She had only managed to run for a few feet before pain flared up in her bad leg with such intensity that she collapsed. For a brief moment, Twilight was alone in the darkness. Her heart beat like a jackhammer as she realized that she wouldn’t be able to get away when it reached her. Twilight struggled to get to her feet, but her hind leg refused to do what she wanted. She tried on pulling herself forward with her front hooves. She managed to pull herself a few inches before giving up. Even if she did keep moving, she wouldn’t be able to out run the monster, so what was the point?

A split second later, something scooped her off the ground and the next thing she knew her face was half buried in a mess of long, greasy hair.

“Pinkie?” Twilight sputtered, getting bits of hair in her mouth.

Whatever Pinkamena responded with was muffled by the sound of the monster, but Twilight could just make out something about a twitching tail.

Behind them, the metallic clanging grew louder and louder, even as they ran from it. Twilight hazarded a glance behind to see if she might glimpse whatever was chasing them, only to find darkness.

“Over here!” Dr. Layne called from somewhere ahead of them. Twilight heard the sound of a door being opened, and Pinkamena turned towards it. A moment later, a door slammed behind them and the sound of their pursuer faded away.

“I think we’re safe for now,” Dr. Layne said while gasping heavily, “give me a second and I’ll find a light.”

Pinkamena sat Twilight down and panted for a minute before asking, “Are you alright, Twilight?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Twilight answered. The pain in her leg had simmered down to a dull throb which, while unpleasant, was at least bearable. “What in the hay bale was that?”

“No idea,” Dr. Layne answered, “though if I had to guess, I’d say it was one of those freaks that got loose a while back.”

The room became silent, save for the sounds of Dr. Layne stumbling around for a light switch. When he managed to locate it, a light bulb hanging from an exposed wire lit up and flooded the room with dim light, allowing Twilight to see where they ended up. It looked like a rather large closet, shelves lined each of the walls, holding various cleaning supplies, tools, or other things that Twilight didn’t know the purpose of. A set of brooms and mops stood in one of the corners, a bucket standing nearby for duty. All together, there was just enough floor space for three ponies to sit down comfortably.

Dr. Layne took a cursory look around the room and grumbled, “Of course I end up in a supply closet; it’s always a supply closet.”

“Pardon?” Twilight asked.

“I had to hide in a supply closet when-” Dr. Layne glanced over at Fluttershy, who was frowning at a box of rat poison. “Never mind, it isn’t important. Anyway, look around, every supply closet on the ship should have a few rolls of gauze. Might as well change your bandage while we’re here.”

“I’ll help,” Pinkamena volunteered, Fluttershy followed a soon after. Together they scanned the shelves for anything that looked like a roll of gauze. Twilight and Fluttershy were only able to go through the shelves nearest them, but even then there was a lot to go through. Just on the shelf behind her, Twilight found cartons of glue, screws, mouthwash, and something called ‘mydlo’, whatever that was. It took them several minutes to locate a roll of gauze. Pinkamena found it nestled between the mop and a box full of plates and bowls.

“Alright, Twilight,” Dr. Layne said, “we don’t have anything to clean your wound with, but I found a bottle of peroxide next to the box of computer chips. When I remove your bandage, it’s going to hurt and the peroxide isn’t going to help. Do you want anything to bite down on?”

“No, I’ll be-” Twilight started to say, “Actually, yeah, I’ll take something.”

Dr. Layne nodded, “Pinkie, do you mind bringing the mop over here?”

They moved Twilight onto her stomach and placed the mop’s handle in her jaw. Pain spread through Twilight’s body as Dr. Layne carefully removed the bandage. Twilight bit down on the mop handle so hard that her jaw muscles started to hurt. She could feel bits and pieces of dried blood peel away from her wound, pulling with them bits of dead or rotten skin.

