Fluttershy opened her eyes, and was surprised at what she saw. Diamond Dogs, as she remembered from her last foray into their subterranean territory, lived among dirt and rocks, in filthy, torch-lit corridors. This room however was clean, almost sterile. There was a cold light in the room that made Fluttershy feel uneasy. She tried to move, but found that she was too dizzy to do so.
She decided to look around her surroundings in more detail, and realized that she was not on the ground. She was lying on a slab, one that she recognized as a surgeon’s table. As much as she hated to operate on her poor little critters, she had a basic knowledge of surgery and, in a pinch, could perform it herself. It made her very squeamish, though, and just being in this room made Fluttershy extremely woozy.
Her head was already clouded enough. Had she been drugged? She couldn’t tell.
Just then, a tall, grey shape loomed over her. It was a Diamond Dog, long and lean. He was dressed, much to Fluttershy’s surprise, in a clean, white outfit. She felt a chill creep up her spine as she realized that he fit in all too well in this room. Obviously, he was a surgeon.
“Hello, my little pony,” he said, in a calm, measured voice. “How are you feeling? Might I ask what your name is?” He had the slightest hint of a rough accent that Fluttershy couldn’t exactly place.
“Umm… I’m Fluttershy,” she replied in the loudest voice that she could muster.
“Fluttershy, did you say? You have a very quiet voice, my dear. I am Dr. Pinscher. Dr. Doberman Pinscher, at your service. Now, you seem to be a rather shy little thing. That’s interesting. That’s very interesting.”
Fluttershy said nothing. She could feel her pulse racing. As calm as he sounded, she didn’t like Dr. Pinscher. It wasn’t bad enough that he was a stranger, but there was something very intimidating about him.
“Why don’t you speak?”
She gulped hard, swallowing nothing. Her mouth was suddenly very, very dry. Come on, Fluttershy, she told herself, he’s not a pony. He’s just a big dog. You like puppies, don’t you, Fluttershy? Just say something!
“Where… where are my friends?” she asked quietly, trying to keep her voice from squeaking.
“You don’t need to worry about them just yet, my dear. I’m sure that they’re just fine. Well... they are right now, at any rate.”
“What is going to happen to them?”
“Oh, nothing to worry about, little Fluttershy. Anyway, you look very hungry. Are you hungry?”
“No, not really, thank you.” Actually, Fluttershy was a bit hungry. However, she knew that Diamond Dogs were, like all canines, mostly carnivorous. She knew that they would probably feed her meat, and that it wouldn’t agree with her equine stomach. Not only that, but Fluttershy hated the idea of eating meat. She accepted that some animals did it for survival, but she could never eat a sweet little animal.
Dr. Pinscher chuckled. “No, no, I insist.” He snapped his fingers, and two other Diamond Dogs appeared. Each carried a plate with a delicious-looking salad on it. Fluttershy sighed in relief. She thanked the dogs with the salads, and began weakly nibbling on one of them. She met their eyes, though, and paused. She didn’t like how they looked at her with those gleaming yellow eyes of theirs. They looked as if they knew some dirty little secret that was theirs to know and hers to find out.
“Umm, excuse me, but I was just wondering why….”
One of them cut her off. “Less talking. Eat up, little pony.”
Fluttershy demurely lowered her head back to the plate, gracefully eating her salad.
“You see, Fluttershy,” said Dr. Pinscher, “We feel that you, at least, should get a decent meal. After all, it isn’t every prisoner we get who is as polite and gentle as you. This is why you will get such an easy, sweet treatment. Compared to your friends, at least.”
Fluttershy stopped, fear curdling her blood in her veins. “What… what did you say?”
“Hmm? Oh,” continued Dr. Pinscher, “Just that you should consider yourself very, very lucky. I know for a fact that, as we speak, the purple unicorn and the blue pegasus are not relaxing and eating salads.”
“What are you doing to them?”
“Never mind, never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Please… please tell me. Is there anything I can do to lighten their tortures? Why can’t I trade places with them? They don’t deserve anything cruel or harsh. They never did anything to you.”
Dr. Pinscher shook his head. “That’s not true, you all did. You all attacked a mining company in the midst of an important dig, and stole a very important captive from them.”
“But I thought it was Rarity who had those Diamond Dogs captive,” said Fluttershy quietly, afraid to contradict her captor, but too worried about her friends to care much for her own well-being.
Dr. Pinscher raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps. But still, you and your friends are on wanted posters all across Diamond Dog territory. You will be subjected to the same punishments as any heinous criminal of our own kind. You are foreigners, though, so luckily for us, the same legal channels will not have to be pursued. My orders come directly from the top of the Diamond Dog military. And I am to give you the lightest sentence possible in your situation. Your friends will not be so lucky. And there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.”
Fluttershy felt hot, bitter tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “I could never live with myself if I let you torture my friends.”
