“Living?”

Like a hungry predator desperate for blood he circles her, watching every microcosm of her frail form. The moonlight bend from the blade of the sword pointed tauntingly at her.

Menacingly, a knowing smirk form from the garbled flesh of his face. The sight would have unnerved anypony but strangely she doesn’t feel fear.

“You know what I hate about you? You’re too nice. You’re like the token nice person in almost every story like this you can find. You exist as a…” he wave his hand as if to make a point “as a pure character with no moral flaw whatsoever. Makes me sick… You’re so kind you’re basically a pushover.

You’re the worst character in every story at all and your kind can be seen EVERYWHERE. Basic and common – the kind, unassertive, wishy-washy supporting character! The very presence of something like you within a story just screams that this is lazy writing. If this isn’t a kids show, it’d be a chick flick and you’d be the inexplicably kind and average-looking(?) main heroine being fought over by the only two good looking guys on the show. Or three. Or four.

But what really pisses me the most is here I am - living a shitty life with heartbreak, disappointment, and mistakes while all YOU do is frolic, have a happy life, and everyone loves you!”

His gaze lingers on as the echo of his last words trail off into silence, looking for any reaction. Any word. Any rebuke.

She has none.

“What makes you so much better than me, huh? Why do I have to be the guy with the incurable cancer and the piss ugly face doing all the self-depreciating jokes while you get to be the little pony having grand adventures surrounded by friends and loved by everyone?”

He steps forward “You know why? Because you’re a template. You’re the easy to write, easy to understand, easy to make character. You’re the supposed self-insert by bad writers – you’re kind, and everybody loves you, and you get what you want. And what am I?”

He raise his arms “Some guy people read and watch to get shot, explode, killed, betrayed - and I come out laughing and joking about it then everyone thinks it’s funny. I get whole storylines spanning volumes dedicated to giving me a modicum of a normal, content life only for them to be taken away from me in the end! Volumes of the same fucking tragedy - Joe Kelly, Daniel Way, Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn –and all the other fucking bastards playing with my life – you have no right!”

The voice echo, bouncing off blue-painted wooden walls. He looks on, his voice lowering in resignation “Why… why can’t I just be happy like you guys instead?”

He stops and looks away in a sudden pensive manner, like something finally clicking into place. He whirls his back, the silence instantly overcoming his entire self.

“Jealous. I’m so fucking…”

Moving by themselves, his hands cup his face carrying the immense realization within them “Is that why…? No… no, I’m doing this to save everyone, right? This isn’t just about me…”

He spins and eyes her like a hawk, glaring at her unmoving confused frame “Yeah… that’s right. You…” a finger points towards her “It’s alright. You can’t help being created that way.”

The hoofsteps echo within the walls of the room until he stands a hoof away from her. Sharp black eyes stare her down from above, baring her entire image.

In many ways, she still doesn’t understand him but what he said helped her realize.

“It’s alright, Deadpool”

Some monsters can’t help being created that way.

“I forgive you”

Golden helmets shine in daylight reverie circling Sugarcube Corner in glorious reception. The princess herself leads the cartoon villain in dangling chains onto her golden chariot in a form of some grand, twisted exit of some kind. The townponies stand by - audience to this grandiose sham playing before their very eyes. With injustice staring in their face most everypony is simply content to watch it unfold, look on with morbid apathy.

But not her.

“This is CRAZY!! How can you even THINK that Pinkie Pie would do something like that?!”

Two pegasi guards clash with her in the wind, their shoulders pulling her down from the air, the sun bending against their helmets blinding her each time.

“LET GO! – TWILIGHT! - She’s been in the forest for DAYS trying to CATCH the monster!”

Her rasping screaming echo among the murmurs of the ponies watching below. The guards continue to restrain her but she won’t relent “Calm down ma’am please-!“

“I said let me g-! - She’s our friend! YOU CAN’T DO THIS!”

“-Stop struggling!”

“-Stop!”

More guards fly in to push her down and they all tackle her to the ground. Her limbs crawl beneath them, twisting free-

“-Stay calm Miss Rainbow Dash!”

“SHUT UP!” She push back as she gets an opening and spring them in mid-air “You-! - Twilight! You EGGHEAD! Pinkie didn’t do ANYTHING!”

They all latch back onto her like pests “-Miss Rainbow Dash!”

“I said LET ME GO! Stupid! This isn’t FAIR!”

“Rainbow Dash! Stop!”

She relent as they all turn to the white unicorn standing away from the mob, her eyes in a fiery blaze “Come down here this instant!”

She could see the undiluted fury on Rarity’s face reaching her from up there. Why is she angry at HER? She lands but not before pushing the guards away from her.

“Are you going to let her treat Pinkie like a criminal in front of all these ponies?”

“Calm yourself, Rainbow. We can’t do anything for her right now.”

They turn to the scene of Twilight climbing onto a golden chariot in tow with their own good friend Pinkie Pie - her hooves cuffed tight like some sworn public heretic. The short tangling steel chains force her to take small, slow, and excruciatingly painful steps parading her in shame for ALL to see, like some sort of roadside animal! No, less than animal. How could Twilight do such a thing!

“CALM... yourself. Listen… to me…” Rarity repeats to her, ever so slowly “Don’t make this difficult than it already is. None of us know what’s going on”

The sound of the chariot doors closing shut snapped back her attention. Somehow the crowd’s dumbfounded silence made it sound so nearby, so within reach, as if she could grab hold onto the hulking pegasi lifting their wings, DARING her to give chase.

Her eyes draw to Pinkie - her head face down in a wailing quiet surrender. To Twilight, her back turned in defiant refusal to face even her. After what she’s done. After what she’s done! Look at me, Twilight. Traitor! You don’t treat your worst enemy like this, much less your friend!

The chariot lifts off. Her own wings lift by themselves homing to spring after them, but the hoof on her shoulder immediately pulls her back.

“Let them go, Rainbow!”

Rarity’s incessant meddling is beginning to irk her, but nonetheless she relents.

She looks on. Twilight’s innumerable lackey of guards begins to disperse from Ponyville like ants from an anthill - the marching of their boots rumbling in a cascading retreat.

As the sound of their hoofsteps fade away, what’s left of the town slowly returns to normalcy – whatever such a thing means. Some of the residents who’ve seen enough begin to walk away, back to their own business, but the more indignant of them begin to chatter and gossip among themselves like the roadside rats that they are.

“Did you hear that? Pinkie Pie is helping the monster!”

“Do you think it’s true?!”

“Why would Pinkie Pie do such a-“

“-such a sweet pony-“

“Why would somepony help the mons-“

“-my friends died from that monster! –“

“-She couldn’t have! There’s no way she could’ve-”

“Why did they suspect her-“

“-right? They wouldn’t drag her out like that if they-“

“-makes a strange amount of sense-“

“-Pinkie Pie we’re talking about-“

“-killed them! That monster killed-“

“-what did they find out-“

“-deserve to be taken away-“

“-serves her right!”

“-why did she do it?!”

“-can’t believe she would do such a-“

“HEY!”

The meandering of these wretched ponies shut off as they all turn their attention to her.

“ARE YOU ALL LISTENING TO YOURSELVES?!”

She turn to face each of them listening “You can’t ALL possibly believe that Pinkie Pie is helping that monster! There is NO WAY that could happen!”

“… But it makes sense, don’t it?”

All turn to the pained and regretful voice within the crowd. A number step apart, revealing a brown stallion with thick slicked back mane in his lonesome. He jumps from the attention but hesitantly he continues “E-Everypony knows that Pinkie is a little weird, right? Like, she can show up just about anywhere for one thing and—”

“That doesn’t mean she’s helping the monster!”

Rainbow darted to within an inch of his face “Maybe you forgot that all this time she’s been out in the forest trying to help US find out more about that thing!”

“W-Well, it’s not like we SAW her the entire time, you know. She could have been helping the monster when we weren’t looking”

“I SAW her the entire time!” He shirks as she tower over him “And that doesn’t PROVE anything! Everypony knows Pinkie would never do such a thing!”

“Woah –hold on! I’m just saying it’s possible, that’s all…” He raise his hooves in front of her “If she wanted to, she can do it without us really knowing about it! And why would the princess cart her off like that if she herself didn’t think so? For all we know she probably already have proof. I mean, think ab—“

“Hrrgk-!!” He swallow his word as Rainbow grabs him by the neck. His eyes turn to her raised hoof as she—

“-What on Equestria are you DOING?! Let go of him at ONCE!”

He tries to breathe but the clamped hoof tear at his neck, choking what little air is left. As her cold eyes bore at his core he grabs her hoof, trying to pry it off but his eyes turns to her raised, shaking hoof, ready to—

“-RAINBOW!!”

She release him at the sound of Rarity’s voice.

He falls to the floor, wheezing as he rub his neck.

