There was a clank as a porcelain tea-set was sat upon a saucer while the user attentively watched the pacing mare within her chambers. With a gently waving fire providing warmth in the relatively small living room the embers gave a faint cozy hue upon the distraught pony.

“I just feel as if there is something wrong with me ya know, Flutters? Her smile is so unhinged, and her words are always so baiting. I’ve never met such a party pooper in my life, and it’s gotten so much worse after Grogar.”

The paled turquoise eyes belonging to the contemplating mare fixated on her friend as the buttery pegasus replied.

“Pinkie this entity in your mind isn’t real you have to keep telling yourself that. I understand it bothers you, but if you let it keep dragging you down like this we’ll have another color-drained and flat-maned Pinkie on our hooves… and you know how much we love your perkiness.”

Fluttershy scooted over the steaming tea-cup belonging to her best friend within her circle, as the earth pony took the hint and provided herself with the soothing herbal tea.

Sipping on it tautly with her shoulders stiffened, Pinkie continued.

“Fluttershy, when I see her in the mirror she’s in chains.”

Digesting the new information Fluttershy simply gathered her thoughts the best she could. "Pinkie we've kept this a secret for years now, this is clearly getting worse, and your condition is causing you problems. I still believe we should bring this to light with everyone else and expand our circle other than you, me, and your ahem doctor.”

Nearly scattering her tea, she was able to snatch the cup before it broke on the wooden floor. "No, Fluttershy! W-We can't tell them, they'll think I'm loony! Hearing voices, seeing ponies, Twilight might hook me onto a machine, and I can't go through that I have a small bladder and she takes forever with her experiments!" Her voice was feeble and near-begging as the warm cyan eyes of the pegasus dipped her head in understanding. "-Besides, I'm Pinkie Pie, and I can handle pretty much anything! Well, except for farming unless it's on a rock farm and Maud does ninety percent of the work."

“I respect your decision Pinkie, and I’ll always be here for you.” Fluttershy affirmed before brushing a bit of mane from her muzzle. “-Just please let me know if it gets worse, I don’t want you to battle this alone.”

Nodding in agreement the little pony scooted herself off of the plush cushion and carefully threw her forehooves around her caring friend. They embraced lightly as the affectionate gesture was returned with the same force but woven with a tad bit of worry.

“I’ll figure this out Flutter Butter, don’t worry your pretty little head about it!”

With her teeth clamped down upon a pen Pinkie scribbled down several notes and letters to other kingdoms as required of someone of Twilight's status. The poor mare was overwhelmed with her new duties, and even with her friend's help, just the expectancy of being passed an entire kingdom kept them all on their hooves. Sure the fun was drained just a little from her day, but Pinkie knew that being a ruler of Equestria would have its pros and cons.

Even though there was a slight rod being tapped on her head from her migraine, she continued.

Paperwork was not her forte, but with Twilight being out of commission in a small little dark corner in the castle with drool seeping from her lip Pinkie was happy to oblige just this once.

She could focus on things for a little while if she tried hard enough, but eventually, she'd want to get her energy out in chaotic ways. Sometimes she had a hard time believing she wasn't related to Discord in some way, or perhaps they just liked to revel in the fun the universe could offer.

With a curled piece of mane fallen on her snout Pinkie spat out the pen and looked at her work. "With this beautifully written letter by yours truly perhaps Fancy Pants won't withdraw his investment because of Dashie's little remark earlier. Oh Dashie, sometimes you crack me up!"

With a giggle of amusement that irked a yawn out of the mare, her eyes fluttered wearily. She then glanced towards the little ticking clock that kept Twilight on schedule.

“Wowie it sure is late, I guess time really can fly when you're having fun!" Her optimistic tone was what kept the tedious chores lively and if she didn't find something entertaining out of this she would surely go mad! Well, more so than she already was. “Looks like ‘ol Pinkie’s gotta hit the hay not literally of coarse that would be rude.”

Stacking the papers the best she could without getting an earful about her organization in the morning, she withdrew from the office and crept down the dark hallways of the Canterlot castle. Most ponies didn't enjoy the beauty of night finding it eerie or somewhat creepy when met with the shadows following them from behind.

Pinkie always found peace within the dark mostly because she knew ponies didn’t fear the night but what resided within it.

That’s why she spent her time helping ponies laugh away their fears because monsters and scary things only existed in the mind… she knew that from experience.

Her journey brought her to a vast golden door looming in the pale radiance of the moonlight as her hoof gently pushed it open. Party streamers and glitter were strung all over the carpet much to the keeper's annoyance, but they knew if they swept it up, it would magically appear the next morning. Those dang party necessities followed her everywhere, it truly wasn't her fault, even when she sneezed they would just pop out! True story!

Taking herself into the bathroom she didn't bother to turn on the light as she splashed cold water onto her face to refresh herself before crawling into bed. The cold aura spilling from the mirror gave her enough insight to know not to look up, but she was told to confront the hallucination when it so happened to summon itself.

She swallowed thickly. She hated those grating eyes she was met with every single time she allowed her mind to open those forbidden doors.

Glancing up slightly, the mirror reflected the illusion she was met with every single time her body was submerged in darkness or frustrated. The slight hum was challenging. It taunted her to avoid the pony waiting for her, but Pinkie was not so easily swayed.

Taking her chin she brought it upwards to view the little window into her subconscious.

The constricting chains that held the individual in place snaked around her hooves, her waist, and her neck as the dreadful flames trapped within her expression focused. The mare was stone-still, patient, and not interested in addressing the pony in front of her as her malicious gaze kept itself on Pinkie’s face.

“So no taunts tonight? Nothing about how I did something wrong or how I am wasting my time? Doesn't seem like you, actually, it's a bit worrying."

She was dulled, and a pale rose pink, but the coat was not staggering since it matched the same deflated personality Pinkie possessed when upset. This creature, as her therapist had explained, was an auditory hallucination and physical aspect of her insecurities— whatever that meant.

Something Pinkie couldn’t quite put her hoof on was how it was so intelligent and so— realistic.

The mare remained solemn, her face relaxed, and her lips pressed in a fine line.

“Why are you in chains?” Pinkie asked the illusion as she pressed her hooves onto the mirror and gazed into the little room containing her. “Doesn’t seem comfortable and even though you’re a big meanie pants I don’t think you deserve to be caged.”

The reverse ombre mane created a veil of protection as she hid her expression from view. The raven tips fall upon her muzzle gently. The chains shifted providing that pained clanking Pinkie hated, as she grew still once more.

“Why aren’t you talking? It isn’t like you.”

She was ignored and adequately dismissed as the misty pool that held the mare faltered before parroting Pinkie's regular face.

Left alone in the bathroom her heavy sigh went unheard as she placed her hooves back down. She then proceeded to sulk out towards her bed. Throwing herself in and pulling the cotton covers over her body, she weaseled her way into position before staring at the ceiling.

The chains were not new, so to speak. Whenever she asked the mare about them, the question was dodged, or she would dance around the subject. After the defeat of Grogar half a year ago her teasing slowly began to decline. Her expression became fogged and she seemed bothered.

The imagined pony trapped in the mirror was advanced if Pinkie put it lightly. In all the doctors she had spoken to they had dismissed her comments on how the hallucination could speak a different tongue—one Pinkie had never heard in her life.

How could her mind understand another language when she had never heard or encountered it? She had spoken some of these words to her therapist, but he had never heard of them either, and promptly deemed it gibberish.

The one in her mind and Pinkie had grown up together their size and appearance going through life side by side. What baffled Pinkie was that her mirror-bound voice was always a step forward in maturity as if she had always been an adult from the beginning.

These questions and the answers she had been given didn’t add up, and they never did. She knew the pony traveling everywhere she went wasn’t real. She also knew her mind only created her when Pinkie Pie was a child because she had a problem with her self worth.

She had tried to befriend her on several occasions even gaining her name when her mood wasn’t so mucky. It appeared that the mare adopted her original name as her own. That wasn't strange in the slightest given that she was a creation of Pinkie’s mind.

The illusion’s name was Pinkamena, and as far as Pinkie Pie could recall that was all she knew about the fantasy pony.

Her mind went into a state of dormancy since the little gears in her head had spun around too much exhausting the energy she had that night. Too many questions and brainpower could render her quite incapable of keeping herself awake, as her eyes sealed themselves, and her snores slowly filled the silence of the room.

Only when the sunlight flittering through the window happened to rest upon her face did the deafening snoring cease.

Popping up happily her shoulders rolled as she extended her limbs to provide relief from the hard sleep. She then cracked the tension from her spine after stretching. Shaking out the trademarked rat's nest of a mane she loved she slowly slipped out from her bed and threw the window open.

"Good morning, Canterlot!" She said in a bubbly tone as her voice carried throughout the lands rather loudly and unwanted.

Unfortunately, someone didn't like their new alarm clock.

“It is seven in the morning go back to sleep Pinkie! No one likes it when you do that!”

Flattening her ears sheepishly she cringed when hearing the braying tone of her beloved friend Dashie. The scolding was taken with a grain of salt. She should have known Rainbow Dash didn’t like morning ponies since she was not one herself.

“Sorry!” Pinkie replied, gently closing her window and stepping off.

There was a knock at the door as a masculine voice addressed her from outside. “Miss. Pie, your presence is requested by Princess Twilight.”

"Oh, goodie!" Pinkie trumpeted already beaming when opening the door. "Just tell me where to go and I'll hippity-hoppity right on over!"

The pearl coated palace guard gestured towards the library where she should have assumed Twilight would be residing in.

“Alrighty, thank ya, Mr. Guard Sir!" She responded before giving his exposed mane under his helm a decent rubbing. "Don't work too hard today even the guards have to relax sometimes!"