When the bandage was off, Twilight tilted her head slightly to get a look at how her wound was healing. She was shocked at how small it was, given the amount of pain and trouble it caused her, little more than a cherry sized crater. The flesh around it, however, was spongy and almost green in color. Black lines radiated from the crater, marking the places where the Celestia look alike had grabbed at her.

“Shit!” Dr. Layne hissed loudly as he spat out the bandage.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked instinctively, already knowing the answer.

“Necrosis,” Dr. Layne said, “The flesh around the bite mark has died and started rotting.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “It wasn’t anywhere near this bad the last time I looked at it. Whatever that thing did to you must’ve been worse that I realized, it shouldn’t have rotted this quickly.”

Dr. Layne rubbed his temple with a hoof. “I’m sorry, Twilight,” he said solemnly, “but I don’t have the tools her to treat this. The best I can do is apply the peroxide and hope it helps.”

He turned to Pinkamena and said, “Pinkie, do you mind looking around for pain killers? They’ll make Twilight more comfortable to move around.”

“Okay,” Pinkamena said quietly, “I think I saw some by the staples.”

As she started searching, Dr. Layne uncapped the bottle of peroxide and said to Twilight, “You may want to bite down on the mop again. This isn’t going to be pleasant.”

It was as if Dr. Layne was pouring liquid fire into Twilight’s wound. Her entire leg throbbed in protest as the disinfectant splashed onto her. Twilight bit down hard, her jaws threatening to split the mop in two.

The pain lingered for several minutes after Dr. Layne recapped the peroxide. It seemed as if every still living cell in her leg was focused solely on causing Twilight agony.

As the pain started to ebb away, Twilight spat out the mop and tried to speak, but all that came out was an incoherent gurgle. Dr. Layne quickly re-bandaged her leg and said, “Well, that’s all we can do for right now. Do you care if we keep the gauze and peroxide in your satchel? We may need them again.”

Twilight nodded, “Go ahead. Just make sure the peroxide won’t spill onto the books.”

Not long after Dr. Layne placed the items in the satchel, Pinkamena called out, “Found it!”

“Inside voices, Pinkie,” Dr. Layne grumbled.

Pinkamena smiled sheepishly, “Sorry.” She handed him a small, white bottle.

Dr. Layne took a moment to read over the bottle’s label, then said, “We’ll save these for when we find something to operate with. In the meantime, they’ll have to stay in the satchel.”

“Um, Dr. Layne?” Fluttershy asked in a soft voice.

Dr. Layne turned and smiled, “Yes Fluttershy?”

“If it’s not too much to ask, did any pony find food lying around here?”

Dr. Layne shook his head. “No, we wouldn’t find any in here. There might be a vending machine nearby that we could break into, but beyond that we’d be hard pressed to find even a bag of chips.”

Dr. Layne stood up and shook his head vigorously. “Twilight,” he said, “how long do you think it’ll be before you’re ready to start walking?”

Twilight flexed the muscles in her bad leg experimentally. The painkiller had done an excellent job at dulling any feeling she might’ve had, though there was still an unpleasant twinge that might be troublesome.

“I’ll be fine,” Twilight answered, standing up as slowly as possible.

“Alright,” Dr. Layne said, smiling, “we’re going to have to leave soon anyway, so we may as well start now. I saw some flashlights by the rope. We can use those until we can find a light.”

“What about the monster?” Pinkamena asked. All three mares looked at him simultaneously. Fluttershy seemed to be on the verge of breaking out into hysterics, her left fore-hoof shaking like a sapling in a rainstorm.

Dr. Layne took a deep breath. “We run as much risk out there as we do here. If that monster is still around, there’s not much stopping it from finding us in this tiny box, with nowhere to run. If we hear it coming, we can run. At any rate, I need to keep you three healthy, especially you two,” he gestured at Twilight and Fluttershy.

“I guess that makes sense,” Twilight said, frowning.

“Not like we have any choice,” Pinkamena said.