“GAH! …You crazy m-“ he stops short, looking up to her paralyzing, withering gaze. He thinks better of speaking and picks himself up to run away from her. Far away.

The rest of the crowd all turn to the stallion fleeing the bakery, staring at his back, hacking and coughing as he flee from everypony’s sight.

Not one dares to look at Rainbow Dash.

“Everypony…” Finally, Rarity raise her voice for them to hear “I would like to ask you all to go back to your homes now… the guards are all returning to Canterlot and I promise you that we will get to the bottom of this…”

They all stand there fidgeting, unconvinced for a while… but a moment pass then one by one they begin to disperse, each no less in a hurry to leave.

Quietly.

“Must you be so impulsive?” She says to Rainbow without turning.

Rainbow clicks her tongue in annoyance. She can’t believe this - why is everypony turning on Pinkie? Just because there’s somepony to blame? These backstabbing freeloaders! Have they forgotten ALL the good things she’s done for them?

The silence drones on until she turns, facing the heavy sound of hoofsteps purposefully walking towards her.

“Applejack…”

She wait solemnly for her approach with a grim disappointed look on her face. Stopping short a few hooves away from her, she says nothing. She doesn’t need to.

“You don’t believe all this stuff, do you?”

Applejack just blinks at her question.

“Pinkie couldn’t do anything like that, right AJ?”

Her green eyes look down from her. Blinking as her thoughts seem to gather but then she turns away

“AJ?”

A firm hoof fall on her shoulder, she face towards an unflinching expression on Rarity’s face.

Without a word, Applejack begins to leave

Accusingly, but quietly in her mind, her eyes dart back between her two friends.

The thought churns her stomach. The world seems to shrink around her as she feel her senses deaden at the mere mention in her mind…

Am I the only one who believes in Pinkie?

The door slams opens into a room with grey concrete walls. The light fixture above illuminates the lithe swirling dust atop the long steel table, two chairs placed on opposite ends. Twilight Sparkle sits on one looking back expectantly.

She stagger as the hooves behind her shove her into the room. Her eyes turn to the golden armored earth pony blankly pointing to the chair. They all watch as she approach the open seat.

Sitting down, she rests her back as the two guards behind her stand at attention on the corners behind.

She face Twilight on the other side of the table – her eyes bloodshot and almost bulging protrude through dark heavy eye bags contrasting the drained and whiting flush of her face, her tiredness beginning to even show through her almost always perfect posture. One would think she’s the one in worst shape.

“You’re lucky I’m the one talking to you and not the princess”

Her eyes turn to a brown folder on Twilight’s hooves, filled to the brim from what she could tell are pages and pages of papers.

Twilight opens the folder. Her red-blooded irises linger on it like a death sentence before they bore through her like pinpoint daggers.

“Take a look at this picture”

A white slip of photo paper starts to levitate, glowing with a magenta light homing closer and closer until it is all she could see.

Red.

Splatters.

Blood.

A wide, blood-splattered stairwell littered with bodies on what looks like Canterlot Castle. Royal guards lying with their bodies torn, twisted into unnatural shapes, bones jutting through their fur and the blood draping over their missing hooves - their eyes frozen in inescapable horror. The walls drip with macabre deep red crimson flowing down to the white tiled floor. A chandelier fallen in tatters, its gold metal frame digging into the bodies beneath it, its crystal glass sprinkled over the wide viridian royal carpet…

Her senses return as she coil back from the picture before her. Her fur rise as the image itself seems to jump, taking form from the paper it is on.

“Gruesome, right?”

Twilight’s gruff snap her back to reality. Her eyes kept glued onto the picture as it levitate away, facing down on Twilight’s edge of the table.

“Take a look at this one”

Another picture levitates. As before, the magenta aura brings it to her sight - a flattened mass of flesh and fur collided in a kaleidoscope of colors lay mangled, soaking and spilling onto the watery blood tiled floor.

“Don’t recognize him? That’s Discord”

The picture stay in place. She try to piece together the connection – this indescribable lump is Discord? The seconds pass with she none the wiser until the picture flips and float back to Twilight.

“This, I’m sure is still pretty fresh for you”

Another one begins to levitate. The body of a purple Alicorn seemingly bathed in a rain of blood lies down, her head turned and facing away almost completely beheaded by the ragged, imperfect cuts on her neck. The streams of lavender hair on her head swims half-submerged in the pool of crimson liquid running from the gaping cuts of her throat-

“Just… horrible... Nopony could even bear to look at her face…”

Time pass with her eyes fixed on the image before her. She gazes on, but the sense of it still remains lost.

When she thought it was enough, Twilight returns it to her side face down on the table.

“How could you do such a thing, Pinkie?”

For an accomplice in something like this, Pinkie Pie is surely putting on a good act. The terror on her face is as plain and deceiving as the summer’s day - her eyes jutted and peeled to its seeming limits, her jaw rattling like a shiver of a dying mare, and her head shaking with the torment of complete disbelief. One would think she’s actually innocent.

But that won’t fool her.

“Tw-Twilight…” Her voice break, careening on the verge of tears “I-I! …I have nothing to do with this… I swear…”

For a moment, Twilight’s façade breaks down and she could see the friend she once cared for and happy to see. But only for a moment.

“Stop it with this nonsense already! The monster already said you were helping him!”

“What?!”

“Don’t play dumb with me! You’ve been telling him all about us and helping him kill everypony from the start!”

“W-Wh-NO!!”

“Everypony is dead because of you!-”

“-I DIDN’T DO ANY-”

“-everypony from Fluttershy’s animals-“

“-NO!-“

“-Big Mac and Granny Smith-“

“-NO! I DIDN’T-“

“-Princess Luna are all DEAD!“

“-I DIDN’T-I DIDN’T-“

“BECAUSE OF YOU!!”

“-NOOOOOOO!!!”

Her face retreat into her hooves, heaving as she break down. The chains on her steel cuffs dangle noisily - as if trying to drown out her choking sobs.

“I h-have nothing to do with this-” she starts wheezing as her words cut off “I swear! Hh—h! I sweaaar!”

The rest keep still, stunned at the sound of her crying echoing within the room, almost piercing through the walls.

The seconds pass with Twilight’s eyes lingering at her display, observing. Observing the jumping of her back, the gasping of her breath, the clanking of the cuffs coiled onto her hooves. It all begins to unnerve her.

She stands up, her eyes away from Pinkie and wordlessly pace towards door.

She close it, muffling out the sobbing within. With nopony to see, she lets herself shed her own unhurried tears.

Her breath escapes and for a moment she gives in to the pain building up in her heart, and the tears flow blindingly.

Why is she treating her friend this way?

No.

Her friend?

Is she really? She doesn’t even know what she is.

Focus.

She straightens herself up, composing as she wipes the wasted tears flowing from her eyes. Downcast as they turn to a shadow on the floor.

She looks up. The muted figure of Sunset Shimmer stands at a polite distance, watching her in stunned silence.

“… …How long have you been there? …”

“… …Just now…”

The voice that came out from Twilight was weak, even helpless. A different time Sunset would have enjoyed hearing that. She would’ve never been able to imagine going back home to this and everything else that’s happened.

Her hoof reaches into her pocket for her kerchief and offers it to Twilight. She takes it, dabbing it onto her shut swollen eyes. She hands it back but she motions to keep it, affording her another moment before pressing on.

“Did you get some answers?”

“… No.”

Twilight clears her throat, attempting to calm herself “She kept denying any involvement whatsoever… when I showed her the pictures, it’s like it’s the first time she’s seen them”

Sunset raises an eyebrow.

“It sounds like she stopped crying.” She lifts a hoof motioning her to follow, opening the steel door back into the room.

“Go on, you go ask her the questions.”

With the door held open she walk past Twilight, entering to the sight of the pink mare sitting silently on her seat, her fluffed and unkempt mane swept past her head facing down, staring at the shadow on the cold steel-blue table before her.

Sunset moves and takes the opposite seat, with Twilight standing beside her reach. The mare with the pink mane’s eyes slowly looks up - bloodshot and pulsing as if they could burst.

She didn’t even know eyes could get this red. For a while, Sunset just gazes back.

“… Who are you…?”

Her whimper snapped Sunset back to reality.

“My name is Sunset, and I’ll be asking you some questions”

Her eyes turn to the files on her side of the table as her hooves arrange them. She recognize these and takes out one particular form from the folder: A report on the details of the destruction in Canterlot, the header describing a preliminary estimate of 120 million bits in damages.

Pinned to it are pictures of destroyed buildings in what used to be Canterlot Circle – one of Canterlot’s larger districts known for the sprawling fountain where ponies choose to meet, now all reduced to varying states of crumbling rubble. Pictures showing sprawling bricks and stone burying bodies of ponies underneath mangling their chest and twisting appendages in ways they normally can’t, hooves torn away like cloth from their shoulders, their stomach burst from—

“—God damn.”