He allowed the contact, but his face remained stern as Pinkie galloped cheerily towards the little plain of peace Twilight ruled over. The pounds of books she guarded and the words within them were what made her castle, not the roof currently over her head, and it was where she went to relax. The candlelight was soft as it flickered over the worn pages of the books the students were studying, but Twilight Sparkle was not with them.

Tapping her chin, she decided to join this little game of hide and seek. Her eyes scanned around the double-decker library and caught sight of violet wings tucked tightly to their sides.

The obsessive mumbling and marks of pencil on paper was enough to lull Pinkie’s attention to them, and the quiet curses confirmed her suspicions.

Bouncing into view, Pinkie blared her victory. “Found you!”

Twilight made a sound of alarm as her wings fluttered quite unexpectedly. She calmed her thundering heart before resting her stare on the grinning pony in front of her.

“Pinkie for Celestia’s sake, please don’t do that!”

Snorting back a giggle she nodded her head. “Okie-Dokie-Lokie!”

The Alicorn rubbed the stress from her face before sliding over a paper with a free hoof and sighing in defeat. “Pinkie did you happen to write the official Equestria apology letter, which I said needed to be written by me no matter what?”

“Might have, why? Did it exceed your expectations? I am quite the charmer!”

Twilight’s face was struggling with frustration as she took a minute to gather herself before addressing the oblivious pony before her.

"First of all, Pinkie, I thank you for showing concern about my mental state for the past few weeks, but you need to understand slipping this letter into papers to be delivered without my consent could have been disastrous. I know you were trying to keep me from worrying and avoid my stress getting higher, but if this letter had gotten out, the results would have been… catastrophic."

“Is that a kind of meteor?” Pinkie Pie inquired, leaning in interest.

“What? No, catastrophic means bad, Pinkie.”

“Oh, those two words sound kinda space-like.”

The vein beginning to pop out of Twilight’s neck was starting to become visible as she pressed her hooves together and rested her chin upon them.

“Pinkie if I didn’t catch this, Fancy Pants would have taken your letter as an insult. You cannot call him as you put it, ‘a grumpy version of Rarity' and expect him to address us back without hostility. These kinds of letters require a certain… type of personality, which you haven't practiced as much as I, and therefore you should just leave this kind of work to me, alright?"

“Sorry Twi, I just really wanted to help.” Pinkie muttered in a deflated tone, as her hoof dragged itself across the marble flooring. “You’re right I’m not really cut out for serious jobs, I goof off too much and really should leave the ruling fun to you.”

Quickly reversing the damage beginning to take its toll Twilight scrambled to find her wording. “No Pinkie, there is a time and place for everything. I believe there is a great job somewhere for you to do, why don’t you go find Applejack and help her taste the food for the upcoming event.”

She gave a forced smile. She felt better seeing her friend buy it and relax her tensed muscles before departing with a bounce. "Okie-dokie will do! I have been pretty hungry, and my sugar tank is getting low, ya know?"

Sure hiding her true feelings from her friends was not wise of her, but they had too much going on to worry about her genuine emotions. It didn't bother her when she had to shove her hurt down to the pit of her stomach, but she understood what Twilight was saying.

Yeah perhaps writing all those fun little lines in the letter was not needed and Fancy Pants might have a few words to say about it.

As of late, her "help" was actually making everything worse. Ever since she had become a ruler of Equestria, her status was kind of overlooked since she couldn't match the responsibility her friends took on so willingly. She was more impatient than Rainbow Dash when it came to sitting and formally greeting royalty. She usually got the stink eye when welcoming them with a cannonball of streamers and a storm of musical instruments.

Yeah… Twilight was not very happy about that one.

Perhaps she could redeem herself by assisting with the Gala this year and the biggest one yet since the retirement of Celestia and Luna. Since the throne was given to Twilight and her friends, there were very high expectations as Rarity had explained. Sponsors and allying kingdoms were going to attend to keep their ties secure with Equestria, and according to everyone, this had to go perfect.

Making her way outside the little country mare was busy addressing the caterers who all had a specific job to do. Even though Applejack was a hard-working pony she learned her lesson a long time ago about tackling issues too big to handle alone.

“Morn’ Pinkie, just havin' a bit of a talk with the others 'bout what to expect and whatnot." Applejack reported, tipping her Stetson towards her friend before letting her approach. “With griffons, dragons, and changelings comin’ to the Gala we’ve gotta up our game with thuh food being delivered and cooked.”

“Yeeeeah, dragons might not like what I have in mind… but I can still get them to try it right?" Pinkie replied with a questionable tone in Jackie's direction hoping she'd catch on to what she was poking at.

"Nah, ah don't think that's a good idea. Dragons' ave quite a temper, they are more stubborn than a greased pig at thuh fair.”

“Well they are totally missing out, but I get your point.” Pinkie said, before tossing her hooves onto a table at her left and breathing in the fresh scent of desserts. “Ooo, looks like I’m just in time for the royal tasting!”

Slipping out her tongue, she was promptly pulled back by clamped teeth on her tail. "Hold awn there missy last time ya were thuh taste tester ya ate thuh whole buffet!”

Applejack made a valid point. With a disapproving mumble, she curled her tongue back into her mouth and left the delicious cakes be. Fluttering her lips, she brought her muzzle toward Applejack to where they could lock eyes.

“Come on AJ, you’ve gotta have something fun for me to do… please!”

The sparkling eyes she used when wanting something always made her victim bashful as Applejack stepped away to avoid the death trap. The farmer made a nasally sigh as she pushed her lips to the side and contemplated on how to please Pinkie.

“Ah guess ya can gather some of them fancy herbs here in Canterlot, ah’m gonna need them if I don’t want Rarity barkin’ at me.”

Nodding her head vigorously she wasted no time in fetching what was required for the food variation. Her un-pony-like speed blew the hat from Applejack’s golden mane. It was never really explained how Pinkie was so fast but she’d bet her bits on the sugar she consumed.

Prancing with a tune being whistled from her puckered lips she suddenly skidded to a stop when realizing she didn't know what "herbs" Applejack needed. As a baker, she didn't need all these leaves and swirly decorations that ponies didn't eat but put on their plate to make it more appealing. Why would anyone want to stare at something they didn't want to eat?

She could go all the way back and ask AJ, but bothering the earth pony about something like this probably would just make her frustrated. Clearly the ponies working the stands would know what she needed and that was probably why Applejack left the little details out.

Or perhaps because she didn't know herself since it was Canterlot territory.

Shrugging to herself, she made her way out of the castle before being nodded off by the guards and allowed outside of the gated community. The streets were bustling and the blended voices of a dozen unicorns meshed to create the well-known congestion of what was the city life.

Spotting a stand with something that looked like herbs and spices bottled up in a jar, she approached the stallion craning his neck upwards in superior status.

“Umm hello Sir, sorry to bother you, but are these herbs fancy? Ya know the kinda fancy where you throw some on a plate and charge a thousand bits for it, regardless of the food quality?”

He sniffed before shooing her away with a flicking hoof. “Shoo commoner, your presence is degrading my appeal. You have the smell of the vagabond among you and I doubt you could afford even a speck of my spices.”

Leaning onto the stand she gave her winning smile. “Well if you want me to leave you should just ask nicely! I’ll be on my way as soon as a knab some special herbs from ya.”

“Do you have the required bits? I don’t haggle.” He said abrasively, bringing his attention towards the prices listed above. “This is my price, no lower. Now pay or get lost.”

Humming curiously to herself she chewed the inside of her lip. “That’s a bit expensive don’t you think? I mean I understand this is Canterlot, but those prices will put me on the street real quick!”

“If you don’t have enough move along.”

Pouting benevolently she was curious about the stallion’s hostility. “Is some pony having a bad day? Come on, talk to Auntie Pinkie, my whole purpose is to turn frowns upside down!”

"Fine if you must know, with the Gala approaching my stock has been low, and I do not have the time to gather the required crops to make my spices. Ponies are buying left and right too quickly for me to replenish and I cannot leave my stand or I lose customers who go to rivals."

Pinkie’s face brightened. “Why don’t I go fetch the ingredients you need! I wouldn’t mind, I have lots of time!”

His sagged lip corners perked up just slightly. "You know that would be quite helpful if you succeed in bringing them from the farm just outside of Canterlot I will gladly give you some jars to keep for your assistance."

"That farm?" Pinkie asked, pointing towards the clover fields in the west that was just beyond the thickened forest. "Sure, shouldn't take me long at all! I'll be back before you can say floccinaucinihilipilification!”

He reeled back in complete disarray. “Is… is that really a word? H-How did you pronounce it?”

“I just did, and I should be back before you figure out how to pronounce it too!”

The stallion squinted before muttering to himself. “Flo..nau... no that’s not right… flonihi… how is this a word?”

Worked like a charm every time.

Taking her leave, she departed to travel into the gloomy forest and the tundra made of vines and marsh. Not long after she began to blend with the shadows. The cobblestone streets started to shrivel into gravel and the ponies wandering the streets thinned until the buildings became shortened trees. Her stroll went uneventful as she entered the forests at the bottom of the mountain the kingdom rested upon, and the sun provided light through the holes in the leaves.

Her hooves knocked on pebbles and as she brushed vines from her face she followed the signs and road paved out towards the farm away from the city. This was the most popular farm she could guess since it supplied most of the consumers that needed crops.

The melody of the singing birds and running creeks was peaceful as she continued to take turns further down the path. Swinging her head with boisterous singing to amuse herself she stopped dancing and whistling when peering at a large hole on the side of the vacant road. Her ears dropped as the darkness inside the crater gave her shivers even though it was obviously some kind of construction work.