In a way, the flashlights almost made the dark hallway even worse. The beams of light illuminated just enough for them to see a few feet in front of them, making Twilight all the more aware of the oppressing darkness that surrounded them. The painkiller helped keep her calm, if only a little, but she still found herself subconsciously swiveling her ears around for any sign of an approaching monster.

The others seemed to be more relaxed. Fluttershy had fallen asleep again on Dr. Layne’s back, and Pinkamena had starting humming that tune she was so fond of. Twilight wished she was as calm as they were, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever had chased them earlier was still around, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

When she stepped in a puddle, Twilight nearly screamed. She quickly looked down to see what she had stepped in, and felt her stomach fill with lead as she realized that it was a dark red liquid.

“Dr. Layne?” Twilight called softly, trying as hard as she could to keep the panic out of her voice.

“Is something wrong?”

“You could say that.”

Dr. Layne shined his flashlight onto the blood, and followed a trail of it to a nearby door. It was too wet for it to have been there long, not yet sticky or crusty. Cautiously, he approached the door then, perhaps thinking better of it, slowly backed away.

“Let’s keep moving,” Dr. Layne said in an obviously forced calmness, “a cafeteria shouldn’t be far from here.”

They continued on in silence, whatever fragment of calmness Twilight possessed was shattered by the blood. Memories of the corpses she had seen back in the hospital crept their way into her mind. She could feel them staring at her, smiling at her, beckoning for her to join them. Cold, unseen hooves reached out to caress her warm flesh, while gnashing teeth readied themselves to rip it from her.

Twilight shook her head. She was imagining things, she told herself. Whatever was behind that door was probably just a victim to one of the inmates. Nothing to worry about. She had seen plenty of corpses by this point, what was one more?

This did little to calm her nerves, and Twilight found herself walking closer to Pinkamena than she normally did.

Dr. Layne opened the next door they reached. Twilight wasn’t exactly sure why this door was so special, save perhaps the lack of blood. The only thing that distinguished this door was an old, partially broken sign that said ‘Ponk’. Twilight wasn’t exactly sure what this meant, though she supposed it was probably acronym, or something.

The door opened to a small room that resembled the one Twilight and Pinkamena had passed through to get to the monster containment area. On one of the walls was a large glass window that looked into another room filled with shelves and office supplies. On the other side of the room sat a couple of chairs that had the cold, unfriendliness of furniture that hadn’t been used in ages.

Dr. Layne tried to open a door opposite the one they had entered through, but found it locked. He turn his back and looked at it for a moment, as if he was considering kicking it down, but instead grumbled and asked, “Pinkie, do you mind breaking that window? I’d do it, but I don’t want to risk hurting Fluttershy.”

Without saying a word, Pinkamena picked up one of the chairs and swung it at the window. The glass shattered with a loud crash and sprayed the opposite room with hundreds of little shards. Humming to himself, Dr. Layne poked his head through the hole, his neck coming uncomfortably close to a jagged edge of the broken window, and pulled out a small bronze key.

He carried the key to the door and unlocked it. After storing the key in his coat pocket, Dr. Layne pulled the door open and entered, Pinkamena and Twilight not far behind him.

“What the fuck?” Pinkamena said in a stunned voice as soon as Dr. Layne had turned on the lights.

They were greeted by a carriage size statue of Pinkie Pie, smiling down at them blankly. It was a poor imitation of the real thing. Its head was too large for its body and the paint was peeling off in places. It’s mane, which was rounded to simulate curls, had been cracked open, revealing bits and pieces of loose wires and machinery.

As Twilight looked away from the horrid parody of her friend, she realized that they seemed to have walked into a warehouse sized room full of Pinkie Pie iconography. There were other statues just like the first one of various sizes scattered around the room, along with posters, charts, graphs and paintings that wallpapered the entire room in a garish mix of pink. On the shelves sat what looked like plastic figurines and plush toys that looked like they had been ripped from a small filly’s toy chest. The floor was littered with abandoned papers, writing utensils, and confetti.

