Two thestrals trotted down the fourth floor hallway of the Sky Talon Labs main building.

They had been separated from the rest of their squad when the skyway collapsed. They are currently in the process of finding another path to the third annex building so they can regroup and kill or capture the former Elements of Harmony as their Queen commanded.

Dark Gale was a tall, broad thestral with an ashen grey coat, a blood red mane, and piercing, jade green eyes.

The other was a thestral mare who went by the name of Silent Forest. She was a small yet lithe sort with a jet black coat, forest green mane and sapphire blue eyes.

One is the captain of Queen Luna's elite Shadow Guard.

The other is their direct subordinate.

What follows is the story of their encounter with the former Element of Laughter. The one many knew as the Perplexing Pink Purveyor of Positively Prolific Parties...

Pinkie Pie.

"Are you sure this is the right way, ma'am?"

Silent Forest just rolled her eyes and groaned in exasperation.

"Alright, fine, Gale," she spat, "contrary to what I said before, no. I am not sure this is the right way!"

Dark Gale took a few steps back from the irate mare.

"Pardon me, ma'am, I meant no-"

"Congratulations, Lieutenant," she cried, throwing up her hooves in mock celebration, "you've managed to break me through sheer irritation - a feat not even the most ruthless inquisitor has ever accomplished!"

At this, Dark Gale gave Silent Forest a flat look.

"Come on, Silent, that's hardly-"

"Nonono, lieutenant," she interjected giving Gale a facetious nod of approval, "I'm very impressed. You ought to give yourself a pat on the back for that one."

It was Dark Gale's turn to roll his eyes at the captain's over-the-top sarcasm.

"Yes ma'am."

Silent Forest huffed and shook her head as they continued their trot, "Honestly, why do you have to second guess all of my decisions?" she gave the thestral stallion a side glance, "If I say we go one way, why can't you just be content with the choice and let it go?"

"Because, with all due respect, ma'am," he retorted without missing a beat, "your decisions end up getting yourself and your squad in a mess of trouble more often than not," he kept his eyes on the path ahead as he smirked, "somepony has to make sure we survive."

Silent snorted and punched him in the foreleg playfully.

"Remind me again why I don't have you flogged for insubordination?" she asked with a mock frown.

"Because I know how to wield a sword," he chuckled as he adjust the greatsword on his back and gave the smaller thestral a lascivious grin, "in more ways than one."

Silent Forest punched the stallion again, this time with more force.

"Watch it, Lieutenant Gale," she said in a dangerously low voice, "we're on duty."

"Yes ma'am, apologies ma'am," Dark Gale replied, snapping to attention - though Silent Forest could still see the smirk dancing just behind his stoic countenance.

She shook her head and sighed, deciding it would be best to just continue trotting forward. As they turn a corner, they came across a singular black door that blocked off the rest of the hallway. Looking closer, Forest could see the words 'REC ROOM' labeled across the door.

"A rec room?" Gale mused aloud, "in a research facility?"

"Hey," Silent Forest replied with a shrug, "scientists need a place to unwind too."

"Well, this isn't going to get us to the annex building at any rate," Dark Gale said, turning to head the way they came, "we should probably-"

A giggle.

Small, short, and barely audible... but it was there.

And it was coming from the rec room.

The door to the room in question was slammed open as Silent Forest and Dark Gale burst through - Gale's greatsword brandished and Silent's hoofblades drawn.

They quickly scanned the room for any signs of life, but there was nothing.

Nopony was there.

Still, they entered the room - wary eyes sweeping over every little detail. They knew what they heard and weren't about to take any chances. At first glance, everything seemed to be in order. The chairs, couches, floors, and tables were immaculate - not a trace of dust or grime.

Pool tables sat unused in the middle of the room and books were placed neatly on the numerous bookshelves that lined the walls...

Save for one book still open on one of the tables.

Odd... Silent Forest thought as she made her way over to the table and inspected the book, I was under the impression all the scientists here either evacuated or were killed by the former Elements. Who...

She picked up the book, and looked it over. It was open to a page that depicted the nervous system of a pony in detail with descriptions off to the side.

Silent raised an eyebrow and flipped the book over to read the title.

'Everything You Ever Needed to Know About... Pony Anatomy'?

"Find anything?" Dark Gale asked as he trotted next to Silent Forest.

"I... don't know..." she replied slowly, still eyeing the book in bemusement, "it looks like somepony decided to do some light reading before the manure hit the fan, I guess."

She hoofed Gale the book which he took and gave a once over before hoofing it back.

"Well, that's scientist types for you," he said with a shrug, "anyway, it seems whatever we heard in here is gone. I wasn't able to find anything out of the ordinary."

"Alright, let's move on then," Silent Forest responded as she set the book back down.