Something about it though… was chilling.

Being the intelligent pony she was she decided to approach the potentially harmful ditch and examine it because she was puzzled with its presence. Crouching onto her belly she casually crept close to the twenty-foot cavern and looked over the edge.

Her throat constricted when viewing how deep it was and wondered why it was there.

She knew if she fell in it she could get really hurt so it baffled her why Canterlot didn't put some kind of railing around it or something.

Is this a tunnel? Pinkie pondered, continuously staring into the void.

What she didn’t expect was something to stare back!

A tangerine light appeared from below. A thin casing rolled over a blackened slit that belonged to something not very happy. Now Pinkie loved making ponies smile, but whatever this thing was didn’t exactly want to be amused.

There was a rumble so strong Pinkie was forced to retreat from the ditch for fear of falling in, as she threw her hooves around a boulder to keep herself still! The underground shockwave got progressively worse as the creature under her began to surface, and with the trembling ground, it was foolish to assume she could run.

It burst free from the root-bound dirt! The elder trees that had stood at the base of Canterlot for centuries were upturned with an explosion of splinters and spraying wood. The mossy teeth of the snake-like creature were exposed from under its scaled lip, as its muzzle locked onto the arguably tasty pony cowering beneath it.

It had no arms, or legs, or wings… it was an animal Pinkie had never seen before! With an armored belly, and a horn mounted from its nose it was a very odd-looking beast that ascended from the ground and rivaled the towering trees.

Thrashing its head with a stentorian roar the noise ripped the leaves from the trees as its rotting breath drifted over Pinkie making her gag!

“Please don’t eat me, I promise I am about ninety percent lard! You don’t want something chewy… right?” Pinkie begged, her body trembling, as its large head lowered to view the pony at its mercy. “I'm not tasty I swear! You’ll get a gag reflex!”

The nostrils of the creature curled with smoke as its nightmarish ink-black scales sparkled in the exposed sun. Suddenly out of the blue it began inhaling deeply.

Clutching her rock even more firmly she held on for dear life as its nose sucked in air and then ceased when its curiosity was fulfilled. Withdrawing in a perplexed frown its face became animated with many emotions before growing extremely still.

Tipping its head Pinkie was surprised when it made a sound.

“Yiz yorraeq xa qnua?” The creature growled, its aggression slipping from its expression as the belly of the beast began to slip back into its hole. “Xuq iq iz.”

As soon as the event was presented it vanished leaving Pinkie abandoned in a graveyard of murdered trees and mounds of uprooted dirt. Her heaving breaths did not stop, however, but the tremors and smell of rotting flesh did.

There was a crunch of leaves from behind her as something responded to another with lividness. “How could you lose it? It’s a five-thousand-pound wyrm that lives in a cave how in Equestria could it just slip past you!”

“I’m sorry Limestone! I told you something set him off, he’s hunting!”

Her ears flicked. In no way could that possibly be her arrogant sister Limestone and the quiet little baby sister Marble coming her way… she was definitely hearing voices now.

Her condition must really be getting worse.

It seems as if Celestia herself was playing with her for when the sunlight touched the opalish gray fur and the stony expression she was raised with, she knew her mind was not playing tricks. Marble was hiding behind her older and more aggressive eldest sister as they both glared at the damage made in front of the hiding pink pony.

“Look at this mess do you know how hard it’s going to be to hide all this Marble?” Limestone said curtly as she flicked the younger sister’s muzzle. “Not just that but we’ve got to coax that little devil back to the rock farm!”

“He can tunnel under Equestria in just a few hours, but why did he come here?”

Pinkie wheezed loudly and Limestone jumped just about thirty feet in the air! The bristly hairs on her back smoothed when noticing where the sound came from.

“Pinkie? What in Equestria are you doing out here?” Her sister demanded, scooting closer to the hyperventilating mare who was clutching her chest.

Her hoof shook in the direction of the hole. “S-Something huge and… and slimy popped out of that ditch, it was gonna eat me!”

Both of her kin blinked at each other before Limestone dismissed Pinkie’s claim with a blown raspberry.

“Ha, yeah that’s a good one. Nah that can’t be right, you see we were the ones who dug this hole.. and we umm… well needed to dig a hole because…”

She looked towards Marble who shook her head in rejection as Limestone continued to think of an excuse which Pinkie was not buying.

"Okay what in fudge-covered bananas is going on? I'm not crazy, or at least not enough to go to the nuthouse, and I heard you two talking about it! I can swear to Celestia I heard you call it a worm!"

“Wyrm.” Marble corrected softly as Limestone slammed into her shoulder with her own. “I-I mean, worm… worm! I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“You two are acting strange, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it as long as it’s not as deep as that ditch because it is reaaaaally deep.” Pinkie Pie said hoarsely as her legs wobbled from the adrenaline suppressing from her body. “Start talking because I know you didn’t dig that hole!”

"Don't presume to know my activities! I do have a life outside the farm, you know!" The earth pony with a guttural voice shouted as Pinkie gave her a quizzical look.

“-And that would be digging holes all the way in Canterlot?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“Because I am trying to find something under the earth! You do understand we dig up rocks for a living and so the best pony they could hire was me.”

“Oh, and what are you trying to find?” Pinkie asked with a coy smile as Limestone began to get flustered and overwhelmed by the questions being asked.

“I just told you… rocks!”

"Well, you didn't just find rocks you found a whole can of crazy in that ditch! You know what it is and won't tell me! We're family we don't hide things from each other I promise I’ll get you out of trouble if you brought it here by accident.”

“There isn’t a dang worm… or whatever you thought we said! You’re hallucinating and spent too much time staring at papers! You’re going mad in that castle making up things like this and blaming us for lying, how dare you!”

Clamming up at Limestone's barbaric stare she backed away from her sister who was intent on placing the blame on Pinkie's mind. Even though the Pie family knew very little of her condition they knew she would talk to entities that weren't there or stare into the mirror for hours at a time. The little jab at the hallucination problem she had cut deep. The low blow drained her of any will to keep the argument up as she sat dejectedly on her rump.

“I… I would never want to hurt your feelings Limestone… but I swear… I saw something come out of that hole and knock down those trees!”

Limestone shook her head. “We knocked down those trees and uprooted the ground so we could dig better they were already there.”

“B-But… but…”

"Indeed, we did." An emotionless tone confirmed as a thick sweater appeared tagging along a large wheelbarrow filled with chunky rocks. "We were hired to make rock sculptures for the Gala. It is hard to make ends meet, and we take any jobs that are given to us. We didn't want to bother you with such a laboring job so we left you to attend your duties with Twilight."

“Maud?” Pinkie asked as her dear sister slowly blinked in response.

“Yes?” She replied.

“I… I can’t be this messed up. How could I imagine something so real looking? I…I-”

“You’re working too hard, you need to rest and rejuvenate your energy. It happens to the best of us Pinkie, even Limestone starts seeing things when stressed out.”

“I do no-” She grunted as Marble stepped on her hoof.

“Go take a hot bath with some lavender tonight it works wonders little sis.” Marble suggested with a frown that seemed evasive as she shuffled away from Pinkie. “I-I mean if you have time.”

“We will come to visit as soon as the job is done, for now, we need to get back to work." Maud said with a look that was toneless but provided a secretive signal.

Pinkie knew something was going on, there had to be.

Pulling the cart along behind her, Limestone and Marble trailed behind without a word. They buried themselves deeper into the heart of the forest without a sound leaving Pinkie alone to her thoughts. Catching something glitter from the rocks within the cart, Pinkie's suspicions only grew.

Since when did rocks molt?

Kicking in frustration she did a little dance to express her sole anger. The situation at hoof was utterly ridiculous! Her muttered insults towards her sisters continued to rain down upon the unfortunate road she walked upon.

“Do they think I’m that naïve? I’m Pinkie Pie, I am never fooled by dumb-dummy lies like that!” Pinkie Pie fumed as the scuff marks from her hoof left a permanent mark of her rage onto the dirt. “Well, I mean there was that one time… and that other time… and then that pie scandal that happened for years, but other than that I can’t be fooled!”

With the trail of steam billowing from her ears she pushed open the gates to the castle without addressing the guards and stomping unhappily into whatever room she came across. Suddenly a thundering call of her name caused her to freeze in her tracks as powerful hooves caught up to her within seconds.

“Pinkie what in the hay? Ah’ve been tryin’ tah find ya for three hours now! I needed them herbs by tonight, but by the hour I had ‘nough time tah spare everythin’ was sold out!”

Cringing at her forgetfulness she sucked in air through her teeth before turning to stare into the crossed expression AJ had.

“Okay listen, something really weird is going on and I was walking through the forest… and… and the reason I forgot, no… just get Twilight you need to see-”

"Honestly Pinkie now is not the time to make excuses on why ya got distracted! The Gala is tomorrow night and Twi is stressin’ her mane to pieces while you just up and gone made it worse for me! Where am I gonna get these herbs to please them fancy ponies? This was important, dagnabbit!”

“I didn’t mean to, Applejack there is a worm loose!”

Rubbing her muzzle in agitation the earth pony withheld the fury in her voice for Pinkie's sake. "Ah work with worms daily Pinkie and ah promise ya they aren't no trouble, but what will be trouble is that my only job for the Gala is now in critical danger!”

“AJ I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine Pinkie, It’s fine ah’ll be fine. Just go on over to your room for thuh night.” The farmer said with a scalding tone. Even though she tried to conceal her worry and anger she didn’t do a very good job of it. “Night, ah’ll see ya in the morning.”

Tipping her hat respectfully even after their spat Applejack departed without any more words coming from her mouth.