Hoping to get some idea what was with this room, Twilight bent down to look at one of the discarded pages and read the first few lines. It was titled ‘Pinkie sense theory number seven hundred and ninety two (792)’, gave brief explanation of the concept of ‘Pinkie sense’, and then proceeded to go on a long, thesaurus exhausting ramble that ponies went on when they had no idea what they were talking about, but still needed to finish the paper. Twilight dismissed the paper as rubbish.

She looked up to make sure that she hadn’t gotten herself left behind, and found Dr. Layne and Pinkamena staring at a model of Pinkie’s head that was at least twice the size of a pony. As she got closer, Twilight noticed that the words ‘Sugarcube Corner Quick Mart’ printed in fading letters on one of the sides.

“Found a vending machine,” Dr. Layne said.

The ‘mouth’ of the object turned out to be a plastic window, behind which sat a number of pre-wrapped pastries, ranging from honeybuns to glazed donuts. Just looking at the things made Twilight’s mouth water.

Pinkamena shattered the window with her flashlight, and quickly grabbed as many of the pastries as she could.

“Calm down Pinkie, we’re not in any rush.” Dr. Layne said calmly.

Pinkamena smiled guiltily, and laid the food in a small pile.

Dr. Layne woke up Fluttershy and the four of them started going through the stash. Twilight got a pack of donuts and a candy bar, Fluttershy got a couple of snowballs, Pinkamena got herself some honeybuns, and Dr. Layne got a few gingerbread ponies.

When they were done eating, they packed up the food into Twilight’s satchel. While she was making sure that they wouldn’t have to search through the food for her pain killers, Twilight’s hoof brushed up against something small and plastic. Without warning, a jolt of pain shot through her head like the crack of a whip.

Without realizing what she was doing, Twilight took the object out and said in a slurred voice, “Fluttershy, you need to take you need to take your vitamins. Here, I got them for you.” Almost mechanically, Twilight handed her the bottle.

“Um, thank you, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, taking the bottle. She popped the cap off and swallowed a single vitamin tablet, then put the bottle back into the satchel.

“Are you okay, Twilight?” Pinkamena asked through a mouthful of honeybun, “You seem a little off.”

Twilight shook her head. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just got a little dizzy there, that’s all.”

They finished their meal quietly and started to explore the large room. Dr. Layne thought that there might be another exit to the room, one that didn’t lead to a dark hall.

As they looked around, Twilight noticed that Pinkamena kept scratching the front of her neck and staring at the floor. When Twilight went to talk with her, she giggled nervously, beads of sweat forming on her brow.

Twilight shrugged. She supposed it was understandable to be uncomfortable in a room with your face plastered everywhere.

After several minutes of getting nowhere, Twilight started looking at the various toys and charts that littered the room. She was particularly amused by this one play set that depicted Pinkie Pie as a train conductor.

Walking past it, Twilight’s heart skipped a beat as a flash of red suddenly blinded her. There was a sound of something heavy hitting the ground, coupled with a shrill cry. Fearful that one of her friends had been hurt, Twilight stumbled forward, and tripped on a fallen doll. She managed to catch herself before falling.

As her vision cleared, Twilight realized that some pony was making a whimpering sound. When she could see clearly again, she found that it was Fluttershy, who was staring at a pile of fallen pictures. Whatever fell must’ve hit Dr. Layne on the head, because he was sprawled out on the floor.

Twilight glanced over at Pinkamena, who was rubbing her eyes, and slowly approached Fluttershy. She had started going over a list of ways to treat an unconscious pony, and concussions, when her eye was drawn to the thing that fell. It was a large, metal box with the words ‘CUPCAKES INCIDENTS’ written on it in dark red marker. Its lid had fallen off when it hit the ground, spilling countless little photographs and documents.

Fluttershy let out a loud scream and tried to scramble away from Dr. Layne. Twilight sprang to intercept her before she could get to far. Fluttershy only managed to crawl a couple of feet before she collapsed into a fetal position, clutching at her limbs and whimpering.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight said tentatively, approaching her friend slowly now.