"Yes, ma'am," Dark Gale replied. He trotted towards the door and Silent was about to follow when she noticed something sticking to one of her fetlocks. She raised it to eye level and narrowed her eyes.

After a second she wiped it on a nearby couch and looked again. She nodded and trotted after Dark Gale, satisfied that she had removed the pink hairs from her fur.

As Silent Forest trotted out of the room she found Dark Gale standing just outside the door, his eyes narrowed as though he was trying to spot something in the distance.

"Gale?" she asked with a raise of her eyebrow, "something wrong?"

"...Maybe," he replied after a minute, "thought I saw something as I was coming out."

Silent's brow furrowed and she looked down the hallway. The off-white halls were just as empty and quiet as when they had passed through originally.

"Were you able to make out any details?"

"No," he responded somewhat hesitantly, "just a shadow, if anything."

Silent Forest nodded and trotted ahead, "Then leave it be for now, but stay alert."

"Yes, ma'am."

The two thestrals doubled back down the hallway until they reached a four-way intersection. They looked back and forth between paths for a minute before Dark Gale turned to his superior and spoke up.

"Should we split up and cover more ground?" he asked.

"Gale, that is an incredibly stupid idea," Silent Forest replied, her attention still focused on the intersection, "first of all, if you're right and there is something lurking around the halls, it would be better if there were two of us in case it was hostile."

She finally turned to the taller stallion, "secondly, we have no means of contacting each other if we're apart."

"Fair enough," Gale replied, nodding slowly, "so what do you want to do then?"

Silent Forest hummed in thought, staring down each of the halls for a few moments more, before opening her mouth to make a decision.

She was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of hooves against tile to her immediate left.

Both thestrals whipped their heads in the direction of the noise just in time to see a door further down the hall click shut.

Silent Forest glanced at Dark Gale who looked back expectantly. She silently jerked her head towards the door and Dark Gale nodded. They both drew their weapons and quietly crept towards the door. Unlike the door to the rec room, this door was as gray and unmarked as the other door surrounding it.

Silent and Gale sidled up to the wall on either side of the door. As carefully and quietly as she could, Silent Forest placed an ear to the door.

More giggling.

If there was any skepticism left in Silent Forest, it was gone now. Somepony else was wandering the halls...

...and they were deliberately leading them on a chase.

Silent Forest made a few gestures in Dark Gale's direction and Dark Gale nodded again. The thestral captain backed away as Dark Gale stepped in front of the door. He inhaled and exhaled deeply before turning suddenly and kicking out with his hind legs. The metal door flew off it's hinges and Silent Forest was in the room almost instantly - hoofblades at the ready.

Nothing.

A quick sweep around the room was enough to reveal a frustrating lack of intruders. The only thing Silent Forest could see in the relatively empty room was a single chair and a small circular metal table near the back. Narrowing her eyes, Silent Forest could see what looked like a lone envelope lying on the table.

She raised a bemused eyebrow and turned to Dark Gale, who was still waiting just outside the doorway. She made another silent gesture telling him to maintain his position. He nodded in affirmation and she warily trotted over to the table.

Once she reached the table, she examined the envelope in more detail. It was a fairly simple envelope save for the bright pink coloring of the paper. She tentatively picked it up and flipped it over. On the back of the envelope was a single message written in a whimsical font.

'YOU'RE INVITED!'

Silent Forest's brow furrowed in confusion.

"What the buck?" she muttered to herself. She opened the envelope and jumped back in alarm as confetti erupted from within. She let the envelope fall to the floor as she waited for something else to happen. After a moment of silence, she glanced back at Dark Gale.

The stallion had taken a battle stance, but otherwise stayed where he was. She turned back to the envelope, retracting her hoofblades and retrieving it from where it had fallen. She gave it one more wary look before pulling out the letter and reading it over.

Hey there!

So I was out and about, trying to figure out where my friends were and what the hay was going on around here, when I saw you two lovebirds wandering around looking all lost like me! Now, normally I'd be the first one to introduce myself and make a new friend - or new friends - but then I had a thought.

'Pinkie', I says to myself, 'these two thestrals look like they'd enjoy a good old fashioned, Pinkie approved surprise party!'

'But wait', I argued, 'don't I need to look for my friends and make sure they're in tip top shape so that we can all have an oh-my-gosh-I'm-so-glad-you-girls-are-okay party?'

'Well,' I thought, 'I do make a good point'. So after thinking about it for a loooong time, I finally found a way to feed two thestrals with one cupcake! You see, I figure you guys might know a few things about what's going on and I'm always ready to make some new friends, sooo~

I decided to throw you a small interrogation party!

Yeah, yeah, the name needs some work, but it'll be a lot more fun than it sounds! There's gonna be cake and cookies and party hats and streamers and rope and... wait, actually, I don't have any of that and I can't find my party cannon...