Sulking woefully at how horrible things were going she decided she couldn't ruin anything else if she were to retire to her room for the night as Applejack had said. So for twenty long minutes of stumbling through the empty castle she made her way to her room that was still untouched with held-back tears in her eyes.

She wasn’t imagining what she saw, it was impossible! It had to be!

Pushing open the door and soundly locking it behind her, she went to the little observation mirror provided for her when trying on her Gala dress. Sitting in front of it she harshly wiped the tears stuck to her cheeks. She curled her tail around her and tapped on the mirror.

There was no response as her mouse-like voice called out to the only one she could rely on when she was alone.

“P-Pinkamena… can I talk to you?”

Sure it probably was not wise to talk to the voice in your head. Or the one that would put you down with every word from her mouth, but she was lonely and needed advice. This would backfire horribly on her, but when she was this heavy-hearted and confused she couldn’t bear to be alone or it would destroy her.

The mirror still reflected the decaying colors of her coat and the misty eyes of hers, but Pinkamena did not appear.

“….Please?”

It rippled gently, giving her the option to gaze in the nefarious fog that surrounded the caged animal deep within her mind. The mare's neon-pink-like mane appeared first before those strange scarlet eyes softly emitted a glow from beyond the glass.

Her hooves remained positioned at her front her back slouched and the chains binding her to the floor unmoving.

“S'oq iz iq esaeu raph aem za?” The hallucination asked, tipping her head to the side to examine the free mare staring into her prison.

“Pinkamena… this is serious can you speak normally for just a few minutes and not speak that random gibberish?”

There was a spiteful laugh, but her voice emerged. "My apologies old habits die hard, my friend."

Licking her dry lips, Pinkie rested her forehead against the cold mirror. "Y-You saw the creature too, right?"

“Correct, my eyes observed the same scene as yours.”

Her voice always urged goosebumps to rise under her fur for the tone was deeper but still retaining that feminine base. As always it was bitter, acidic, and hateful, but her words never matched the voice it came from and to a bystander they would just seem kittenish.

“See I knew I saw it my sisters are lying right to my face!”

Pinkamena grinned just enough for Pinkie to catch onto it. "Now I wouldn't be brash and claim your sisters are lying, after all, I can only see what your mind allows me to see."

"What does that mean?" Pinkie asked in a strung-out warning fearful of what Pinkamena was getting at.

“I could see what you could see because your mind created it. I guess now your little imaginary friend can have a buddy in this lonesome place.”

The smirk the mare gave Pinkie nearly made her lose her cool. "I'm not crazy! I'm not insane! I know what I saw, and it was a giant worm!"

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of calling you crazy that would be madness, my dear." Pinkamena cackled in a low growl as she shifted her confined body. "I do advise being vocal about seeing a giant worm rampaging in a forest ponies tend to get rather judgy around Canterlot."

"You're right… no pony is going to believe me." Pinkie acknowledged bleakly as she took her forehead from the glass and peered into those peculiar eyes. "Even if I were to put this aside what's even worse is that I keep making all my friends mad, I… I just want to help, but I keep being a Stinkie Pinkie.”

Quickly putting up a hoof to her mouth in astonishment Pinkamena’s eyebrows threaded themselves into a mocking look of offense.

“My, my, Pinkie… watch the language! Careful or mama Pie is going to wash your mouth out with soap!”

Giving her a glower Pinkie responded. “Will you please knock it off for a day?”

“Technically it's night time, so your request is denied.”

“Why do I even bother with you?” Pinkie asked no one in particular but was given a reply nonetheless.

"Dunno. You created me, so you must need me for something." Pinkamena taunted as she lowered her hoof with a jingle from her chains. "Perhaps I am a moral compass, or your conscious, or just an illusion you enslaved because you are lonely who knows."

“I told you, I don’t know why my mind has you in chains!”

“I would never accuse you of doing something as tyrannous as chaining up a poor defenseless mare as myself purposefully, why would you ever want to contain something as angelic as me?”

She pressed a hoof into her chest with a prideful sneer. The fangs she wielded glittered slightly before being concealed under her lip once more.

“Okay look, I just need a favor… for once in your life could you just try and be nice? Could you just try and help me out for just one day?” Pinkie begged, her eyes sopping as the tears created fog on the glass she pressed her muzzle against. “I’m really hurting and confuse and I don’t know why my sisters are acting this way!”

Humming in a deep state of consideration—her request was addressed.

“You do understand kindness is not something I practice,” Pinkamena informed with a raised eyebrow before continuing. “Nor care, or love, or patience. I do not possess any of these traits yet you still wish for me to assist you in this unknown territory?”

“Can you just try?” Pinkie pleaded as the flattening mane began to lose what made it so active and loved.

Pinkamena only wrinkled her nose.

The mirror rippled, and as the default scenery of her own tear-streaked face emerged, she pressed her forehead on the glass with a vomit of sobs.

She should have known better, but she still took the risk.

“I knew it.”

Dragging herself away from the fogged mirror she settled down on a little cot in front of a massive stained-glass window and stared at the still stars. She hated being alone, or ponies losing their patience with her and lying to her face, the list could go on and on about newfound actions that dug under her skin.

Pinkamena was not a snuggle-bug or a shoulder to cry on, in fact, she was as comfortable as barbed wire covering a cactus.

Also lit on fire.

Covering herself with half of the rug she shivered on the floor. She couldn't find enough strength or desire to crawl into her own bed. Under the watchful face of the moon and crying herself dry, she happened to find a few hours to sleep.

She wasn't looking forward to what awaited her in the morning.

Something shifted.

—A blackened nightmare within an endless void of nothing yet something thrived within it.

His back was toward the stars and his paws were dusted with nebulas. Chunks of debris from abandoned astroids swirled around him while wrapping around stars and lone planets. These worlds were cracked, their landscape dried and peeling, flaking off into the galaxy.

Deep within this nothingness, something called to him.

“…Hmm?” The entity responded. His voice echoed, leaping among the graveyard of planets. He cracked an eye open revealing a jagged slit layered in ribbons of gold. "Why do I awaken?"

Behind him, a flared ray of dying energy washed the darkness in vibrant light. The entity never addressed the sun's collapse and instead tracked its energy toward his clenched paw. More flakes fluttered aimlessly from their owner before being sucked into the vortex of flames spewing from the star. His nostrils flared, inhaling the energy in an illuminated trail that was ushered upward by his paw. His lungs captured this power easily, breathing in the essence of the galaxy until the glistening dust no longer shimmered, and the sun no longer had a glow.

Within his face crevices gushed a golden light. They strengthened, flashing brightly, before growing dim. He huffed abruptly, the slits in his eyes thinning to needle-points. Silence once more took over and he took a moment to realize what he had sensed. His mane swayed as if pushed and pulled by an underwater current, brushing fur over his observant eyes.

Pawing the strands from his vision, he spared a claw to rest on his temple. "Ah, it appears I am not alone in my awakening." His expression was fogged with scorn as he added, "I can smell you. You are alive, no question."

The creature extended his limbs from being tucked in a fetal position. There were numerous unsynced sounds of popping while he did so. First, his wing stretched outward casting a shadow over the barren planets, then other strange features revealed themselves. A meaty tail unfurled itself and exposed the entity's stomach it had covered, along with an end that appeared to be a silver barb.

"It looks as if I have failed." The holy mass retorted, scratching at his bottom jaw and detaching some dust that had accumulated. "I am baffled at how you did it, but you survived."

His head turned to look over his right shoulder where another untouched galaxy rested without disturbance. He already seemed to have mapped out his next move, tensing up at the sight of it.

"She is such a little cockroach."

There was a muffled groan. Under the rug and curled within a ball upon the floor lay Pinkie. Her slumber did not go as well as she had hoped. That was to be expected when nuzzling up to something that felt like steel wool against her cheek. The sun's rays brushed against her eyelids, but they hadn't opened. If she weren't an adult and instead still a filly on the farm, Pinkie would have done anything to stay in bed. In other words, she'd be tugging on Mama Pie's ear so she could negotiate for five more minutes.

The room was still. Weedwhackers fluttered in the distance, a few bugs tapped on the closed window, other than that not many sounds made themselves known. Something felt odd, however, and it didn't tie itself to the silence. It was a feeling of unwanted eyes, something lurking in what would be the corner of her eye when she opened it. A shadow.

She pulled the edge of the rug off of her head causing her mane to stand on end from the static. First, her eyes adjusted to the light, second, the blurry room focused onto one shape within her sight. The shape was that of a pony, but the mouth and eyes were much more recognizable. The corners of her mouth were peeled back, and if she were real, Pinkie could have convinced herself the heat of her breath could be felt through her grin.

Even though her mind knew who this pony was that accompanied her, Pinkie's scream was for another reason. She clawed her way out from the remaining parts of the rug and had scooted her way to the far end of the wall. Her back slapped itself against the drywall making enough commotion for the shelf above her to wiggle. The screws for the shelf must have been as loose as Pinkie's because when she bumped it, the shelf quivered, before detaching itself and allowing a flower pot to fall.

She cried out in discomfort while the fresh crown of dirt decorated her head. The flowers hung loosely over her ear and the smashed pot lay in pieces at her hooves. Once the panic had settled quite a bit, the devil that had given her quite a scare sat with an oddly roughishly grin before her.

Yep. Pinkie had a few screws loose, no doubt!

"Mirror... where? You're not supposed to be out here! This, no, this is cat-lady level crazy. You're not supposed to be here mysteriously planning my demise, bad Pinkamena! Bad! How did you-?"

There was no barrier, there was no mirror, there was no... anything? She didn't have chains and she didn't seem too bothered by her new freedom, well, at least not as bad as Pinkie. Pinkamena was enjoying it.