“Well, you won’t have much choice in the matter. You will have to live with yourself, powerless to save your friends; perhaps you will even help us torment them.”
“No! No, I will never help you! What makes you think I would ever do anything to hurt my friends? I would never become a monster like you!”
“As I said,” said Dr. Pinscher calmly, “You won’t have much choice. Ah, I see you’ve done with your meal.” He grinned an odd, nightmarish grin. “I hope you’re feeling satisfied.”
Fluttershy said nothing. She was no longer afraid of her captors. She was too busy being afraid of herself. Before she could say anything, the two Diamond Dogs who had been standing by the door of the room came towards her, one with shears in his hands, and the other with a gas mask. She began to protest as the first began to clip her tail, but was silenced by the mask.
Soon, Fluttershy fell into a deep sleep.

Rainbow Dash yawned widely, and went to stretch. She had had a great sleep, and she was ready to bake some cupcakes with Pinkie Pie. That’s what she was going to do today, right? She blearily tried to focus her thoughts, but everything came into sharp relief as she realized that her limbs were too weak to stretch.
What gives!? She thought, snapping her eyes open.
She smiled for a moment as she realized what she was lying on. A surgical slab? You’re repeating yourself, Pinkie my dear. The last prank that silly, random mare had played on her had been a real doozy. Hadn’t that one started with some nonsense about cupcakes as well? Pinkie had dropped the knife before making a single incision, laughing maniacally. You should have seen the look on your face, Dashie! Priceless!
This wasn’t Pinkie’s apartment, though, filled with stuffed animals looking like corpses and covered in fake blood. This was a clean, clean room that smelled of chemicals.
Suddenly, a tall, thin Diamond Dog walked in the room.
“Where am I? What’s going on?”
“Patience, my dear. My name is Dr. Pinscher, Dr. Doberman Pinscher. And what might yours be?”
She bristled at the question. “I guess I wouldn’t expect a mutt like you to know me. I’m Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria! Now, where the hell am I?”
“You’re underground, Rainbow Dash. You’re in a Diamond Dog prison hospital. I’m afraid we don’t put too much stock in your aerial abilities here.”
“A prison hospital? But I haven’t done anything wrong!”
Dr. Pinscher hung his head, looking at her with sad eyes. “No, maybe you haven’t. I suppose you’re just a victim of circumstance, then.”
“What? Why am I here!?”
“You see, Rainbow Dash, we Diamond Dogs do justice a little differently than most creatures. What’s the best way to make someone suffer?”
“Uhhh… I dunno. Keep them in a cage?”
“No, Rainbow Dash. You make them hurt the ones they love. And so, when we want to punish those who have committed the greatest crimes, we capture both the criminal and his or her best friends. I guess you were just a poor friend of a criminal. Oh well, I guess that’s too bad for you, then.”
“None of my friends are criminals!”
“I beg to differ. The purple unicorn led a fighting squad against a company of miners. Many were injured, thanks to her and her baby dragon. She must be punished. You, I suppose, are just an unfortunate victim of her criminal behavior.”
“Hell, we just came down here to get Rarity back. She did something stupid, got herself captured, and it was up to us to rescue her!”
“You mean, like you did? You were captured, as well, this time.”
Rainbow Dash frowned at the remark. Dammit, the Diamond Dog had a point. “Yeah, so what are you going to do to me. You said something about making the criminal hurt their friend, right?”
“Something like that, yes.”
“So what, am I going to have to fight Twilight or something? Battle her to the death? I love her like a sister, but if you think Twilight Sparkle could hurt me, you’ve got another thing coming.”
“I suppose you’re right. That’s why you have to be placed in a position that makes you absolutely harmless.”
“Say what?” Somehow, thought Dash, this had to be Twilight’s fault. From the sounds of it, all of this stupid crap had something to do with that egghead. Hell, maybe even Rarity. She was completely innocent, and here she was, lying on a surgical slab and too weak to move.
Silently, Dr. Pinscher slipped a needle into Dash’s foreleg. He depressed the plunger, and Dash winced.
“Sorry, Rainbow Dash. It’s too late for anyone to stop this, now.”
Another Diamond Dog came into the room with a pair of shears, and trimmed Dash’s mane, leaving her completely bald.
She felt her eyes grow heavy, and the last thing she saw was a sharp, gleaming knife descending towards her face.
Then, the world went black.

Twilight woke gradually, the wheels in her head groggily beginning to turn. She didn’t try to move; she needed time to think. She remembered that the Diamond Dogs had captured her, but that was it. They had Dash, too, and maybe even Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike. She had to get out of here, and she had to find her friends as well.
She scoped the room out with her magic, to make sure that no one else was around. When she was satisfied that she was completely alone, she opened her eyes.