She turns it over. She wasn’t ready to see that. Maybe it was a good idea not to go to Canterlot after all.

A memory plays out – a flash of a blue light then Princess Luna covered all-over in disgusting flesh and blood. Then the headless monster sitting up, twitching as the blood still spurting out from its neck! Flesh-like worms crawling and pooling from the stump, extending like tendrils forming nerves, eyes, teeth, then skull.

Euugh! Not a good time to remember that.

She tries to calm herself. Just all the more reason to get answers from this pony.

“Alright, Pinkie… Let’s start by telling me where you were last night”

The seconds pass before she answer “A-at home”

“…And? What were you doing?”

“… Sleeping?”

“… Ugh…” she cups and massages her temple before continuing “Well, before that. What were you doing before you went to sleep?”

“… Umm… getting ready to sleep?”

Her hoof pounds the table “Knock it off! What did you do before going home!?”

“N-Nothing! As soon as I left the funeral, I went straight to Sugarcube Corner and slept!”

“What?! Don’t screw with me! Who sleeps long enough for two days?!”

“I-I-I – I wa- I was very tired! I didn’t slept for days in the forest looking for the monster!”

“Are you fucking with us?! You expect anyone to believe that?! Pinkie! Nopony can sleep that long!”

“Lyra woke me up last night.”

Everypony leaned in anticipation.

“It was so sudden. I can’t believe I almost forgot. She asked me some things about the monster, I-I don’t remember…”

Twilight chimed in “What was Lyra doing in the bakery?”

She thinks about Twilight’s question. Her thoughts racks quickly but she realize “I don’t know… She just showed up all of a sudden but it was dark so I couldn’t see her… I don’t remember everything…”

“Let’s get back on topic, alright?” Sunset shifts in her seat, looking Pinkie straight in the eye “Everypony heard you laugh last night, Pinkie. We also have witnesses that saw you in the castle when Discord was killed”

“What?! No! I was asleep last night! And I was at the funeral when Discord was killed!”

It’s faint but Twilight heard Sunset click her tongue.

“We have proof, Pinkie! You’re getting punished either way. The best thing you can do right now is to admit that you’ve been helping the monster, and tell us what he’s going to do next!”

“But I…” Pinkie started shaking her head in disbelief “I don’t know any of this! I don’t know what’s happening, I don’t know what the monster is going to do next!”

Both of them stared at the frantic mare for a moment. Her bloodshot eyes darted to and fro to each of them, unblinking, trying to find her own answers from their own expressions.

Sunset cleared her throat and again shifts in her seat “Let’s say we believe that, then tell me where you were before the funeral”

“… Like I said, I was at the Everfree forest looking for the monster”

“How long were you there?”

Pinkie drops her shoulders and audibly exhales, pleadingly looking back “How long am I going to keep answering your questions? I already told you I don’t know anything…”

“Just answer the question, Pinkie. What are you hiding?”

“I’m not hiding anything.”

“Then just answer the damn question - how long were you in the forest?”

Pinkie blinks and shakes her head, looking away, staring at nothing as she gathers wandering thoughts “Um… about three days.”

“Three days… is a pretty long time, Pinkie. What were you doing in three days?”

Her chained hooves fidget by themselves as she cast her gaze downward “Waiting for the monster to show up”

“… Waiting for the monster to show up?” Sunset’s ears perks, her attention enraptured “Why? Did you arrange a meeting with him?”

“What? No! I- I just… had a feeling”

Sunset leans forward, her eyes narrowing on the cusp of a confession “… What exactly do you mean ‘I just had a feeling’?”

“… I…”

Pinkie kept quiet, silently staring back at her and Twilight. Then, as if she made up her mind about something she continue “I had a Pinkie sense.”

Sunset raise an eyebrow “A Pinkie--“

“-No, no-“ Twilight cuts her off “It’s alright, ask her the next question”

“… What… …?” Sunset pause to look at Twilight but lets it slide. She turn back to Pinkie “Well… did you meet with this monster then?”

Pinkie shook her head “No, but… I did find some things”

“What things?”

She start to gesture, trying to describe with her hooves but the chains stop her “I picked up some weird stuff in the forest that… I thought might be related to the monster. There’s this weird belt. It has big pockets and some sort of symbol…”

Sunset is staring, trying to picture what she’s describing.

“I showed it to everypony at the funeral – Twilight’s seen it. I have it back at home… or at least I think I have it, I couldn’t find it earlier this morning”

“-Pinkie”

Twilight hastily interrupts and moves from her place steadily towards Pinkie, stopping within a hoof from her.

She leans forward, her reflection staring back judging her from behind Pinkie’s pulsing blue irises. Her lips part, the question slips out with a tinge of regret in them.

“Are you helping Deadpool?”

The eyes staring back at her widen in surprise. For a while, Pinkie sat immobile – silently looking back without a thought until she speaks.

“No. I’m not helping Deadpool”

Twilight straightens up, turning back to Sunset with her own puzzled gaze.

“Let’s go, Sunset”

Then she turns to the guards “You stay here and keep watch. You over there, come with us”

The single guard nods as the rest of them head out, closing the door behind them. The sound of it slamming shut reverbing within.

Outside Twilight stops in her tracks and kept still, keeping Sunset and the other guard waiting for a response.

She twirls to him “We’re going to see the Princess. You stay here and guard this door. Nopony gets in without me.”

He nods “Yes, Princess Twilight”

“Without. Me.” She repeats for emphasis as they walk ahead.

Sunset follows behind as they make their way towards the throne. She’s beginning to feel like Twilight’s posse for just following her around. It irks her a bit.

“… Well, that was that.” She said when they were finally out of earshot.

“I can’t believe she helped that monster”

“I know, right?”

“No, I mean” Twilight turn to face her “I can’t believe she helped that monster”

Sunset raise an eyebrow at this.

“Deadpool said she’s helping him and it makes sense - the evidence is stacked against her. And how can Deadpool know so much about us?”

She stops to think on it for a moment, waiting for a thought to arrive.

Nothing. Or at least, not much. She speaks, only for the sake of saying it “Do you think she’s being framed?”

“…I don’t know. If she is, then this is an elaborately good framing”

Again she keeps silent, trying to make sense of it all.

“I heard her laugh, Sunset. I swear I heard her laugh. You did too. It’s not just a laugh either, she was giggling. Only Pinkie has that sort of giggle… And what kind of magic was that when the door wasn’t being opened? The only ponies that can probably counter my magic are the princesses”

She smirks at the mention of it “Don’t you think that’s a little exaggerated?”

“There’s no other way to think about it. Everything points to Pinkie, yet… when I asked her if she’s helping that monster… I couldn’t see it in her to even think that she would do any of this… but…”

Twilight let the thought gather in her mind before she continue.

“She looked like she knew who Deadpool is”

Sunset frowned a bit at her suggestion. Maybe Twilight is thinking into it too much. She is a bit inflated.

“Well” Sunset raises her shoulders “Maybe she is lying to us. Maybe she’s not being framed and is just putting on the drama… hell, I can probably do the exact same thing and convince you I’m innocent and all that, and all I’d have to do is cry”

Although when she thinks about it, Pinkie’s eyes were so red…

They continue walking, Twilight staring at nothing. Sunset’s eyes turn back to her profile, at the back of her mind she begins to wonder - is Twilight is letting her and Pinkie’s friendship get through her?

“Maybe… maybe she is being framed.” Twilight breaks the silence “Maybe all the evidence are pointing to her because we don’t really understand what Pinkie is in the first place”

“… What she is?”

She raise an eyebrow at this, yet again now that she notice.

”You mean she’s not just a normal pony?”

“What? Of course not. She’s crazy.”

Sunset crunched her face in way that showed she still doesn’t understand.

“Well, I don’t understand either, that’s just it. Trust me, I tried. And that Pinkie sense neither”

“How could you not know what Pinkie is?”

Twilight stops beside her.

“I mean, I didn’t peg you to be the type to just be content about not understanding something”

“Sunset…”

Meticulously, she turn. Her lips part in a way of weighing down her next words “You know, I really envy you”

“Huh?”

“I can’t tell if you’re blissfully or consciously ignorant”

“… Wha – Excuse me?”

“Surely you’ve also reached the point where having more knowledge will only drive you crazy?”

When she thought she’d truly absorbed what was told to her, she just shook her head in disbelief

“Seriously, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Humans, Sunset!” Twilight rush to her in a frenzy “I’m talking about humans!”

Twilight grabs her shoulders like a vice, shaking her like a madpony “How long have you been a human?!”

“WHA-?!“

“You saw him, didn’t you?! Deadpool’s a human! He came from YOUR world, Sunset!”