"Yikes, that looked painful, hope it didn't squash your last brain cell." She teased, spreading herself over the tile with a mild smirk and an impish chuckle. "That would be quite unfortunate if it did. You need it."

Pinkie brushed the clumped dirt away with a hoof and ping-ponged between the mirror and Pinkamena.

"I'm very, very, very sure you're supposed to be riiight over there. Sitting and staring at me while giving me your stinky eye. You're not supposed to be here, or there.... or anywhere, but especially not here! Imaginary friends don't just wander around, I-I think... I'm pretty sure that's how it's supposed to work. You're breaking the rules!"

"Huh?" Pinkamena murmured nonchalantly, her head turned to view the old prison behind her. With a shrug and an obvious lie through her teeth she continued, "How curious I didn't even notice."

“This is some bad mojo! It's monkey business you shouldn't be doing,” Pinkie regarded with a knot in her brow. "Hallucinations and fantasies are supposed to stay in your brain five-ever, longer than for-ever. This is all kinds of wrong, never in the history of five-ever has this happened!"

“Well, you did dream up a massive worm the other day. I'm a bit surprised that me out of my little cell is where you draw the line.”

She sat herself up. Tethering their gazes she approached the observant mare giving her the most conceited closed-mouthed grin she had ever seen. Pinkamena had the ability to annoy even Pinkie and for her to admit that alone burned her immensely.

She could talk a preacher into cursing, and actually, Pinkie had dropped a few bombs she wasn't proud of in the past because of the little fluffle-brain.

Her parents were not too fond of her language when Pinkamena caused her slip-ups to occur.

She took her hoof and pawed at her illusion's face, but her touch did not detect any form of fur. It was strange to reach out to feel something and only get a greeting of still air.

“You can’t slap a hallucination, idiot.” Pinkamena reminded, resting her chin upon her forelimbs. Pinkie's mind blurred out the mare's retorts and she continued to examine the apparition.

"Weird... a little too weird. Hmm."

She moved so realistically. Honestly, it was a little hard not to notice how every little detail was painted so perfectly. If any pony could see her they'd probably want to try and touch her as well. She just seemed so real.

"Well as I recall you asked for my help, so here I am. Pretty simple really, your mind allowed me to bypass the boundaries you set. Therefore, my powers are yours to command."

Pinkamena rolled her hoof outwards in a jesting way. Her quip was further enhanced by a snort of laughter and it was quite clear the bow was just to bait her into growing agitated.

Her shaggy mane was already becoming sticky with stress sweat. She was on thin ice and knowing her compadre, Pinkamena would have a field day watching her struggle.

“So are you really here to help? Or, are you tagging along just to storm on my parade, well, Gala to be precise."

Pinkamena scoffed, “I wouldn’t dare mess up such the important lifestyle of being a party addict! It's totally honorable being a partier and nothing else. Good job Pinkie, your parents should be proud.”

“Ugh,” Pinkie fumed as she turned her back on the infuriating mare. “I know I have my quirks, and I know I haven't hit as many books like Twilight, because that sounds physically abusive and mean. I'm not like the others, I know that. I can hardly sit still long enough to do paperwork, I can't stand how boring meetings are... it's a struggle I'll admit. I still really, really, badly want to earn that respect as a ruler.. but I need a certain, uh, je ne sais quoi like my friends have which make them so good as this ruling stuff. I am trying to do something different you know."

“Mhmm, yeah? The future isn't looking too bright with your new profession it seems. As they say, the lights can be on but no one's home."

Pinkamena's laugh was cut short as something knocked on the door rather harshly, "Ms. Pie, are you alright in there?"

“Well isn’t that a loaded question.” The blended-maned pony responded, which only served in reaching Pinkie’s ears. She resented her sharp tongue deeply, but even more so hated how no one else could hear her.

"Yeppie yep I'm just fine! Just getting all bright and bushy-tailed for the Gala!" She chirped, but her tone was weighted.

Thankfully, he didn't know her too well, or he would have quickly found that the voice betrayed her by exposing true emotions.

She could hear the hooves distance themselves from her and it gave her time to deeply sigh.

"The Gala is today and it has to go perfect. I can't go around talking to myself in front of all the world leaders that show up." She debated, twirling her tongue along her bottom teeth in deep thought. "Are earplugs fashionable?"

“Oh yeah, that’s wise, just block out all sounds. You know that my voice is in your head, not outside your body, right? You can’t escape me.”

She glanced toward Pinkie before rolling upon her back in a sudden urge of playfulness. She was not in the mood to entertain the unwanted shadow, but she was booped by the illusion's hoof anyway. Others may see this gesture as a way of opening-up, but if you truly knew Pinkamena, you'd understand this behavior was not of that nature.

“I’ll be good and obey my master like a good doggy.” Pinkamena egged as she rolled back over and leaned her chin into her hoof. “Wouldn’t want to ruin the Gala for you and your friends now would I? That wouldn’t make you very happy… actually, it would make you quite upset."

“Exactly. So please, for the love of Celestia, I will do anything you want if you don’t ruin this for me! That’s all I want and then you can tease and be a giant meanie for the rest of my life, deal?”

“You’ll have no quarrels with me, I was never planning on interfering with your little Gala.” Pinkamena spat, obviously irked that she had to repel her personality. “I can’t say the same for anyone else interfering I'm afraid.”

Pinkie caught sight of a frozen laugh on her face, but it was quickly buried in those taunting eyes that brought out the worst in her.

She soon found herself growing quite bold. The arrogance in her smile was quickly snuffed out when Pinkie called her out on her bluff. The dark pits of mischief were challenged when sky-blue eyes tethered themselves with Pinkamena's and they were both forced to stare deeply into each other.

“Pinkie. Promise.” She ordered in a bristled tone.

Her sneer was provoking and Pinkie easily predicted Pinkamena's urge to poke the bear.

“Your vows mean little to me. You can take my word for it, or sulk during the Gala. I don’t care which one you choose.”

The Element of Laughter threw in the towel. She shook her head with defeat and departed from Pinkamena with a huff. There were no sounds of hoof-steps behind her, and her back itched from a harrowing creature stalking her from behind. No breath or sounds could be detected, but she could sense the being's presence.

As she suspected Pinkamena was hot on her trail with a cocky half-lidded stare.

“So you’re following me now?”

The illusion touched her chest in offense. “Wouldn't dream of it. You happen to be going the same way where I wish to stretch my legs. We both are heading to the Gay-la, correct?”

"First of all it's the Gala, second of all I find that hard to believe when it isn't even time yet. Third of all, I love following other ponies against their will, but it's off-limits with me."

"As you say, tomayto, tomahto... Gala… Gay-la, same thing. If Rainbow Dash is going along with Spitfire, you might as well go ahead and call it the Gay-la."

That was the last straw in the haystack! A sharp breath was taken and she was ready to ram that annoying thorn under her skin off her pedestal!

“Quit being a Gilda!”

“Well. You should quit being a Ponk.”

Her jaw locked. That tiny nickname happened to unleash a whole wad of Pinkie-craze every time she heard it. Soon enough her defense mechanism kicked in and her cheeks popped out like she was mimicking a blowfish.

She never could find out what exactly a “Ponk" was, but Pinkamena loved griping about her being one. Pinkie Pie was too good-spirited to insult her own mind back, but sometimes she really wanted to have a smackdown with herself.

"Well, you're a Pinkameanie!"

“Ouch, Pinkie. That's real mature of you.”

Her ringing laughter made Pinkie flick her tail in the arrogant mare’s face, before sharply storming from her room with muttered curses. Clearly growing haughty with her newfound freedom outside the mirror Pinkamena followed swiftly behind still grinning mischievously.

Perhaps she should go check on Twilight? Or go speak with Fluttershy? Her mind was always calm when speaking with Flutters she could help her out, right? Without much of a delay, she felt her hooves moving in that direction. She could bet her party cannon on the fact that Fluttershy was sunbathing with the animals. They normally flocked by the royal gardens where she would keep them in line.

Taking her stroll towards the budding flowers scattered across the lively grass, the welcoming sun invited her into the open garden. The aroma was lax and soothing as the stallions in charge of landscaping trimmed and shaped the bushes into an acceptable figure. Pinkie greeted them before she cut through the pathway and found the animal lover humming gently to the bathing birds.

Sensing Pinkie's presence Fluttershy turned to give her a dependable smile, but it fell. "Oh my Pinkie, your coat, it's so… dull."

Her words were answered with a sigh as Pinkie’s eyes skimmed over her fading fur. “I’ve been having a teensy-little-bitty problem with Pinkamena… just a little.”

"Wow ratting me out, huh? You know gossiping about the pony you dislike in front of them is quite rude."

The trailing shadow gave a frown as Pinkie ignored her.

"Oh dear, please, come sit down." Fluttershy invited with a pat on a patch of grass. "I actually had a little bit of speculation that she might cause problems for you. After speaking with Applejack and Twilight, I found out they were worried about you being too stressed out, but I know the real reason you're distracted."

Settling herself down beside her best friend, Pinkie watched Pinkamena curl up near the bird fountain while giving them both a blank stare.

“So if you don’t mind me asking, what’s troubling you? Well, Pinkamena-wise.”

Throwing her hooves in the air Pinkie responded with a low-spirited whimper.

"I can't stand her needly stare anymore! It's been nineteen years and all I've learned from her is that even with the biggest and best balloons in the world, all she has to do is look, and pop! Down goes my mood, whoosh, that's the sound of her squeezing the life out of an already deflated balloon. Now she's being really rude by following me around and giving me her opinion, except, I don't want her option. You only give ponies your opinion if you know it won't hurt their feelings, but she jumped out of her mirror and did it anyway! She won't go back in there, Fluttershy!"