She took in her surroundings. Surgical slab? Check. Weird-looking tools? Check. Chemical smell? Check. Cold lighting? Check.
Obviously, she thought, this was some sort of clinic. Not the friendly, welcoming kind like Nurse Redheart’s back in Ponyville. This was more like the creepy dentist’s office in Canterlot that she used to go to as a filly. This lighting was obviously magical, and the only creatures capable of wielding those tools were unicorns and creatures with some form of hand.
…Like Diamond Dogs. This does not look good.
Suddenly, the door swung open. A tall, lean figure strode towards her, a look of calm malice in its golden eyes.
“Hello, Twilight Sparkle. I am Dr. Pinscher, Dr. Doberman Pinscher.”
“Hello, Dr. Pinscher,” said Twilight, struggling to remember her diplomacy. “Are you the person in charge, here? If you aren’t, is there any way that I could request an audience with anyone above you? While I realize that I am obviously a captive of some sort, I feel that it must be within my rights to inquire about my incarcerated state.”
A nasty smile appeared on the surgeon’s face. “I am so glad, my dear, to hear that you are obviously the most intelligent and diplomatic of your friends. It makes your… unique position so much more interesting.”
“I’m terribly sorry, Doctor, but I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“Even though you and your two pegasus friends will all be forced to run the Triple Crown, and the details of this punishment will not be revealed to you until it is completed, you are the only one with whom I am obliged to share a general overview of this sentence, and the logic behind it. It’s always so much more interesting when the Pain runner is the one who is most well-equipped to understand the implications of the procedure.”
“Procedure? Pain runner? I don’t follow.”
“Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, are you in any way familiar with the Diamond Dog judicial system?”
“No,” said the unicorn, always a bit disappointed when faced with a subject that she could not discuss intelligently, “it is a subject I had not researched. Perhaps I will do some reading up on it when I return to Ponyville. I’m sure there must be a book somewhere in my library that deals with it.”
The Diamond Dog shook his head. “No, there will not be. Diamond Dogs do not share their ways with ponies, and we never have. In fact, we had, until the incident with this rebellious unicorn slave, seen you as nothing more than unintelligent beasts of burden. Now, we will no longer underestimate you ponies. This is why you have merited the sentence of a Triple Crown, to show that ponies can be punished, just as Diamond Dogs can, and do not need a trial to be so treated. The procedure was initially planned with this Rarity as the Pain runner, and any of the other five ponies mentioned in the report about the incident to be the other two. Unfortunately, a case of mistaken identity led Captain Beagle’s team to take you, instead of Rarity. Luckily for us (but not so much for you), the report cast you and your baby dragon as the leaders of the team to re-capture Rarity. This made you her perfect replacement. I must also point out one more flaw in your logic, Twilight Sparkle: you will not be returning to Ponyville. The Triple Crown is almost always fatal for both the Pain and Resentment runners. Quickly, if you’re lucky.”
“I’m confused. Isn’t the Triple Crown a series of races?”
“No, at least, not that I know of. It is a procedure in which three criminals are subjected to both physical and psychological torment, and we typically reserve it for murderers and rapists. Only the most heinous of criminals are made Pain runners.”
“But what is a Pain runner? And why does it have to be three?”
“The first runner is the Guilt runner. The third is the Resentment runner. And the second, my dear, is the Pain runner. This ‘middleman” finds it very difficult to communicate with either comrade, endures the greatest amount of physical pain, and is allotted a measure of both resentment and guilt, making it by far the worst position to be in.”
“I’m still not sure I understand.”
“You will, soon enough. Now, Twilight Sparkle, you must go back to sleep.”
“No!” she screamed, wrapping a telekinetic field around Dr. Pinscher, immobilizing him. “I may not be able to move, but I still have my magic, and there’s no way you’re torturing me or my friends!”
“Guards!” called Dr. Pinscher. Again, the door swung open, and before Twilight had time to think, another Diamond Dog had injected her with some sort of fluid.
She felt her magic grow weaker, and she finally released Dr. Pinscher from her telekinetic grasp.
“Now, begin the procedure proper,” said the surgeon, donning mask and gloves.
Twilight watched, her mind growing duller, as both her mane and tail were cut by the Diamond Dog goons.
My friends… Stay safe… thought Twilight, before thought left her entirely.

Fluttershy opened her eyes after another, longer sleep. Again, she felt weak, but this time was so much worse. Before, she had just been weak. Now, she was completely numb. A sting of saliva hung from her lip, her hair hung awkwardly in front of her face. It should have been uncomfortable, but it felt like nothing.
She looked around with her eyeballs, unable to turn her head. Gone was the sterile operation room. Now, she was in an area that looked much closer to her initial conception of Diamond Dog architecture. This was a dungeon. Dirt floor, stone walls, iron bars, and torch light.
Slowly, painfully, she began to experiment with her limbs. They could move a bit, and that was a comfort. Her wings were gradually getting their movement back.