Eh, I'll make do.

Anyway, I hope you can make it, Greeny!

~Pinkie Pie

P.S. I took the liberty of collecting Windy while you were reading this. No need to thank me!

Silent Forest's eyes widened and she snapped her head back to the doorway to see that Dark Gale was indeed gone.

"Horseapples!" she cried indignantly, crushing the letter between her hooves.

She tossed it aside and galloped out of the room. Once she was back in the hall she frantically glanced left and right, searching for any sign of Dark Gale or Pinkie.

"Greeeeny!"

She looked to her right, back towards the four-way intersection, and her eyes fell upon a pink earth pony mare with a raspberry colored mane that cascaded down one side of her face and a tail as flat as her mane. The mare sat in the middle of the intersection waving at her enthusiastically before pronking off in the opposite direction.

Silent Forest cursed and galloped after the mare as she turned right down another hallway. She heard another giggle as she rounded the same corner - just barely missing the pink pony who turned another corner. This went on for a few more turns with the pink mare always managing to stay just out Silent Forest's reach.

She would occasionally stop to wave and egg her on, giggling all the while - much to Silent Forest's frustration.

This is absolutely ridiculous! she thought, grinding her teeth as she continued to chase the mare, I know I'm small, but that doesn't stop me from galloping circles around all the other guards! How in Tartarus does she always manage to outpace me when she's just... bouncing around like that?

Eventually the pink mare turned one final corner before Silent Forest heard a door creak open and slam shut again. Silent Forest followed right after and skidded to a stop in front of a single black door. She glared at it as she tried to catch her breath - sweat beading down her forehead.

I swear to the Eternal Queen of the Night, if that whorse harms one hair on that stallion's body...

After a minute she huffed and pushed the door open.

"HEYA, GREENY-"

*schlick*

Silence reign for a brief moment as cold sapphire stared into shocked cerulean. Pinkie slowly lowered her gaze to her chest. She winced at the sight of a hoofblade buried deep into her flesh and looked back up at Silent Forest with a weak smile.

"...Surprise?"

Silent Forest yanked her hoofblade out of the pink mare and shoved her hard enough to send her stumbling further into the room. Before Pinkie could get her bearings the irate thestral captain seized her head and slammed her to the ground.

In one swift motion, she flipped Pinkie on her back, extended her hoofblades and impaled them into both her forelegs - effectively pinning her to the ground.

"Enough games, brat," Silent Forest growled as she stood over the trapped mare, "this little cat-and-mouse routine has wasted enough of my time. Now, where is he?" she lowered her head so that she was inches away from Pinkie's face.

"Where. Is. Dark Gale?"

Pinkie's eyes widened and she 'oh'd' in realization.

"So that's why you're being such a grumpy gus!" she cried, causing the thestral to blink in confusion, "you're just worried about Windy!"

"Wha-"

Before Silent Forest could react, Pinkie had somehow managed to remove the hoofblades from her legs and now had the confused captain in a one legged hug.

To her shock, the pink pony didn't have a scratch on her.

"Well, worry no more, Greeny, because he's here and he's a-okay!" Pinkie stated before looking off to the side with a small frown, "well maybe not a-okay... but he's alive!" she added cheerfully, "c'mon, lemme show ya!"

Silent Forest was once again unable to react as Pinkie yanked her over to a nearby table and planted her in a seat across from Dark Gale.

"Now that the two of you are here," Pinkie announced, as she wrapped a foreleg around Dark Gale's withers, "allow me to welcome you to Pinkie Pie's First-Ever-One-of-a-Kind-Super-Spectacular Interrogation Party~!"

If Silent had bothered to look around, she would've seen countless bits of copy paper raining down from the ceiling as makeshift confetti, several colorful wires hanging from above as replacement streamers, and a box of relatively fresh doughtnuts sitting on the table.

"Okay... so this is probably the worst party I've ever thrown," Pinkie conceded, looking around with a frown of dissatisfaction, "but I don't even have access to any of my emergency party supplies..."

As Pinkie continued to gripe about the sorry state of the party, Silent Forest kept her full attention on the stallion in front of her.

She didn't like what she saw.

Dark Gale sat across from Silent Forest, blank-faced and glassy eyed. He was as pale as a ghost and every few moment he would shake violently as he mumbled to himself.

"Gale?" Silent Forest asked tentatively, "Gale can you hear me?"

"M... m-m..."

She leaned over the table and shook Dark Gale slightly, then more roughly when she failed to get a response.

"Gale!" she cried more urgently, "come on, snap out of it, lieutenant!"

"M-m... m-mo..."

"Dark Gale..." she whispered as her eyes began shining with unshed tears, "honey, come on... talk to me..."