Pinkamena chucked, "Is that your way of telling others I'm a prick? Touché, it was clever, so I'll give you that one."

Stroking Pinkie’s shoulder with a free hoof, Fluttershy brought her down from the tower of woe she sat upon. “So now she follows you around? That is strange, and you can’t make her disappear as you did before in the mirror?”

"That's the thing, she can overpower my mind! 'Cause she's an evil enchantress, yet to do evil dances. If you look deep in her eyes, she'll give evil glances! She's like what I thought Zecora was, something is off with her, and I bet it's because she's controlling my brain with strings and popsicle sticks! Before all of this I could chit-chat with her whenever I pleased, but now she's walking and talking all over town!"

"I've said like five minutes of conversation throughout the day. That's truly astonishing for me," Pinkamena included as Pinkie gave her an irritated stare.

"She can't overpower your mind Pinkie, I promise. She can, however, keep making you feel helpless if you let her— but remember she isn't real and she's only here to cause problems." Fluttershy reminded, as her wing draped itself over Pinkie's tense frame. "Perhaps you are in need of a relaxant. I took the time to talk to my friend Tree Hugger about it without including too much information. Since she's always so calm, cool, and collected, I asked her how she managed to stay that way. She told me she had a natural remedy for unwanted voices and hallucinations much to my relief."

Pinkamena shot up with erect ears and a withheld snicker leaked from her mouth. “Uh oh spaghettios, my illegal substance detector is tingling.”

Digging through a little bag beside her Fluttershy brought out a plastic bag full of harmless brownies. She then placed them at Pinkie’s hooves and the Element of Laughter felt drawn to the unique scent.

“Wow, they smell a bit strong, kinda organic? Any brownie is a good brownie I say, even if they're made a bit different from what I'd put together. Tell Treehugger I wouldn't mind exchanging recipes with her, these look, well... non-toxic and uh, consumable. Do you know what else starts with 'T'? Tummy is a word that starts with 'T' and only edible things go into tummies so obviously nothing severely poisonous would encourage you to eat it.

“I’m, uh, pretty sure Treehugger made sure this was edible,” Fluttershy replied with light giggle. “She uses many natural earth extracts to help with bodily issues. She seemed quite excited to share her personal stress reliever. I also have some bath bombs for you when and if you need them, but the brownies should be good for now. I wonder what’s in them and how they work so well.”

The observing mind-creation snorted before breaking out into a guffaw.

Giving her friend a nuzzle, Fluttershy stood up slowly. “I have to get the birds ready for their performance when welcoming the honored guests, but come and get me if you need me later. I’ll do what I can to help, and always will.”

“Righty-Tighty thanks Fluttershy, you’re the bestest ever! I’m going to start munching and crunching and get these yummies in my tummy!” Pinkie chirped benevolently while her friend's cheeks matched the same shade as the spring lilies.

“No problem Pinkie, always happy to help,” She responded sheepishly.

When the introvert gathered her bag and left Pinkie alone for snack time, Pinkamena slithered over like a serpent. Her greasy and oiled grin took over her side vision, much to Pinkie's annoyance.

"Let me give you some much-needed advice and suggest you toss those brownies."

Throwing her muzzle to the side to disown her advice, she defiantly declined. "Nopie nope! I need to be clear-headed and calm when going to the Gala so I don't mess anything up. You aren't going to butter me up with lies or get this opportunity to run away! It would be very tiresome to catch again!"

The spectral form poked the bag with the tip of her hoof, “Oh no it’ll calm you alright. I do have to say, however, I'm a pony that understands Fluttershy’s innocence and your oblivious nature. I need to warn you of edible foods Tree Hugger has messed with.”

“I’m not oblivious and I know about many things I shouldn’t! I’m a grown mare, and even though it smells as musky as Dashie’s baking attempts I’m sure I’ll only get food poisoning. As a professional food taster, I've been in worse tangos than this one, just try and get down mints and soda... I've done it! They called me a mad-pony, but I succeeded."

“Pinkie I’m telling you-”

"Oh I see what's going on, you're trying to trick ‘ol Pinkie Pie, right? You want these brownies all for yourself, don't you? Aha, you think I don't see your ridiculous attempt to deceive me? I'll have you know I live in ridiculous, I breathe ridiculous, I am ridiculous! You can't fool me I'm eating these brownies, and you can't have them!"

Rubbing the bridge of her nose Pinkamena responded, "Dude I don't want them, I can't even eat! I don't exist! I was actually trying to-"

"Nyah!" Pinkie screeched in an animalistic murmur causing the mare before her to jump just about a hundred feet. "I smell your deception! I've been with you ever since I was a twinkie Pinkie and know how you are. You just want me to not eat these because you'll go away and my mind won't lose its marbles when you're gone! Well, guess what? I'm picking up all those marbles you've made me lose and shoving them back in there! So move over, its chowing time!"

Putting up her hooves, she backed away. "Whatever you say chief."

Ripping open the bag, Pinkie scarfed down as many as she could inhale. Pinkamena remained quiet and just watched with eyes that mirrored a hyena.

Once her tongue had swiped the remains from her lips, she gave an overweening grin toward Pinkamena from her victory. She had put her in her place, oh yes she did… and it felt great!

“You have no power over me, I am completely… huh… where did those colors come from?”

A dense haze of red clouded over the whites of Pinkie's eyes. Her smile was lopsided and her tuneful whistle was as sluggish and uneven as her eyelids. The world was distorted, terribly, but she wasn't complaining in the least bit. She felt really calm, almost as if she were as mellow as an undisturbed creek.

“I feel so... well, erm-” Her words were blurred, but her giggles were not.

"-Good?" Pinkamena questioned, finishing her sentence for her. "Oh, I don't doubt it."

"Know what? Let me tell you something." Pinkie slurred, rolling over as she slowly tried to focus on the blurred pony before her. "I have very accurate taste buds, but I'm bothered that I can't describe the taste of water… it's been bugging me for a few years."

“Mhmm, yeah.” Pinkamena dismissed, clearly not paying attention.

“Know what else?” Pinkie Pie continued, regardless if Pinkamena was interested or not. “If having midnight snacks is wrong why is there a light in the fridge?”

"It's the reminder of a certain light that will expose you at the time of your death. My prediction? Your cause of death will have to do with diabetes. Eat healthier."

“What light?”

"It varies from pony to pony. Just hope when it's time for you to see the afterlife you don't see fire."

Having a hard time focusing she responded, "There's fire in pony heaven?"

“Whoosh,” Pinkamena teased flicking a hoof over her head with a grin.

She nodded back toward the sky and Pinkamena's innuendo was soon forgotten. Her attention was attracted to the flying stallions and guards flooding into Canterlot. For some reason, she felt like she was missing something, something really important.

"I am all loose and limp like a wet noodle I think I should be remembering something, but I can't quite put my hoof on it."

There was a bland hum from a distance. “If I can make an educated guess I’ll assume it’s the Gay-la.”

“Gala.” Pinkie calmly corrected before settling back on the grass. She suddenly shot up with bugged eyes when realizing what she said and shook herself to attention. “The Gala!”

She needed to get ready, shoot, shoot, shoot! How could she forget the Gala? It was the most important thing in her life right now and she was required to be with the other rulers of Equestria! She didn’t want to face Twilight, but she knew being even a second off schedule would turn her mane gray!

“Come on, we can still get ready at short notice! Rarity is the best at working under pressure!”

“You sure about that? Those tubs of ice-cream in her fridge make me think otherwise.”

Grabbing Pinkamena’s hoof, but hooking only air, she just assumed the reflection would follow her into the castle. The garden was fiercely preened and she had to make a good effort trying to dodge all the decorations. She scurried toward the fashionista in hopes they didn't notice her disappearance, but she had a foreboding feeling Rarity would have a fit when she got there.

Suddenly it was as if she hit an invisible wall! Her hooves slowed along with her edged emotions, that... smell. An angelic scent wrapped around her head and sank its teeth into her brain. Unable to fight off the clawing in her stomach the thunderous boom from her empty tank caused her to squirm. Pinkamena was by her side in mere moments as she examined the vibrating tummy of the confused mare beside her.

“Huh… why am I so hungry? Like its… ngh… so overwhelming!” Pinkie complained, as her salivating mouth directed her attention toward the smoky compass leading into the royal Canterlot kitchen.

“Hmm, do you have the munchies?” Pinkamena tested.

Her tone slowly inclined as if she were formulating something and the hallucination flattened her ears with a corrupted grin.

Nodding her head in a trance, Pinkie Pie was merely drooling just by the scent. Pinkamena swiftly appeared in her line of vision before giving her a hypnotizing serpent’s sneer.

"Oh well, that won't do at all." Her honeyed whisper said with a clicking tongue. "You can't join the Gala with such a nasty case of the munchies now can you?"

Pinkie Pie swallowed her temptation and shook her head. “Nope, no can do buckaroo! Gotta steer clear of the kitchen it’s for the guests, and like AJ said, I ate the whole thing last time.”

“Oh pish posh,” Pinkamena said huskily as she flicked her head toward the kitchen. “They’ve made food for hundreds of ponies attending and they have more than enough to share.”

Her words were indeed enticing and seductive, all words happened to be seductive towards Pinkie when they spoke of food. Pinkamena was right, they had more than enough to share, and wouldn't notice just a few snacks consumed. Her hunger was unreal and a little painful, as her guide gestured toward the unlocked and opened gates to heaven.