Fluttershy looked up at Twilight, tears rolling down the side of her face. “Twilight,” she said in a shaky voice, “what happened to Rainbow Dash?”

Twilight took a step back and glanced over at a set of Pinkie Pie plushies. “Pardon?”

With some effort, Fluttershy stood up. She took a deep breath, then said, “Rainbow Dash disappeared about the same time Pinkie did. But Pinkie is the only one here, so something must’ve happened to Rainbow Dash!”

Twilight swallowed and started flicking her eyes around the room, racking her brain for the story they had given Fluttershy before.

“Is every pony okay?” Pinkamena called from somewhere behind Twilight. Fluttershy’s pupil narrowed into a pinprick, and she let out terrified scream. Once more she tried to pull herself away from what was bothering her, and again she collapsed after a couple of feet.

Both Twilight and Pinkamena rushed to their friend’s aid. She had curled up into a fetal position and was shaking violently.

“Fluttershy, are you alright?” Twilight asked in a gentle voice. Fluttershy whimpered, but gave no response.

“What happened?” Pinkamena asked, taking a step back from Fluttershy.

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t know. There was a red flash, something fell and must’ve spooked her.” Then, remembering that Dr. Layne also needed attention, added, “Go make sure Dr. Layne’s okay. I think whatever fell hit him on the head.”

Pinkamena went over to where the doctor lay, and began to feel around his neck. Twilight turned her attention back to Fluttershy who seemed to be settling down, though her body was still shaking like a new born foal. Twilight tried to comfort Fluttershy, but the she was unresponsive to her efforts.

Behind her, Pinkamena let out a cry of rage. Twilight turned to see her friend ripping up several bits and pieces of paper. Deciding to forgo comforting Fluttershy for a moment, Twilight got up to see what was driving her friends crazy.

Pinkamena ignored Twilight as she approached, seeming to be lost in whatever madness that was consuming her.

“Pinkie?” Twilight called softly. Pinkamena ignored her and began stomping on a pile of torn up paper.

“THAT. IS. NOT. ME. ANY. MORE!” Pinkamena shouted, punctuating each word with another stomp.

Twilight wondered if she should just let Pinkamena burn herself out, and then talk to her. She dismissed the idea when she thought about how much longer this might go on.

“Pinkie, you’re scaring me.” Twilight said calmly.

Almost immediately, the expression on Pinkamena’s face turned from rage to regret. Without saying a word, Pinkamena sat down beside Dr. Layne’s unconscious body, put her head in her hooves, and started weeping.

Twilight wondered if she should comfort her friend, but decided to satisfy her curiosity first. Scanning the scores of torn of bits of paper, and selected one that look mostly intact. At first, Twilight wasn’t sure what to make of it, just some poorly lit photograph. As she examined it, however, she slowly began to understand why the photos had upset her friends so much.

The image depicted some alternate version of Rainbow Dash tied down to a table, with a version of Pinkie Pie standing over her, wearing an ugly patchwork dress. The details were fuzzy, but Twilight could just make out small details about the room they were in. The walls were bare, save for a few lines that could’ve been anything from cables to streamers, and a poster that had some kind of inscription on it. After taking a second to decipher it, Twilight found that it said ‘Life is a party’.

As soon as Twilight read those words, her mind flashed back to a story Pinkamena had told her on one of her first days in Sleipnir. The story of her first kill, and Rainbow Dash’s death.

Twilight ripped up the photo and threw the pieces away. For a moment, she wasn’t sure what to do. Both of her friends needed her, but she couldn’t think of way to resolve the issue without causing more conflict. Unless…

Twilight walked up to Pinkamena, and nudged her gently. Pinkamena looked up, her eyes puffy and red.

“”You saw them, didn’t you?” Pinkamena asked.

Twilight nodded her head.