As sensation trickled back into her body, however, she noticed something disturbing. She couldn’t swish her tail. In fact, it didn’t feel like she had a tail at all. And yet, a burning, straining pain ran all throughout her rump and flanks. She tried to move forward, but couldn’t, as if a heavy burden chained her to the floor.
She moved her eyes desperately. She seemed to be alone. She couldn’t see Twilight or Rainbow Dash. Presumably, they were in another cell, unless they were just somewhere behind her, and she couldn’t move to check. There was a cloth covering something on one wall. It might have been a painting or something equally mundane, thought Fluttershy, but it also could have been a door. She strained towards it, but couldn’t move.
I have to try, she thought, and proceeded to attempt to move herself forward. Millimeters at a time, she thought she might be succeeding.

Rainbow Dash awoke, and for a split second, she thought she had gone blind. If I’m blind, she thought, why can I look up? Or to the side?
Had the Diamond Dogs muzzled her or something? When she looked to the right, she saw a stone wall. When she looked to the left, she saw another stone wall with a cloth draped over it. When she looked up, she saw a boring stone ceiling. When she looked down, she saw only her own muzzle. When she looked straight ahead, she saw only a blurry field of purple, way too close to her eyes for comfort.
Her body was completely numb, but she wiggled her legs and wings to make sure they were still in perfect working order. They were.
She suddenly had to yawn. She tried to open her mouth, and found that it already was open. She couldn’t open it any wider, but she couldn’t close it, either. What a strange sensation.
She moved her tongue around in her mouth, and her blood ran cold. What happened to my teeth? Why can’t I feel my teeth? Speaking of sensation, hers was on its way back.
Pain shot through her face, like the time she had to have a few rotten teeth removed as a filly, but considerably worse. It was all through her gums, and across her cheeks, which felt swollen and lacerated.
She tried to pull herself backwards, but failed miserably. Whatever muzzle those Diamond Dogs had fitted her with, it was weighing her down. She scooted herself backward, desperate to make some sort of motion. Inch by inch, she thought she might be succeeding.

Eyes still closed, Twilight awoke to a strange sensation. Even though her body was numb and heavy, it felt as though someone had tied ropes to her head and her flanks, and was slowly pulling her apart.
Sensations flooded back into her body, and pain consumed her. Her entire being was pain. Her mouth was swollen, it tasted like blood. Her flanks felt as though someone had sliced them apart. She had never imagined such pain.
She let her eyes remain closed, terrified of what she would see if she opened them.
“Stop moving,” said a gruff voice. “It’s feeding time. Those are the orders.”
Twilight felt the emptiness in her stomach. She knew that she was hungry, but she couldn’t focus on that sensation when she was in so much pain. At least the feeling of being torn apart stopped with the voice.
She heard something clatter, like a key in a lock. Rusty hinges squealed, and a metal door slammed shut. Something like a metallic disk clattered to the ground with a thud, and Twilight assumed that that was the food.
She listened intently as she thought she heard something like Fluttershy’s voice. “No thank you, I ate before I was put under.”
“Well, you’re supposed to eat again. We were told you might not want to, after you’ve seen.”
“Seen what?”
“Eat first.”
“I don’t want to eat,” said Fluttershy. “Where are my friends? I thought they were being hurt. I don’t want to be treated any better than them!”
Twilight stiffened. A memory came back. Something about guilt? She tried to open her mouth and tell Fluttershy, but found that she couldn’t. Her mouth was frozen in a wide-open position. She noticed with a start, through the burning pain in her cheeks, that her teeth were gone, and some obstruction blocked her open mouth. Against her better judgment, she attempted to investigate it with the tip of her tongue. Suddenly, something pulled her face again, as it had done before.
“What was that!?” A frightened Fluttershy seemed to forget herself for a minute, thought Twilight, in response to some unusual stimulus. But why this pulling on Twilight’s own face?
“Eat, damn you!” shouted the Diamond Dog.
Fluttershy said nothing, and Twilight assumed that she had lost her willpower under the intimidating jailer’s force.
Satisfied, the voice continued. “Fine. I guess it’s time you see exactly what the Triple Crown looks like.”
Twilight heard the sound of cloth being pulled aside. Fluttershy screamed. The pulling on Twilight’s flanks resumed, even harder than before.
She couldn’t keep her eyes closed any longer; she had to see what made Fluttershy scream like that.
Twilight wanted to scream herself, but couldn’t.
The wall to her left was a mirror. There lay Fluttershy, her hair covering her face. There lay Rainbow Dash, beating her wings futilely.
There lay Twilight, trapped between the two, in a single-file line.
They had been stitched together, like one long train, and where each pony ended, the next one began, her face buried against the flanks of the one before her.
Twilight didn’t even want to know what would happen next.