“M-My Wor- NO!!” She shake her head “That wasn’t a human! Humans don’t grow their heads back – especially within seconds!”

Twilight releases her.

“They don’t?”

“NO!”

She backs away “That wasn’t a human, Twilight. It kind of looks like one but it’s definitely not!”

“Are you sure?”

“YES I’M SURE!” She starts rubbing her shoulders “Jesus Christ, what the hell’s wrong with you? Grabbing me all of a sudden! I don’t need you breaking down on me either!”

“Are you absolutely sure? This is important--”

“—What’s wrong with you?! Haven’t you seen that thing? It’s disgusting! We looked nothing like that! UGH! I’ve been a human a whole lot longer than you have and I never FOUND or HEARD of anyone growing their body parts back! …first time I’ve seen anything like that my entire life, for god’s sake… And one other thing, what was that about MY World? I’m a pony, by the way, in case you didn’t…”

She trail off as she realize Twilight isn’t really listening to her but lost in her thoughts. She stands like a deer in headlights looking past her, her eyes in a frozen haze.

“Then…”

She mouths something, but stops before shaking her head in dismissal.

Sunset just eyes her, wary for another bum-rush panic attack but Twilight just mutter something painfully discreet under her breath.

The rumbling of the train tracks fade to a crawl, screeching as the wheels and pulleys skid recklessly against the gray train track beams.

“Last stop. Canterlot Station, folks”

The conductor passing by their way announce to nopony in particular as he make his rounds within. One by one they step down, alighting from the cramped train doors and onto the cold breeze hitting them like heavy ocean waves.

Their hooves touch the floor. Canterlot Station looks plain - unremarkable, even. A façade of what they’re about to see behind its massive gates.

The hiss and rumbling of the machinery behind them are deafening. They gaze at the gears and the pulleys working together to spin the hundred wheels on its tracks, slowly but gradually driving the train away.

“Lookit that. We really were the only ones onboard.”

Applejack broke the silence as soon as the train was out of earshot, their eyes lingering as it shrink in the distance. Wordlessly, Rainbow Dash and Applejack trot towards the gates. For Rarity, she follows with a weight pulling down her gut. For all that they heard of what happened here, nopony is really sure on what to see lying beyond those gates. Or more importantly, being ready to see.

A lone white stallion stands at the gates decked in golden regalia haphazardly smudged in filth. He nods at their approach. As they come closer, the dirt smudged on his person appears more evident as if he went underneath rubble.

He turns to Rarity “You folks here to help with the clean up?”

“Clean up?”

He frowned “Yeah, clean up! Don’t you know Canterlot was destroyed by a monster? You’re not here for vacation, are you?”

“No. We’re on our way to the castle right now to speak with the Princess”

“The Princess?” There’s a spark of accuse in his eyes. She can feel Rainbow not liking it one bit “What do you want to speak with the Princess for? Something more important than saving the ponies left here?”

“What do you care?” Rainbow intervened “What are YOU doing outside the castle? This your post? They’re stationing guards at the train now?”

“Post?” He scoffed at her “Shows what you Ponyville folks really know, holed up safe and sound with the Princess when all this went down”

“Hey, what the hay is your-!“

“-Rainbow! –Sir! Please, we apologize for being… abrupt.” Rarity pulls Rainbow aside “We would only like to pass through. We’re not fully aware of what’s happened here and we’d like to help, but we first need to speak with Princess Twilight regarding an urgent matter - It concerns her capturing our friend”

He shook his head, dismissing her “I don’t know anything about that. We’re not about just letting anyone through here to keep ponies safe. Canterlot’s in quarantine in case you didn’t know”

“Do you know who we are?!” Rainbow waved her hoof to the other two “We’re the elements of harmony! We saved this city more than once you know!”

The guard leans forward and outfaces her, almost daring her to hit him.

Cautiously, Rarity pulls Rainbow back by her shoulders but she shakes it off.

“This is a quarantine. Nopony who’s not here to help doesn’t get in”

“We ARE here to h—!“

“—Nopony gets to speak with the Princess either”

“We’re the elements of—!”

“—Except by request of the Princess herself. Her orders, ma’m.”

“… Just let us through.”

Her voice is cold and guttural, silently staring him with dangerously murderous intent.

“Rainbow Dash…” Rarity could barely whisper. The tension is getting her more and more nervous by the second.

The guard curled his lip “Fine, I don’t really care. You want to get in?” He turns to unlatch the gate and push it open “Alright. Go ahead. Suit yourself.”

As soon as it opens, Rainbow decks him on the shoulder through her way. Rarity catches up and motions to apologize but almost immediately they all stop.

She can’t say a word.

Her eyes dart, turning to what used to be buildings but now ruins of running grey marble. She turns to the shops and the gatherings one could frequent now laying asunder - their empty white brick walls scattering about the wide curving roads. Their whiteness drying with blood.

She recognize one of the buried road signs – the café she always liked, one of the first things you could see coming in from the gates. She loved the open view it would give you of the town sitting there across the chair, all the different kinds of ponies visiting in – the wonder and awe one could always see from the children - right there from the glass windows’ panorama. The handsome barista always made the same chamomile honey-milk tea for her – the memory so vivid she could taste it. She would’ve bought the place if not for the scrupulous baroness that owned the establishment. Now all it has to show for it is the wooden road sign half-buried sideways in pebbles and rocks.

As she turns from the sight, there she sees – beneath the ivory spire of Canterlot Castle a picture. A picture straight from the depths of Tartarus.

A morbid congregation of the dead – deceased lay row by row, shoulder to shoulder, numbering in the hundreds covering around the entire span of Canterlot Circle. Its ruined, defamed, once beautiful fountain now a heap of ivory rocks - a twisted totem of what was once grand Canterlot. Now its corpse lie defiantly for all to see.

She turns away from the sight. There is no more for her to see. She refuse to see more.

“I didn’t think it was this horrible…” Almost out of courtesy, Rainbow broke the silence.

The guard snaps back “Of course you don’t, you live in Ponyville. This whole place is carnage, and we’re spread thin over here just trying to fix what we can. Those of us left in the town pitched in together to help everypony but there’s not a lot of us left to get our lives back… well, not a lot who haven’t left town, of course”

“One monster did all this?”

Her voice croaked, Rarity forced the question from beet red eyes.

“Aye. Saw it myself. It was spitting fire and explosions all over the place. Killed most of my friends... Nopony could do anything…”

“We got a kid here!”

They turn to see a mare and a stallion pull a young filly from the rubble nearby. The two lift her up from the rocks and lay her gently on the cold hard cement “Sweet Celestia, is she alive?”

One pony feels her pulse as the other pat her down, feeling for broken bones or bleeding. The mare presses her ear over the filly’s chest. They watch in silence.

She rise, the hope in her eyes fades as she shakes her head to her companion.

“That monster’s gonna pay” the want of retribution is clear in the guardsman’s voice “How could Celestia let this happen to us?”

“This ain’t Celestia’s fault.” Applejack interrupted “Don’t lose sight of what happened, it’s the monster that did all this”

“Well she didn’t stop it”

He point his hoof at the town around them “And neither did you. Where was the ‘Elements of Harmony’ when all this happened?”

“We’re sorry.”

Rarity said it without thinking, but it’s truly what she felt.

The guardsman paused at her, watching her in long pacified silence. He shrugged as if he seemingly made a decision.

“Well… it’s not going to bring our friends and families back but whatever” He points to Canterlot Castle in the distance “You wanted to see the princess, right? You’re gonna have to walk through the plaza. It’s rancid, but there’s nowhere else we could put everypony”

“Thank you, sir. When we come back we’ll ask more ponies to help here”

“Whatever.”

He turns back to the station gates, leaving them alone with their thoughts. Their eyes turn by themselves towards the distance, beyond the throes of the dead laying in the city before them.

Canterlot Circle is a mile-wide roundabout, circling all the streets of the city and is the way through to everywhere. It is literally the center of Canterlot. One cannot go from one street to another without passing through the plaza – including the uphill road to the castle. At the center of it is a beautiful mile-high fountain, a testament of Canterlot’s unabashed opulence. The waters spouting from the horns held by cherubs would sparkle like magic in daylight, and in the evening brings a soothing calm that balms the passing mare, lightening even the tiniest burden of the day.

Canterlot Circle is a grand display of the exuberance of Canterlot itself. For Rarity, it’s what sets it apart from the rest of Equestria. Canterlot had life in it like nowhere else.

It is plain cruelty that now it lies like an open morgue, an open casket of a hundred dead laying in sleep sprawled around the upturned, shattered fountain. Torn, as it seem, simply by malice. As if the monster purposely went out of its way to cruelly destroy something so beautiful. The spout looked as if it would bathe blood if it did.