“Looks like I’m not the only fucked up party pony around,” Pinkamena choked up a laugh as fresh tears formed in her eyes. “By the looks of it, there’s hundreds of us evil Pinkies, all of whom one day decided to- How many of me are there? How many times has a Pinkie Pie killed her friend and, and-” Pinkamena let the last two words die on her lips.

“I don’t know,” Twilight answered, unsure how to react to something like that.

Pinkamena croaked a laugh that sounded almost broken. “Here I was thinking that the things I’ve done, the depths I’ve sunk to, I thought I was the only one. A broken Pinkie Pie among thousands of nice, friendly versions. But no, apparently backstabbing, murderous Pinkie Pies are as common as apple trees!”

Pinkamena’s voice grew quiet as she continued. “Who knows, maybe we’re all murderous bitches, deep down? Maybe some of us are just better at keeping it under control? Just ticking bombs, ready to betray are loved ones at a moment’s notice.”

“That’s not true!” Twilight said, “Pinkie, I think you’re over thinking this. They were just a few pictures. They weren’t even that good! For all we know, they were all pictures of the same event. You’re working yourself up over nothing.”

“They weren’t the same, Twilight,” Pinkamena said sourly. “Just look at them, they’re all from the same angle, they all include alternate versions of me and a tied up Rainbow Dash, and they all have different furniture in the background. Some of them even have pony hides hanging from the walls.

“Okay, okay,” Twilight stammered, trying desperately to think of a new strategy. “But those Pinkies aren’t you, and you don’t have to be like them. You can still redeem yourself!”

Pinkamena’s looked at Twilight incredulously. “How?”

Taking a deep breath, Twilight said, “You can start by telling Fluttershy what happened.”

Pinkamena’s eyes widened and her face grew pale. She looked away from Twilight, and whispered softly, “I don’t want to. Not now.”

Shifting her weight onto her good leg, Twilight placed a hoof of Pinkamena’s shoulder. “You have to tell her eventually. She deserves to know.”

“You saw how she reacted to those photographs. Imagine if- I can’t tell her.” Pinkamena looked at Twilight pleadingly.

“Would you like me to tell her? Or Dr. Layne?” Twilight asked.

Pinkamena lowered her gaze. “No, no, I’ll do it. Just give me a second.”

She got up and slowly walked over to wear Fluttershy was lying. Fluttershy glanced up at her and then looked away.

“Fluttershy,” Pinkamena said somberly, “there’s something you need to know.”

“About what you did to Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked coldly. “I heard everything you and Twilight talked about. I’m not deaf you know.”

Pinkamena took a step back. She looked back at Twilight as if she could offer any solution.

“Look, I uh,” Pinkamena gulped and looked at the floor. “Yes. That’s right.”

Fluttershy’s eye flared with an intense anger beyond what Twilight thought she was capable of. Her entire body tensed as if she wanted to pounce on Pinkamena. Twilight wasn’t sure that she shouldn’t. Then, like a bonfire caught in a wave, crumpled back into a fetal position, and started sobbing.

Pinkmena looked at Twilight pleadingly. Taking the cue, Twilight walked over to where Fluttershy was crying and tried putting a hoof on her. Fluttershy flinched away, shouting, “Don’t touch me!”

Twilight took a step back, but kept close enough to talk with Fluttershy softly. “Look, I know this is a big shock, and you have every right to be angry at Pinkie, to hate her even. But I want you to at least hear her out, okay?”

“Why should I?” Fluttershy said in a cold hiss.

Twilight had to think for a moment. Why should Fluttershy hear her out? It wouldn’t bring Rainbow Dash back, nor would it make her feel better. If anything, it might make things worse.

“Because,” Twilight started to say to buy more time, “because she wasn’t in her right mind! That’s why.”

Fluttershy’s eyebrows knit together, creating a web of odd crinkles on her patchwork face. “Alright, I’ll hear her out, but only on the condition that she really wasn’t in her right mind.”