The smell was terrific, and the sights were just as good. Saffron dusted truffles, caramel drizzled tarts, pastries, and simmering vats of soup were stacked by the thousands! Wallowing behind silently, Pinkamena paused by the door allowing Pinkie Pie to take in the sights.

“You said you’d help me and promised you wouldn’t mess up the Gala for me. I need you to not allow me to eat too much, okay?”

Lowering her ears, Pinkamena crossed her heart with a final snicker. "I wouldn't dare let you overeat, that wouldn't be very courteous of me would it?"

With a face-breaking smile Pinkie nearly tackled the first dish which was gone in under five minutes. Settling in the shadowy corner, Pinkamena yawned, before resting her head on her hooves. She examined the pony devour a path as she ate her way through the room. Her stomach was like a bottomless pit. She just couldn't fill it no matter how much she tried to eat! As soon as the food touched her tongue it was swallowed. She hardly tasted anything before gulping it down and tearing off another chunk like a starved mutt.

Pinkamena was watching… she would be fine… it would all be fine.

The fondue fountain was licked dry, but still, she heard no warning from her scout and kept up her ravenous consumption. By the time the horde of properly baked griffon scones was violated, along with the gemstones that had bite marks on them, her stomach had slowed its rampage.

Sitting on her rump in satisfaction she let out a long and wavering sigh. Taking a minute to let the meal sink in, she let her eyes wander and see what she had to clean up.

Her eyes bugged when realizing the damage that had been done.

Cans of whipped cream were scattered along the floor leaking their last drops onto the tile, as a carpet of crumbs gathered around the uneaten sections. The cakes she had moved past were slouching since she had pushed them aside to get to the better ones, and this action messed up their careful craftsmanship without her even noticing!

In horror she put her hoof to her mouth as she quickly turned to Pinkamena who had her eyes closed in peace.

“Wha.. I… Pinkamena you were supposed to watch me!”

Cracking an eye open to peek at the hyperventilating pony before her she hummed. “Oh my apologies, but in my defense you trusted me and we all knew that was a terrible idea."

She was mortified by the mess she had made! The oncoming breakdown was not at all concerning to Pinkamena, but Pinkie was in a panic trying to slap together a plan. She was an idiot to trust her hallucination, but at that moment, she just wanted a bite and her hunger overlapped her sanity.

“I… Applejack is going to murder me! Or worse, feed me to those bloodthirsty griffons as an appetizer!”

“Hey now, that’s not nice to throw shade at them like that.” Pinkamena frowned, shaking her head in disapproval. “Assuming all griffons are bloodthirsty just because of your experience with Gilda, who is now slightly better, is just downright racist.”

“Perhaps I can glue some of the crumbs back together! Ye-yeah I can do that, or… or… quick, let’s find Discord!”

"Sure, let's dump a whole pile of toxic chemicals on the royal samples being fed to the national leaders of the world. Yeah, that'll one hundred percent do the trick, if you're aiming for treason."

Quickly giving her a glare, she spoke, “Well then what do you suppose I do here?”

"Panic and go into exile? I suggest camping in the spa back in Ponyville. Applejack won't step hoof in there, especially in the makeup studio, I bet your life on it."

There were scuffs from advancing hooves. Pinkie's blood felt strangely icy when they crept closer to the door! The light from under the crack faltered, a shadow formed, and with a groan it opened.

Pinkie Pie was frozen in both fear and guilt as a familiar creamsicle pelt stood with firmly locked eyes.

“What in thuh hay? Pinkie, what happened in here?”

“I… this… I… it was like this when I got here!” She stammered, evading the fuse being lit.

“Did you eat all them fancy foods I spent eons plannin’ Pinkie?”

Her ears were bent in submissiveness, but the body language she was producing made it quite clear her recent words were of a lie.

“No, dear Celestia! You’ve eaten just ‘bout everythin’ in here! I’ve just had ‘nough of your constant meddling, I gotta go tell Twi before things get even worse! First Rarity upset Discord, ‘an he had to go on and act like a wet panther because of his dress code… and now we've gotta another problem on our hooves!”

"Wet panther? Oh, I get it because cats don't like being wet and get mean, aha. I love country slang," Pinkamena mused as she watched the scene unfold. "Xaquz mench, you’re screwed ya Ponk.”

“So have you been right on in here munchin’ away when the half the guests have arrived? I came runnin’ in here right in the middle of getting’ my dress on! This is getting to be a real pain in the rump, Pinkie!”

“Welcome to my world,” Pinkamena muttered to no one. Applejack suddenly pulled the hat she loved over her eyes in distress with a high-nasaled sigh.

“AJ... I’ll help clean up, I’m sorry! Fluttershy gave me these delicious brownies and I-”

"Bein' my element here ah'm just going to come out with it. Honestly, you need to just mosey on back to yer room till one of us can get things calmed down."

“But-”

"Ah can't argue ‘bout this Pinkie! We'll come and get you when the time is right, but you've made a mess we've gotta clean up now! Just please-" AJ halted and she bit her tongue to avoid saying something she'd regret. Not long after she added, "-Just go on back to your room ah promise it won't be long, but you've gotta understand the position you put me in."

Slinging her hoof toward the door Applejack motioned for her to exit the kitchen. With her head shamefully draped over her shadow, she obeyed with a limp tail. Pinkie wanted to cry, but for now she suppressed the cracking dam and allowed for her removal to take place. There were no more words exchanged, just a grumble, and then a slammed and locked door.

The unwanted reflection materialized beside her as she reappeared next to her owner. Pinkamena let her bottom lip sag, but Pinkie couldn't tell if this was of genuine concern or sympathy.

“Tukjt quun. Harsh,” Pinkamena commented, striding in perfect harmony beside Pinkie.

"Why do you keep speaking that made-up language? I'm not a filly anymore, and I gave up talking gibberish to Maud's rock collection a long time ago! I am seriously not A-okay, I feel icky like a dropped sucker about all this, and would appreciate some real non-silly words!"

“Neh vennu tummon, whatever do you mean? I am speaking pure Maud rock language you should be able to understand me.”

"I created that a long time ago and I know it by heart! I'd recognize the tongue of Pinkielgese any day of the week! Only when you've made a ritual offering of cotton candy and pop rocks to the Gods of fun will you be able to wield such power!"

“Well,” Pinkamena purred, “Seems to me like you need to make another offering. You’re getting a little rusty.”

Giving her a peeved groan she sulked back to her room where she was exiled for the time being. Pinkamena followed in silence until they reached her chambers where she brooded by the window. She opened it to revel in the party she was banned from. Guests by the hundreds flooded into the courtyard, their glasses of fancy beverages floating beside them, and their quiet voices mixing in a cloud of background noise.

Her tower was hovering above the city of Canterlot, but directly below was a mid-garden which was vacant at the time being. With her head in her hooves, she watched the petals flutter in the sunset and her mirror-freed companion decided to join her.

"Ah, Galas, where the rich come to purge this fine city of what makes it beautiful." Pinkamena reported as she threw her hooves along the window frame next to a glum Pinkie. "Chin up Ponk, they'll get over it eventually they always do. I don't think you're missing anything important other than chatting up snooty upper-class citizens throwing their bits at each other."

There was no reply as the stock-still mare continued to bask in the fading sun.

“Mmm, smell that? I'd say the dragon cavalry has arrived the whole place smells like sulfur,” She reported with a grimace. “Kind of overpowering.”

Pinkie slowly flipped onto her other cheek and squished it against the window seal. In a disheartening manner, she studied Pinkamena's face as the illusion trailed the scent with her nose.

“That isn’t sulfur, its antozonite, and gives off a really stinky smell when crushed or broken. Limestone used to keep it around to prevent ponies from talking to her back in the day.”

Pinkamena pursed her lips, “It smells like rotting flesh.”

Pinkie sighed, “It’s just what it smells like. You can only find it deep within the earth or sometimes broken in pieces after erosion pulls it up over time. It stunk up the rock farm so bad at one point we couldn’t be within five feet of the exposed vein.”

“I didn’t know dragons liked to dig that far down.”

“They don’t,” Pinkie replied, before she slowly brought her cheek up from the ledge. “Wait!”

In the fading sunset within the corner of her eye, something glittered. Both mares turned to view a serpent-like creature coiling around a vacant castle tower. Like a python his stomach ground against the marble, cutting into the fine stone with his scales, as his body continued to constrict the building. His fiery eyes were fearsome and that dreaded smell continued to simmer in the air. His presence left a sinking feeling in the core of Pinkie's stomach.

"I… this isn't real, is it? This can't be real! What's happening to me?" Pinkie cried out in alarm, before closing the window and sliding her back against the wall to avoid being detected. "If it isn't real and I tell Twilight my friends will just hate me more! On the off chance that it is and happens to attack the Gala, I'll be endangering the guests. I'll be responsible for causing a massive Equestrian war!"

"Yes! Raise the torches and pitchforks! Burn the beast, ahhh. No, Pinkie, there isn't going to be a war you're tired and dreaming up another fantasy. It's a very vivid and hilarious fantasy which would spice up the Gala, but unfortunately, unreal and completely made up in your mind. Go take a nap, refresh your brain."

"I can smell him, I can see him, and I can hear him! This is too advanced to be a dream, it has to be! He's a big giant worm that's going to gobble up everyone in the Gala, and I have to stop him!" Pinkie exclaimed as she threw open the window. "At least lead him away from everything, I think he followed me!"

Screams and crunching noises blared like trumpets. The sky was darkening and the haunting smell of that pungent brute's breath turned Pinkie's stomach like ingested sour milk! She could only watch with a slacked jaw as it unhooked itself from the tower! It collided with the ground in a cloud of dust and flying debris, before tunneling downwards like a burrowing snake. Under the torn bushes and ripped grass, its serpentine body disappeared, leaving only shouts of disarray.