"He won't answer you."

Silent Forest's sorrowful gaze turned to ice as she snapped her head in Pinkie's direction. The pink party pony was staring at the traumatized stallion with an unreadable expression. Silent Forest could've sworn she saw a hint of sadness behind her stoicism, but that didn't quell the building rage.

"What did you do to him?" she asked in a quiet voice, "what did you do to my husband?"

Pinkie said nothing as she continued to stare at Dark Gale. That lasted for only a second more before she found herself pinned to the ground once again with a hoofblade shoved against her throat.

"ANSWER ME!" Silent Forest screamed, her face contorted in a furious snarl.

Pinkie merely stared at Silent Forest with the same stoic gaze before she closed her eyes and sighed in resignation.

"I'm so sorry, girls... I tried."

"What are you talking abou-"

Silent Forest staggered off of Pinkie as every nerve in her body sang out in a harmony of agony. The pain was so intense it blocked out almost every other sensation.

She couldn't even hear herself scream.

The one thing she could feel was a twisting in her gut - like something was wriggling it's way through her insides, trying to make it's way out. She fell to the floor, writhing around as she pawed at her stomach. All thought's were driven from her head save for one.

MakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopPLEASEFORLUNASSAKEMAKEITSTOP-

Just as she was sure she was about to burst, the pain lessened - the wriggling sensation oddly narrowing down to a point in one of her forelegs. Through her tears and labored breathing she turned to the limb and saw a pink hoof resting against it.

She looked at the hoof, then to the pony it was connected to, her face showing a mix of fear and confusion. The wriggling sensation completely disappeared as Pinkie pulled her hoof away from Silent Forest.

"W-what-" Silent Forest swallowed and tried again "-what did you do to me?" she rasped, her throat sore from screaming.

"Removed the bomb before it exploded," Pinkie responded dully.

"Bomb?" Silent cried in alarm, "You planted a bomb in me? H-how? When?"

Rather than respond vocally, Pinkie brushed a hoof against her coat and touched Silent Forest's fetlock, leaving a few pink hairs behind.

Silent stared at the hairs with a bemused frown before looking back to Pinkie for an explanation.

"It's biological," she stated, "I don't know exactly how it works, but I can turn my body into a bomb that can kill you from the inside out. At least, that's what I got from one of the scientists that worked here. I don't really know what it would've done exactly, but I don't think it would've been pretty.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure if it would work," she said with a shrug, "apparently it was just a theory about what the virus was capable of."

She then turned and started trotting towards the door.

"Anyway, the party's over," she said without looking back, "I got what I needed, so I'm leaving."

"Wha - virus?" Silent Forest cried indignantly as she tried to rise to her hooves, "what are you talking about? Am I infected now?" she stumble across the room towards Pinkie, "what about Gale?"

"Don't know," Pinkie replied flippantly as she opened the door to the hallway, "it's not like it matters anyway."

Silent Forest stopped and stared at the pink mare incredulously.

"Not like it matters? Not like it matters!?" she finally screamed, "My husband is in a catatonic state from whatever you did to him, You nearly blew me up, and I may or may not be infected with some kind of potentially deadly virus!"

"And none of that matters," Pinkie responded calmly.

Silent fell to her haunches and looked at Pinkie with open mouthed shock.

"How could you say something like that so easily after what you've done?"

Pinkie finally turned and stared into Silent Forest's eyes as she responded.

"Because your story is over."

Silent Forest's brow furrowed in confusion, "My story is... over? What are you talking about?"

"Your story is over," Pinkie repeated, "yours and Dark Gale's. That's why I decided not to kill you," she shook her head slowly, "I didn't need to."

"You didn't..." Silent mouthed to herself.

"It doesn't matter what I did to your husband, it doesn't matter that you suffered in what was possibly the worst agony you've ever felt, and it doesn't matter that you're most likely going to die a horrific death due to viral infection. All that matters is that I find my friends and leave this horrible place."

She turned back to the hall just outside the doorway as she continued speaking.

"You and Dark Gale? This is the end of your tale... and we'll never see you again," she looked at Silent Forest over her shoulder, "surely as if I had decided to kill you and your husband right here and now."

With that, she trotted out of the room and down the hall, leaving Silent Forest to stare after her as the door slowly began to close.

Dark Gale continued to mutter and in the ensuing quiet, Silent Forest could just barely make out one word.

"M-m... monster."

The door clicked shut.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the wait guys, but the Pinkie Pie chapter is finally out, and it's the longest chapter to date!

Questions! Comments! Complaints! Leave em' below and I hope you're looking forward to more!

P.S. There is a reason I'm referring to Pinkie as Pinkie and not Pinkamena. That'll be addressed in a future chapter.