As they near the scene the smell of corpses immediately gag in her throat – the smell of dead rotting meat, of rats carrying pestilence and maggots crawling underneath flesh like poison - their fumes crawl her throat in an instant. She gags. She realizes then, if not the sight, it would take a hundred years to forget this smell.

“… Sweet Celestia…” Her eyelids bite through the tears flowing askance. She doesn’t need to see this. She doesn’t need to see this.

“We can’t walk around them, there’s too many… …We have to go through…”

From her tone, she realized that Rainbow had a mind of flying through, but much to her surprise she felt a hoof grabbing hold of hers.

“We got you, Rarity. Let’s go”

Applejack’s calm voice reassures her. Calms her, even. Then she felt shame. Behold, the mare who lost her own home and family now embracing her, thinking only of her pain. She look up to her sad emerald eyes, then to the hoof wiping her tear away. She feels it rest on her back, motioning her to move on but with her own pace.

She turns back to the mares, the stallions, and the little fillies and colts numbering in the thousands lying next to each other, on top of each other, filling the entire square. Pale, the color flushed from daresay even their blood - flies and corpse worms swarm on the eyes and mouths on those that still have them.

The vultures ignore them as they pass, feasting on hooves, tearing indescribable chunks from ribs. Maggots swarm, slithering their disgusting white pods consuming the dead flesh unashamed before daylight.

But nothing more terrifying than the squeaking. The squeaking of the giant rats, most infernal sounds screaming in gluttony, hooked-pronged teeth raised in satiety – abominations in broad daylight. All of them. Their beady eyes stare back, daring her to over-step their territory.

“Don’t look, Rarity”

She grabs Applejack by her shoulder, burying her head in her bosom “Rats, Applejack! …there’s so many…”

“I hear ya… I hear ya…” Applejack embrace her in a motion to comfort her, leading them away but the farmer pony’s eyes follow the mare with the rainbow mane in front – hunched, quiet, and walking a slow and deliberate pace. Her mind also must be contemplating on how one monster alone could do all these things.

Rainbow stops and turn to a particular sight. Her own eyes follow – they spot a stallion, bent over and clutching one of the bodies, weeping. His face crunched tight, his eyes flushed deep bloody pink failingly fighting back the tears carelessly flowing. The pale viridian mare in his hooves stare back at him without the color hers once had.

He’s mumbling something to her, but they’re too far away to hear.

They watch him without a word.

“If I could get a word in, I’d like to say that I really appreciate this opportunity to be actually able to finish this one way or another. I mean, say what you want about comic book writers but at least THEY got a schedule. No matter how crappy or mediocre a job some of them are doing, at least they get the story moving along. Give the people something to actually look forward to at least, right? A good work ethic is a valuable thing to have.

People like to say ‘Quality over Quantity’ but people don’t usually wait every two years for their next batch of escapist gore porn to take them away from reality. No, No - they only need to wait for a week between episodes of The Walking Dead… Is the Walking Dead still on?

Did this story outlive the Walking Dead?? There’s a joke there somewhere, but it’s too depressing to mention.

Maybe if the guy writing this finally gets his act together then maybe – MAAYBE – he would actually have an INCH of a shot to getting a light-year’s close on his dream to becoming an actual legitimate writer and not just some hack stealing jokes from 2010.

Definitely not with this proofreading too. Would it kill ya to get a proofreader for shit? Should I help? – Who do I have to kill for that? Stay tuned – Coming soon – Deadpool Kills the Writers Studio

Now I know what you’re thinking: Woo~ Deadpool with a stick up his ass, complaining about some nerd’s My Little Pony fanfiction. So edgy! We should call you Edgepool, make you more relatable with your 12 year old target audiences.

Just let me say this… wouldn’t you like to see this story finally wrap up too?”

Deadpool stood on heel before the massive slope overlooking Ponyville, the night sky covering the straw-thatched homes spanning rows and rows on end before him almost give it a tone of finality. The final chapter of the hack writer’s run - a long-deserved fitting death that no one will see.

Ugh, this whole chapter is a trudge. It’s been eight thousand words more or less, stop with the depressing similes already! Liven it up for once.

“Speaking of wrapping up, it’s about time I finally set foot in this town… Huh. Place looks bigger than in the crystal ball”

A gay ways away there laid a bed spread of tents (try saying that ten times in a row!) like the circus went in town and forgot to pack their shit. His eyes scanned the horizon until they land on the oh-so distinct Carousel Boutique standing apart from the other tents. For one thing, distinct because all the other tents are just palette swaps of the same generic tent. Another small detail is that the other tents didn’t have a huge-ass carousel lying on top.

That’s all it needs really, to adequately describe for the reader the domicile so it would appear justifiably immersive in their own world-building imagination. It’s a tent with a merry-go-round on top. What else needs to be said?

What is that? That doesn’t look safe to live in. Deadpool’s no boy scout but he doesn’t think this is apt camping protocol. Oh. Now that he looked again, it isn’t a tent at all but a house made to look like a tent with a carousel built on top. Fancy, he guess… but why?

“Hmm. Isn’t it hilarious how I only work in the dark now? Did I turn into a vampire? Stay tuned for the next fan fiction nobody asked for: Deadpool kills the Twilight Universe!”

The dirt trudged against his foot as he walked down the field’s green grassy knolls. “That joke would be so funny if I said it back in 2013. If somebody else wrote this story, this would have been finished within a week and this joke would still be relevant”

[[ You’re acting pretty angsty-pantsy for someone who just killed the princess. ]] Creamypasta Pie materialized beside him [[ You should focus on the bright side you know! ]]

“Is it weird that I think it’s cruel irony that you’re the one cheering me up?”

[[ This is it! The moment of truth! Finally – FINALLY – A main character getting KILLED!! ]]

“Yeah. Hey, ease up--”

[[ AAAA!!! I’m so EXCITED! ]] she bounced up and around him [[ AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! How will she die How will SHE DIE?! Sword to the throat? Gun between the eyes? GORRY ANND BRRUUTAL?? Oooh-OOOH! Is it going to be slow and agonizing? Quick and messy? What monologue will you be saying this time?-- ]]

“You’ll get the spectacle you want, just calm down.” He holds Pinkie down “We both know it’s a foregone conclusion but as they say, don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

[[ What are you talking about? Aren’t you EXCITED?! …don’t tell me you’re backing out now, or something ]]

“What? Of course not!” He took a deep breath “I just… want to be ready for this moment…”

He gripped the hilt of the katana, unsheathing it with a paced purpose. He stared a while to the reflection looking back. He’s seen him before – there’s a familiar sort of calm, disquiet look about him. His eyes staring back betray the path he’s seen and determined on going. A man with a silent gratefulness for knowing his purpose, the task that completes him.

The work only he can do.

[[ You got this Wade! You killed Discord (sort of) and Princess Luna – This is NOTHING! ]]

“Listen. No offense, but I don’t need pep talk for killing Fluttershy. Can you leave me alone?”

[[ Why are you so grouchy!? ]] She cross her hooves together [[ Hmmph! Fine, see you ]] black smoke dissipate into air as she vanished from sight.

The dirt muffled the sound of his footsteps until he stopped an arm’s reach away from the purple double-doors of the boutique. His palm pushed the door open, the winches creaked quietly as it swing inward.

Tens of pony mannequins greeted him, along with oval mirrors and costume racks circling the entire room like a dressing room stage. With the subtle lighting the moon casting from behind, it looked like this place would make a good Silent Hill game. Note to self: Destroy a certain video game company if have time. Kojima, Guillermo del toro, one day you will be avenged. Death Stranding wasn’t exactly what we’re looking for.

The air chilled at the sound of his steps crashing and reverberating throughout the woodwork floor, each step coming closer and closer to the upward stairs. He could almost feel his quarry choking within his actual grasp – like something else you would be choking with your grasp, he is coming. I mean close. Close to his quarry.

Now the work is finally starting.

“Not if I have anything to say about it”

Deadpool spun to his back, leaping to the direction of the voice but finds no one.

Who was that?

“You can’t hide from me, Deadpool...”

Viciously, he turned again. Nothing. Only the mannequins standing lifelessly look back.

Equally vicious, a wicked thought entered his mind. Oh my god… Are the voices back? No! Please! One is enough!

“You can’t see me, but I can see you. If you think I’m just going to let you kill anypony else after what happened with Luna, then you’re in way over your head.”

As he listened he noted that the voice sounded familiar, enough that he knew it wasn’t one of his. Thankfully.

“Who the fuck…”

“Ha! You really don’t know do you? Well too bad--”

“-No, I know who you are – that counterfeit dragon something I killed a while ago - it’s just… you gave me your name and I can’t quite remember it, it’s hard keeping up with all these animals I killed. I can’t be expected to—“

“DISCORD!” the voice roared, booming within the walls of the boutique “It’s Discord, you lout! Don’t you dare forget!”

