing its way down the hall not far behind them, pulling itself forward with its tendrils. It shrieked and roared in rage, its eyes maddeningly wide. Twilight stared at it for a moment, then turned away.

“Pinkie, where’s Dr. Lanye? Is Fluttershy alright?” Twilight asked quickly.

Behind them, the monster screamed, “Give me back my Twilight!”

“They’re up ahead.” Pinkamena said, “Couldn’t find the hole.”

“How far?” Twilight asked.

“Just a little…” Pinkamena’s breathing grew heavier and she began to slow down.

Twilight looked up ahead and saw the vague outline of a door that was maybe thirty feet away. She thought about her aching leg and wondered if she could manage that distance in a sprint without collapsing. Then she remembered that she had wings.

“Let me go,” Twilight said, “I can make it the rest of the way on my own.”

“No, I can…” Pinkamena gasped. She stumbled forward a few more steps then faltered. Her grip weakened enough that Twilight was able to squirm her way out and fall to the floor. Ignoring the sharp burst of pain from her leg, Twilight quickly kicked off from the ground and spread her wings.

Free of the burden Twilight’s weight caused, Pinkamena picked up her pace and was soon running alongside Twilight. Behind them, the monster cried out in anger, but with neither of the two ponies handicapped, it was unable to keep up.

“You won’t escape from me!” It shrieked, “I will have you! I will! I will! I WILL!”

Twilight and Pinkamena reached the door and quickly passed through it, leaving the monster in the hall of darkness. Beyond the door and a small room that was half filled with what looked like a large glass tube with seats inside it. Fluttershy was sitting in one of these seats, wrapped in one of the bed sheets from the vault. Dr. Layne was outside of the tube, looking at a metal lectern like thing that Twilight guessed was some kind of control panel.

As they shut the door, Dr. Layne looked up and asked, “What happened? How badly were you two hurt?”

Realizing just how out of breath she was, Twilight gave a quick explanation of what happened.

Dr. Layne swore, “Anything else?”

It was Pinkamena who answered, “Yeah, I lost my lunch bag.”

“Alright, get in the shuttle. Twilight, I’ll make you a new bandage out of a bed sheet later. We’ll be leaving soon.”

Twilight obeyed, selecting a seat near Fluttershy. She tried to start a conversation with the patchwork pegasus, but quickly realized that Fluttershy had fallen asleep. Deciding to follow her lead, Twilight laid her satchel out like a pillow, and closed her eyes.

Author's Notes:

Merry Christmas!