Twilight sighed and motioned for Pinkamena to come over. She dawdled towards them at a snail’s pace, never taking her eyes off the floor. When she did reach them, Pinkamena stood still, occasionally fidgeting with her hooves.

“Twilight tells me that you have something to say about what you did to Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said coldly. “Is that true?”

Pinkamena gulped and began pulling on her hair. “Um, yes, I wanted to tell you that, I’m sorry.” She started scratching behind her ear.

“Is that all?” Fluttershy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Pinkamena’s eyes began darting back and forth, beads of perspiration began forming on her brow.

“No, you deserve to know what happened,” Pinkamena sighed, then took a deep breath. “I have a disease called sanguinam ungollum. I don’t know if Dr. Layne told you about it, but it basically makes me want to- want to do bad things to ponies.”

“It makes you evil, you mean?”

Pinkamena winced as if Fluttershy had struck her with a sledgehammer. “Yes. I can keep it under control now, for the most part, but back in Ponyville, back when she was still alive, it took every ounce of my self control not to do something heinous. It was like having an itch that I could only scratch by hurting some pony.”

She paused for a moment, as if to collect her thoughts. Fluttershy glared at her with such contempt that it sent a shiver down Twilight’s spine.

“I tried to relieve the urge with small things,” Pinkamena continued, “pranks, and surprise parties. Things that hurt ponies, but in ways that made them smile. It worked, for the most part, but every so often the itch would become so strong that I had to shut myself away until it passed. On one of those times, I couldn’t get away from ponies. The Cakes were busy and needed me to run the shop. I thought I could keep it under control but-” Tears started to flow down Pinkamena’s cheeks.

“But you couldn’t, and Rainbow Dash paid the price,” Fluttershy said coldly.

“And you,” Pinkamena murmured before stammering, “I’m sorry!”

Fluttershy took a moment to look over her scars and patches, and frowned. “So, it wasn’t an accident then?” She shot an accusatory glare at Twilight, but said no more.

“No,” Pinkamena said, sniffling. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to get better but-”

“Just shut up.” Fluttershy turned away from them, “Leave me alone. I need some time to think about this.”

When Pinkamena opened her mouth to say something else, Twilight held up a hoof and shook her head. Pinkamena had said her piece, and for now that would have to do. Perhaps later Fluttershy might want to talk more about the incident, but for now Twilight needed to keep them apart.

“We need to make sure Dr. Layne’s alright,” Twilight said, “we’ve wasted too much time as it is.”

They walked over to where the Dr. Layne lay motionless without saying a word to each other. Twilight put a hoof on his neck to check his pulse. His heart was beating in a low, but steady beat. Twilight sighed with relief.

The next thing she checked was the place on his head where the metal box had struck him. There was a small cut, but Twilight didn’t think it was anything serious. She reached into her satchel and pulled out the gauze. With Pinkamena’s help, she quickly wrapped a bandage around Dr. Layne’s head.

“I think he’ll be alright,” Twilight said when they were done.

Pinkamena said nothing.

They waited for several minutes before Dr. Layne’s eyes twitched. He woke up with a dazed look and started feeling around the area where he was hit.

“Twilight? Pinkie?” Dr. Layne asked, “What happened? Did something hit me?”

“Yes,” Twilight said sympathetically, then pointed at the box. “That.”

Dr. Layne swore loudly. “How long have a been out?”

“Maybe half an hour,” Twilight said, “but I’m not sure.”

“Is any pony else hurt? Is Fluttershy okay?”

Twilight sighed, “It’s complicated. Come on, let’s go.”

She helped Dr. Layne to his feet, and together with Pinkamena they walked over to where Fluttershy was sitting. When Dr. Layne offered to carry her again, Fluttershy scowled at him and snapped, “I’ll walk, thank you very much!” and proceeded to get up and storm off.

“Twilight, what happened while I was asleep?” Dr. Layne asked.

“It’s a long story,” Twilight said sadly.

Author's Notes:

For once this story is actually going somewhere.