“Discord the lout. I get it”

“You never killed me, you fool. Annoyed me a little bit, MAYBE. Now it’s time to take my revenge for all that you did!”

“… Is that so? ...”

Deadpool spun, his eyes on the lookout in the darkness for any sign of the presence “What are you gonna do, disembodied voice in the darkness, haunt me for the rest of my life? Real clever - Like I never had voices in my head before. I ain’t scared of voices!”

“… No…”

He almost tripped as the world around him seem to twist and bend, spinning as darkness rise from the ground.

“But that’s not such a bad idea.”

His legs give out as he landed with his palms pushing against invisible floor. The ground – no, the world - stretched infinitely black, like outer space expanding into nothingness. The silence rang in his ears.

“The fuck is going on around he-“

He choked on that sentence as a glowing spectre emerged from the abyss, her silvery features taking form as she approach. A shining white vessel adorned with a robe, the color of midnight flowing and sheening over it. The head hooded and out of sight until he sees them – her empty eye lobes, boring right through his being...

“Death?”

With a blink she was gone, leaving him perpetually alone in the infinitely black void. What was that? - What he saw in those invisible eyes?

Sadness?

Fear?

“Death? Ha ha! No. Killing you would be too good! Ha ha ha!!”

The dragon laughed wretchedly as it fades in from the abyss. Its serpentine form about a three men tall steadily towered over him. A snarl plastered proudly over its massively ugly visage only a blind mother could love “After what you did to ME? To EVERYPONY? You think I’m going to just KILL you? Ha! Ahaha! HAHAHA!”

His laugh was confusingly senseless, contagious even, like laughing almost only for the sake of laughing. A little sad, but shock can change a guy.

“And what in Equestria was I thinking? LASER BEAMS?! HA! Laser Beams! Seriously! And I got all the unicorn guards to do it! I had all this time to figure out why and I still can’t figure out what came over me, even if I’ve never really been in a serious fight. What was… what was that about?”

Closer he came slithering, his long and serpentine torso circle Deadpool at a slowly shortening reach. The serpent’s body moved to bind him.

“I have to say Deadpool, YOU are something else… I thought I understood what you are but it seems even I can be shown a new trick or two” he kept circling, inching and inching slowly to pounce upon him “and that nasty business over there with Luna – I say, if we keep letting you be you might actually be able to kill us.”

A sneer crept its way deliberately onto Deadpool’s face. This is pitiful. This poor thing thinks it knows everything, thinks it actually has a chance.

“You truly are irredeemable… funny thing is, I think she would still let you be her friend if you try it. Fortunately for all of us, she won’t be able to give you the chance”

The void shifts as the swirling form of the draconequus around him disappeared in a trace of dust. A kaleidoscope of colors swept the horizon as the gargantuan form of the dragon loom over him. Tall as a hundred men, its massive head looked down on him in utter disdain like a drive-in Godzilla movie. Go ask your parents what a drive-in is if you don’t know.

“You’ll never get the chance to kill Fluttershy BUT – listen to this - I still won’t kill you! You know why? Because I’ll be taking your MIND…”

The dragon lowered his head within inches to Deadpool. Heh. His own reflection smirked back from its gigantic eyes, gracing the most contemptuous smile ever to appear on the face looking back.

“Look at you… trembling with fear, staring through me with those eyes that don’t understand. You have no idea what’s going to happen, do you?”

Ha! Funny. He was just thinking the same thing.

“…”

Ha. Aha ha! Take my MIND? How could he - haha! HA HA HA!!

“What in-“

“HAHAHA! AAAH-HAHAHAHAHA!!”

“WHAT are you laughing about you mad-“

“AAAAHH-HAHAHAHA! YOU –HAHA! Stupid bastard!”

“What IS so funny?!”

“AAHAHAHA!!! …You – HA - have NO idea what’s going to happen, DO YOU?”

“WHAT?!”

“Oh god, this is just - … this is classic!”

“Deadpool! I have the upper hand here! With just a snap of my finger your mind will CEASE to exist! You’ll be lying and drooling on the floor for the rest of your life, staring through the window of your eyes TRAPPED in a body that will never MOVE! Babbling and barely able to form anything for days on end – YOUR DAYS ARE OVER! Do you understand!?”

He sneered at the delirious dragon, almost felt sorry for the poor poor idiot “You poor son of a bitch... This is just NOT your day!” he raised his hands to his side, gesturing to him “first you get burned, then you get eviscerated, flattened, then your ghost is forced to see how I’m going to kill the rest of your friends but…”

He shook his head, all too eager reveal the trap that was already set in the beginning “You should’ve enjoyed your afterlife and maybe spent it with forty-two virgins instead of throwing it all away for some payback”

The cold abyss swallowed the lights around them, engulfing them whole as Deadpool disappeared like a phantom. Discord turn to the darkness, spun around as he search but seeing nothing but shadow.

“What’s going on?! Who—“

“Inside my mind is the last place you would want to be”

He turn as the voice travel from everywhere and around him, echoing through invisible walls.

“You’re not the first, but it’ll always be the same... You people think you got me figured out, but you DON’T. You never will, and that’s a real sad thing.”

You see me kill people. Make the usual jokes. Fantasize yourself in my situation and maybe you’d think to yourself you know how the Deadpool tick.

The problem with that buddy, is you don’t. You can’t think like me, because my head doesn’t work like yours do. Not for a long time. Voices come and voices go, you see it and you just think I’m crazy but that’s not even cutting it.

I don’t even know how I think. I had two guys with me for a long time – not one - and they’re gone now.

“You wanna know why?”

{{ Because of me }}

The cold, invisible air dragged Discord down and he fall through space, landing on cold dirt floor.

He gets up. The wind blow icy sheer cold throughout the darkness. His eyes darted about but see nothing but shadow.

“What happened? What’s happening to me?”

He turned as light from the sun peer through the edge of the world. The blackness slowly lifted against the dawn, crimson light slowly and slowly rising from all sides of the endless horizon.

Underneath the dawn light, he saw them - A million shadows flooding the edge of the world supersede the rising light, flowing like an incoming tide of ants. The sun rose in a fiery orange like fires from the pit of hell. The scream of hornets echoed from the distance as the running shadows form bodies - a million men, running closer and closer and closer…

“What… in Equestria?”

{{ Funny you should mention making me lose my mind… as it turns out, I’ll actually be eating yours }}

“NO!”

Discord used his magic to escape Deadpool’s mind - but it doesn’t work! He flies upward, kicking the dirt onto the sprawling viridian sky. The wind blows true against him but as he look down, he sees the ground catching up to him! Like the world is EXPANDING, growing in a surreal speed to match his altitude – WHAT?! – He flies faster, but the earth keeps growing – a supergiant rising and rising to embrace him.

“WHAT?! NO! What’s going--?!”

“-rrRRRHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!” The screams of a thousand hornets morph into raving and maniacal rage and evil. All around him the monsters come in close, baring their fangs and howling like hungry beasts. Masks red and black, their bodies corpse-like and revolting, their eyes wild with hunger, they swarm over the land. Pouring through supernova like an endless sea.

Amidst the ringing, within his mind he hears him speak

{{ Hey Discord, I always wanted to ask… how does it feel? To let down your only friend in the world? }}

“NO!! Stay back!”

{{ Shame I had to kill you first. I would’ve wanted to ask that after I kill her. }}

The mob close in, pulling Discord to the ground “STOP--!! AAAA--!!” their monstrous claws drag and tear through his chest, through his arms, through him - their teeth crunching the bones under his skin “—GET AWAY--!” a claw pluck his eye, eating the flesh-trail from his eyeball “AAAAHHHHH!!!” their teeth gnash at his throat, punching through his neck, ripping apart the stretching vertebrae from the cavity – gurgling his words into nothing. His blood spurt like a geyser, fountaining the droves clawing through and consuming the flesh inside. Their nails dig in and pull apart the fur covering his chest, exposing the pulsing flesh beneath, they feed.

Before the world fade into the blackness he hears it - the last few words left to hear.

{{ But somehow… I think I’ll know. After all in my mind, all you can do is scream }}

Just like me.

Deadpool’s eyes opened, staring upward at the wooden ceiling. His eyes on the fine details of the woodwork, the evening light tracing down the ceiling.

He sits up, staring at the staircase towards Rarity’s bedroom.

“What happened?”

{{ Don’t worry about him. You won’t see him anymore }}

He stands, cupping the stiff feeling inside his head. His hands nursing the sensation of a lingering pain. “Head feels empty somehow…”

{{ It’s nothing. I was just hungry }}

Heavy hoofsteps slowly ascended to her quiet retreat that is the lovely room of her good friend Rarity, only made empty by her presence.

As the monster's steps slowly and slowly amplify, the wind blew on the tree suffering her sight. The leaves waved her goodbye as she wait for the creature to come in.

The door creaked open behind her. Her attention turned to the presence she could feel standing at the door of the room.

“Hello Fluttershy”

She found her hooves slowly making her stand up and slowly turning to face the monster who made her stronger.

Whatever happens tonight, she lives on. One way or another.

“Hello Deadpool”

Sunset and Twilight pass through the massive double doors of Princess Celestia’s throne room. The clean white marble walls seem hideous to Sunset. Without spark.

She can smell it, like the pearl white paint coat is still awash with blood that will always stain. Memories can never cleanse. It’s like she was here when it happened.

Princess Celestia sits upon her throne like a witch, casting a particular malevolence in her eyes staring down them in indifference. Her nose turning up, as it appears, at the mere sight of their approach.

They do not feel welcome.

She doesn’t remember Celestia being this… unnerving. She turns to Twilight and stared in amazement at the terror in her eyes, like she did a wrong that would take a century to forgive. What happened between these two? Was her request to see the Princess out of turn? Does the princess suspect even them?

“Twilight.”

She jolt at the mention of her name, almost leaping from the white tiled floor.

“So what has transpired of your interrogation?”

Her eyes turn to Sunset, then back to the princess. She clears her throat, feeling all the eyes staring straight-dead center at her, waiting for an answer.

Slowly her lips part “… She denied any involvement… When we presented the evidence, she looked like she truly wasn’t involved with any of it and… showed no recognition of the pictures...”

The princess kept unmoved.

“T-The-Ah – Our bluffs didn’t work either and Pinkie didn’t look like she’s putting up an act. It really does appear that she’s i-innocent… based from the questions w-“

She swallow her words beneath the princess’ unmoving glare.

“-based from the questions we a-asked…”

Her head bows low, crouching her neck until her muzzle could touch the floor. Sunset mimicked the motion when she saw what she’s doing.

“… but that is not all… …”

The princess blinks, letting the seconds pass by in silence. The dread creeping up within Twilight kept her from raising her head from the ground.

“My theory is that Pinkie Pie is being framed. The reason it worked so well is that we don’t truly know what Pinkie Pie is capable of in the first place. I looked into her eyes and I SWEAR she didn’t have it in her to do any of those things… The way she’s been with us - that’s not the way a pony who’d betray her friends act.”

She continued “With the help of Sunset, we’ve determined that the monster is not human as I originally thought. This led me to the theory that the monster – Deadpool – is from an alternate universe.”

Her eyes widen at what she just heard.

Did she hear that right? Is this a joke?

She’s too afraid to look at the princess to watch her speak:

“You promised me you would get me answers as long as I allowed you to handle your friend. I have let you handle it your way, but what you have for me… are bluffs, theories, and a conspiracy.”

She can smell the blood rising to her nostrils at every word the princess spoke.

“You… must forgive me, Twilight. I lost my only sister last night. As you can see, I am very upset. I am sorry.”

There’s more surprise in her than calm from that sudden apology. Was that permission to continue?

“Please hear me out.” Twilight choked “I know it sounds far-fetched but the theory of alternate universes perfectly explains everything.”

She clears her throat before continuing “-As we know the theory of alternate universes is simple. Allow me to briefly explain – For example, suppose that a pony is travelling down a straight path and has come into a forked road-”

“I know what alternate universes are. Get to the point.”

The princess had an impatient snarl and lifted an eyebrow at her words. They rooted them to their spot.

She’s never seen contempt from the princess before.

For the first time in her life, she truly fears Princess Celestia.

“A-A- Alternate U-Universes w-when applied to matter and time… m-means that there are potentially an infinite number of alternate universes. There’s one where everypony is born as a human - we know this to be true as me and Sunset here where able to cross over such a place.

After coming back from the other world and realizing this, I did my best to put it at the back of my mind and not even dare to think of it.

Deadpool – regardless of what he really is must have come from one of these universes. This explains why he can seemingly appear in and out of nowhere and ambush us, he must come from a world where creatures like him can do such a thing.”

She pause, waiting for a response from the princess. The princess stares on until she catch a twitch in her eye.

“Could this Deadpool have come from the same universe you and Sunset Shimmer came from?”

They give a quick glance at each other, their minds blank for only a moment. Was Celestia implicating them in some way?

“No. Deadpool looked human but Sunset confirmed that humans can’t do what… he does. They don’t regrow their heads and… … …”

She let her words trail off before the Princess asks again “So what does this have to do with what’s happening?”

“Deadpool that night said that none of us are real. That we’re all… characters. That we exist only to satisfy the ones that created us. Like in a storybook - everything is written by that story’s writer. Earlier I was thinking… is it possible that he’s telling the truth?”

The silence that followed is maddening.

“What in the hell are you talking about?!” Sunset whispers “Are you trying to get us killed?!”

“Just listen to me” she then turns to the princess “It’s not too far off. We already confirmed that alternate universes exist and considering that what Deadpool said may be true can help us understand and stop him. That we are all just characters within a story written and that he’s killing everypony for it.”

The princess stares at her for a long while. An excruciatingly stomach-churning long while, until she speaks:

“I’ve never heard anything more preposterous.”

Silence.

She thought for sure that the Princess would kill them herself then and there for such an outlandish theory but to her surprise, there’s a resigned look on Princess Celestia’s face. Almost defeated.

“Fine. I’ll permit whatever line of thinking you suppose would assist the investigation. If you believe it would help us stop this monster...”

The princess’ cast down eyes lingered on nothing until they shot up straight onto her “What do you make of this, Sunset?”

Her eyes lit up “Um. I don’t know. This went from scientific to philosophical”

“Alternate universes is in a way a scientific element itself, but fair enough” Twilight cut in to defend herself “Still supposing that it is true, does that make us and the alternate universes less real? And if we’re characters in a story, what exactly of our actions are determined to be decided by us alone instead of influenced or forced by our creator? Does our creator make the story or us?”

Twilight goes off on a tangent now that the Princess seems to be on their side again, although Sunset’s still not sure of what to say.

“Now this went from philosophical to existential.”

“I realize that. I am merely thinking out loud.”

She feels obliged to humor Twilight, if anything just to break out from that tension earlier.

“Well, to answer your question I think I remember somewhere that a story is written not by the writer, but by the characters.”

“I guess that’s true.”

“Something to think about maybe, but I don’t think it really helps in our case. Besides, what kind of story would this be? A story where a monster kills everypony in Canterlot and everypony we know? What kind of… mentally disturbed person would make a story like that? What sort of… what sort of sick people would read such a thing?”

“Um... Let’s not get carried away, I’m merely ruminating on the possibility that we are really are characters within a story. I could mention the concept of the shadow from Jungian psychology but that’s an entirely different discussion.”

“And this isn’t? Isn’t this about trying to find a way to stop that monster from killing all of us? Why are we talking about alternate universes and… and writing class and psychology and shit?”

Twilight winces as she massages her temple with a hoof “My point is… If everything, including the words we’re speaking right now, is pre-ordained and decided by our ‘writer’ that means that all the suffering lately has been caused by our supposed ‘writer’ as well, is it not?

Deadpool says he’s killing everypony to spare them from this pre-ordained life – a life with no free will, so to speak. Regardless of how unbelievable it sounds and taking out our personal feelings on what he’s doing, doesn’t that also mean that our ‘writer’ also pre-ordained that? Deadpool must realize that even his act of aggression is pre-ordained – ‘written’ down - so why does he continue? Does he just enjoy killing everypony then?”

Sunset doesn’t see the point in continuing this discussion. She doesn’t even understand it.

She relents, if only to humor Twilight. It’s certainly better than her moping “I don’t know. Maybe… maybe he believes that he’s a free agent. One way or another.”

“Exactly!” Twilight nods at her “Question is - what makes him believe that? This goes back to what you mentioned earlier where a story is written not by the writer, but by the characters.

If he believes that he’s a free agent then basically, using that concept, WE are the story, our creator is the ‘writer’, and Deadpool is the only character.”

What Twilight said sounded utterly incomprehensible that she thinks even the Princess didn’t understand her.

“I think you lost me.”

“Okay. Where should I explain?”

“Actually, can we just change the topic? I just can’t wrap my head around that you seem to agree that we’re actually all characters in a story.”

“As far as the nature of existence is concerned, I have to agree that it’s possible.”

“Goddamn - with that reasoning anything is possible!”

Doesn’t make us closer on stopping all this, she thought to herself.

Princess Celestia cuts in “I think what you were saying earlier… that if this is a story, and Deadpool believes that he’s acting on his own, and that what he is doing is not ‘written down’ by our ‘writer’ - even just by believing that - he’s actually the one who’s influencing our fates?”

“Yes. That’s exactly it.”

She can’t believe what she’s seeing. How are they making sense of this? How is the Princess also buying this?

“By acting in accordance to his belief that he’s a free agent, he’s become a pseudo-writer for this ‘story’.”

“That is absurd.”

Sunset can’t help but blurt out. Twilight looks at her without turning

“Not if it’s true.”

There’s a finality in her tone that kept Sunset kept silent.

“Deadpool also mentioned creators meaning there are more than one. This means that there are other ‘stories’ that aren’t even close to us that exist - a potentially infinite number. Deadpool could have visited an unlimited number of these ‘stories’ as the only ‘character’”

The princess slinks back a little on her throne, contemplating the events of the past few days “So it all goes back to the alternate universe theorem?”

“Yes, but the true nature of everything that’s happening might not be explained by alternate universes alone. What if Deadpool really is accomplishing something by killing everypony?”

Silence. The thought doesn’t really sit in until Sunset asks “What do you mean by that?”

Twilight turns, her entire body facing her

“Let me ask you - What’s one way to end a story?”

She’s not liking being put on the spotlight like this in front of the princess and having to come up with an answer but she goes ahead anyway

“… A happy ending?”

“That’s correct, that’s one way. A bad ending too, yes? How about an ending where all the main characters die? Would you be able to continue writing a story when all the characters are dead?”

“Uh - I don’t know, I’m not a writer…” She’s not liking the way this goes. “Unless you make more characters I guess, but… I guess that’s one way to end a story too…”

“Yes. In a world where all the main characters are defined with their own personality, goals and motivations, the easiest way to end a story is to write all these characters off.”

“To kill them all.”

The sound of the double doors opening blasted off like an explosion, reverberating around the throne room.

“TWILIGHT!”

They all turn their attention to the blue pegasus marching towards them. The rage on her face only get more pronounced as she approach “You got some explaining to do!”

“Rainbow Dash? What are you-” two other ponies, a unicorn and earth pony peer out from the open doors and follow after her “What are you guys doing here?”

“That’s pretty obvious, right?” the pegasus continue darting towards her way, every step looking like an attempt to restrain from hitting her “You think we’ll just let you send Pinkie to prison in front of everypony without any explanation?!”

Twilight backs a bit but returned the scowl “She’s suspected of helping the monster. It was either me or the Princess who would’ve dragged her here.”

“Suspected?!” Rainbow Dash stopped short in front of her with an incredulous look on her face “SUSPECTED?! Pinkie’s been helping US stop the monster! What are you talking about!?!”

“You weren’t there, Rainbow! You weren’t there when Deadpool said that Pinkie’s been helping him right before he killed Princess Luna!”

Rainbow steps back, weakly like she was struck down

“W-What… and you BELIEVED HIM?!”

The words linger in the air as the expression on her face morphs even more accusingly.

“You BELIEVED every single thing that monster told to you - you didn’t figure he was LYING – you FORGET that Pinkie’s been out for days in the forest, trudging through blood and guts to find ANYTHING we could have on that monster?!”

The two other ponies finally caught up behind Rainbow. The orange earth pony was about to reach out but Rainbow continued “You weren’t there when Pinkie stayed and scoured the forest for us – I WAS! – you weren’t there to see her get used to the smell and the sight of those innards splattered all over the forest that nopony wants to clean up!”

“What do you want me to do, Rainbow?! Applejack and Fluttershy’s families are dead and so is half of the ponies in Canterlot - and now Princess Luna! If the monster that did it said that Pinkie is helping him--!”

She stops for a split second “You think it’s easy for me to take Pinkie and bring her here?! Do you have ANY IDEA how many ponies want to kill her right now?!”

“Oh then well, GREAT JOB on bringing all the ROYAL GUARDS getting them on surrounding the entire town - publicly declaring to EVERYPONY that Pinkie is SUSPECTED of helping the monster kill the princess, Discord, and the hundred others!”

Quiet. The air stops dead still with Twilight and Rainbow staring deathly onto each other, teetering on one more careless word - one more careless word to blow everything up.

“Enough.”

Princess Celestia stands from her throne.

Without thinking, Sunset grabs onto Twilight as the two other ponies grab onto Rainbow, separating them.

“You two are not to say another word before—“

-A cloud of smoke puffed in front of the princess as she spoke.

They stop.

Their eyes turn to the brown ragged parchment that fell to the floor.

The horn on the princess glows, levitating and unrolling the slip in front of her eyes. The rest stare at the princess, her own eyes lingering on the parchment until she meet theirs.

The paper turns. A single word written in splayed running red ink –

“HELP”

“Forgive me?”

His hand ran through the edge of the blade, his mutant reflection staring back at his downcast eyes. Contemplating.

His eyes turned back to her. Her expression grave but almost sympathetic, devoid of malice or fear.

He moved closer, towering within an inch of her. Her eyes locked straight onto his. The sadness in her eyes almost meant for his own damned existence. Was it pity?

His hands gripped the hilt of his sword. She blinks. A moment passed between them – an agreement in silence on what must be done. Perhaps, not an agreement. Maybe, acceptance.

He twist and bring the sword to his right, then he swings. The blade cut through the gaps between the gangling spines of her neck.

Blood pours out in a line. Her sad eyes look back as the head slowly lop sideways, the hooves on her body giving out in unison.

She fall, littering the cold wooden floor excessively with the blood pooling from her headless stump - the color mixing with her yellow fur and her strawberry mane.

“It’s done. She’s dead.”

[[ No fanfare or anything? ]]

His eyes turned back to the head on the floor. The blue in her irises dilate, looking like it is turning into a subtle gray…

“I’m not in the mood.”

The sound of someone’s breath catch his attention. He turns - a tiny dragon stood looking dumbstruck by the door, a small bag slung over its shoulders. It runs - its small pitter patters sounding off against the wooden floor.

“Son of a-“

[[ Get him! Quick! ]]

He chased after it, running through the door, sprinting down the spiraling stairs.

He pushed open the front door, slamming it outside. The moonlight shifts onto the dragon stumbling to the cold dirt. He pulls the pistol from its holster and aims down sight - his finger wrapped the trigger, his eye crossed through the iron sights.

He fires.

The dragon slips to the ground, dropping the bag slinging from its shoulders.

“AAAAHH!!”

It squirms - clutching its chest with its claws. Screaming through wheezing breaths.

“HHEEHLP!! ANYPONY!!”

As he approach its eyes shift at him like a madman, then to the hole pouring deep red blood from within. It turns to the bag it dropped and crawled towards it, rummaging inside. It took out a slip of paper, crumpling it.

“What the hell is that thing doing?”

He came closer, savoring the sound of its stifling sobbing as it squeeze its own body curling away from him. He loved it. Been a while since he heard the sounds of unbridled terror.

Towering, he finally stood within a few steps from it. He reached down until it suddenly whirled and breathed a gout of fire!

“GHAAHH! What the fuck?!”

The embers spread around his mask, boiling the fabric and skin underneath. He took it off and threw it to the side, his eyes glaring onto the dragon making a run for it.

He aim and pulls the trigger. A single shot goes straight through its chest yet again, bringing it to its knees.

“AHH!!” It trips again, crawling on the grass sprayed with its blood “SOMEPONY! Please! …help … ahh…!” it shimmies on the dirt, its voice giving out like the breath leaking from the holes of its chest.

Deadpool closed in and stood over the writhing dragon, curling as it brings its claws to its heart. He placed his gun back to its holster.

“You know, you’re lucky. I’d be really pissed at what you did if I wasn’t already so goddamn ugly.”

His hand reached out to the hilt on his back, metal scraped against the sheath as he brought the blade before him.

“-GCK!”

Its body stiffened as he drove the sword straight through its ears.

“You’re Spike. Get it?”

A boot held down its head as he pulled out the sword clean-off. Its legs twitched one last time.

“Yeah you did”

His eyes turned to window lights flickering in the distance, their inhabitants slowly rising from their sleep. This dragon made quite a commotion – but not as much as he will.

His palm ran through the sheet of his blade, wiping off the blood clean from its frame.

He grinned, satisfied. Eager. The long wait has ended. This time, it has finally begun.

The beginning of the end.

She sit, her head face down at the cold metal table before her, eyes staring at nothing, mind running through thousand random thoughts swirling on their own. Thoughts she can’t say. Thoughts she can’t understand.

How could this have happened?

Her reflection stares back with the same mindless intensity. Baby blue eyes awash in pink pulsing whites look on. She is tired. It’s all she can understand. Nothing else makes any sense.

She wants to go home. She wants to hold Gummy and hug him.

She doesn’t want to be here anymore.

Her gaze linger on until she sees something spill from her peripheral. Something black pooling on the table.

Her eyes dart in alarm – is that?! – she jolt to the sight in front of her – a crimson mare standing on the other end of the table.

Black hollow eyes look back from dripping maroon mane. Within, the flash of glowing red lights blinds.