The Gala was in chaos as thousands of ponies ran towards the exit, but when the ground rumbled they were shaken to their stomachs and exposed to the wyrm once more! The burrow was destroyed as it came upwards, catching a mouthful of scrambling ponies, before throwing them into nearby castle walls with a sky-shattering screech!

"Oh… well, I'm about one hundred percent sure you aren't imagining this. If you are, please keep doing so, this is the best Gala that's ever happened!" Pinkamena burbled comically while her laughter shook Pinkie out of her state of panic.

“We have to do something,” She shouted over the storm of freeing magic trying to dispel the monster. She threw a leg over the edge before trying to climb out the window, “I knew what I saw was real!”

The guards along with Dragonlord Ember rose to the challenge, and the sapphire dragon retaliated with a long drawn out breath of fire. The landscape unfortunate to meet its demise at the claws of the draconic overlord turned to cinders, but the toughened belly of the wyrm only seemed to absorb the flames and use them.

Opening his mouth with a cynical sneer he used his trump card, “I tugo ne laukkopj fiht chea, zah I fipp xowouh chea.”

His throat expanded revealing a warm light from the back of his throat. He then spewed liquefied pools of what seemed to be magma! Scooping up several bystanders, Ember and Thorax who happened to shapeshift into a bugbear, held them above the skin-melting heat. A familiar draconequus floated above the fifty-foot tall creature with an unamused scowl at the garden of flames.

“Coming to a party uninvited is very rude. Look at what you’ve done to the gardens Fluttershy spent so much time preening,” Discord reprimanded.

Climbing down snaking vines, she followed them lower by securing her teeth and hooves the best she could. Her back legs slowly hooked onto the blocky stone lowering her toward the battlefield as the fight continued to rage on.

Unable to stray far from her semi-dominating personality, Pinkamena hovered like a ghost near the climbing Pinkie.

"What a party," Pinkamena joked, but was continuously ignored.

The Spirit of Chaos wrestled with the beast for a bit, he toyed with him, then broke into blocks when struck. He flicked his claw at the flames and they flickered before melting into bubbles. This just seemed to agitate the wyrm as the monster curled its lip before thrusting his head forward! Discord was impaled in an instant, he gurgled, but didn't seem to be terribly in pain.

"Urk," Discord choked. "I must admit your kind of magic is quite strange. It appears to grow based on your rage, but I am a seasoned chaos maker, and you'll have to do a lot more damage to out ribbon my feats."

Snapping his claws, his wounded body was reformed into a hybrid cannon and it plopped on the grass with a comedic lit fuse. A powerful blast of Alicorn magic came from a nearby roof, as Twilight spread out her hooves in a strong defensive stance. Rainbow Dash was busy collecting the wounded civilians, but she didn’t mind delivering a kick here and there for the trouble.

Pinkie flopped in exhaustion on the grass heaving from fatigue. While she took a breather, Discord fired a led cannonball and it knocked into the jaw of the wyrm. Shaking his head like a rabid wolf, foam bubbled in a ring around his mouth before gathering in a pool by his stomach.

He shot up into the air curling his body in an upside-down "U," before tunneling back under the surface where the castle began to weaken.

"He's attacking the structure to make it collapse!" Ember alerted, as she pointed a claw toward the den expanding. "He's trying to undermine the base of the Canterlot castle, if he succeeds, the entire castle will bury us and the city!"

Leaping into the hole bravely, Ember was joined by a few other battle-hardened dragons. Pinkie grunted as she army-crawled through the collapsing debris and dodged the spitting fire from the hole. His roars were smothered by loud cracks and Pinkie avoided any open areas just incase his voice happened to tear down loose columns!

There was an earthquake and the tile under her hooves quivered. The head of the wyrm burst through without warning, and Pinkie was unexpectedly a captive! Screaming and squabbling within his jaws, she hung onto the corner of his mouth, as he expanded until he was fully out of the ground.

Noticing the passenger along for the ride, he was quick to get rid of her. Flicking his head in a jerked motion her limp body swung to the side, overpowering her grip and promptly flinging her into the wall! A cloud of heavy dust hung over her head, she coughed, before fanning the debris from her muzzle. After her organs no longer felt rearranged she peeled herself off of the wall.

Falling to her chin, her groans lured the eyes of the beast to her. The wyrm coiled itself around the castle flooring with his transparent second eyelid refreshing the slit. His forked tongue slithered outwards and his head dipped downward toward Pinkie to gaze at her level.

“Chea uko hto eno fte tepxj quch quujhok,” The beast cooed in a lowered volume, “Fo quoun chea ne tukqu.”

There was a storming amount of hooves advancing, as Rainbow Dash barreled forward in a furious display of fluttering wings. Her hoof buried itself into the wyrm's exposed eye without a moment's hesitation! Roaring at the menace, he snapped his mossy daggers at the pegasus, but her speed outmatched his own. She delivered another solid whack, and he responded with a lake of self-created magma that gushed outward in leaping embers.

His attention turned to Pinkie as she backed farther into the wall.

“P-Pinkamena… help!” She begged in a helpless whine of fear, she knew there was nothing the illusion could do, but she asked in desperation anyway.

The emotionless mare beside her took one glance at the wyrm and sighed, "Fine, I'll see what I can do, sit tight."

Taking herself up towards the non-effective carpet of lava she stepped on it, and then peered up at the beast. His coils writhed, and his gaze remained fixated on Pinkie.

“Stop,” Pinkamena commanded in a stern tone.

There was a dull thud as powerful back-hooves knocked themselves into his scales, shattering where they contacted! Applejack continued to beat her strength into the wyrm, and he tipped his head upward in an agonized mewl! He slithered over Pinkamena's essence as if she were only a bump in the road, she was distorted for a second, but was unharmed.

"Well, that's all I've got." The illusion remarked as she settled back down onto the seared floor.

“Try harder, he’s going to eat us all!” Pinkie bellowed, but only provoked Pinkamena’s annoyed reaction.

“Hey! I tried, and therefore... you don’t have the right to criticize me!”

“Yequo fiht quo, mench,” The beast grumbled, leaking a trail of smoke from his cooling jaws. He spread his mouth widely before scooping up Pinkie’s tail in his teeth.

“He’s got Pinkie!” Fluttershy said shrilly, as the sudden move created consternation among the ponies while they struggled to devise a counterattack.

His stomach created sparks along the flooring and Pinkie watched as these sparks morphed into flames when touching the fabric on the Equestrian banners. He suddenly readied his skull, he tucked it in, before smashing through the wall to give him an escape outside. The crumbling wall was no match for his stout body and it tore up the remaining hall for the Gala. Pinkie was showered with pieces of the broken cobblestone before she desperately clung onto his fang when he picked up speed.

Rainbow Dash was on him in an instant, but as she caught up to the flailing pony within his clamped teeth, she was knocked off course by a hurricane-like tail. The rough exterior of the scales was enough to render Dashie unconscious and her banged-up body crashed into a nearby tree where she went limp and inactive.

Pinkie was terrified for her life and the numbing sense of hysteria caused her muscles to clench. Why was he taking her? What did he want with her? These questions only nerved her further while her upside-down position blurred her eyes. The free-falling blood gushing to the center of her brain was making it quite hard to think, but she couldn't exactly sit herself up right now.

As quickly as the wind picked up it was deafened by the creature nestling its way into the homely ground it favored. Digging with its free tail, her body was dropped onto the side of the mound. Her despised companion decided to reform beside her with an overly insensitive comment once Pinkie had recovered enough.

"He seems overly possessive. Stockholm syndrome at its finest."

Scooping out piles of dirt he continued to dig his way into a deeper pit. He buried his head into the ground in order to create another tunnel. There was silence as Pinkie gathered her jelly-legs under her to try and summon up enough energy to run, but didn't have it in her. Popping back up toward the surface rather less violently, his muzzle rested on the mound, and he grew very still.

“Jmour iw chea tugo fekxj fekht hto pijhoninv," He groaned in a tone of uncertainty as Pinkie swallowed thickly.

"I… I don't know what you want! Please, Mr. Worm Sir, leave my friends alone! I'll find something else for you to eat, I promise! Do you like marshmallows? They taste a lot better than bony ponies, trust me, that's why our natural predators changed to a different diet!"

His nostrils exhaled and it blew a puff of hot air into Pinkie's face. She grimaced, tensing up as the air whooshed past her before he settled back down meekly.

There was a sudden hyper-aura in the air as the clouds parted to reveal a combined mass of dark and light magic which plowed into the wyrm quite suddenly! His deranged cry echoed over the sizzling magic before the moonlight revealed two princesses parting the smoke.

Luna swooped forward summoning a large amount of magic from the tip of her horn, as Celestia broke from her position and took to the ground. The practiced volley of stormy fire they produced overwhelmed the strength of the monster as his teeth clenched, locking his jaw in agony. Curling his tail around the trunk of a tree, he tried spitting more magma, but only revealed that his tank was empty and his chances of winning dwindled into single digits.

Celestia charged forward releasing a powerful bolt from an arcane spell that was so well formulated, when it hit, the damage was massive! His serpentine-like body flailed on the ground when crashing onto his side and his writhing figure convulsed with pain before a fang clattered on the ground. The gums that had recently held it firm dribbled with liquids, as his slimy tongue ran itself along the missing tooth-space with fury!

The retired princess landed beside Pinkie, gathering her securely, before coaxing her up onto her hooves. The wyrm did not accept his defeat and was rather bullheaded when he once more challenged his opponent.

“Zkuinfujtox jpugo!”

The narrowed eyes of the victor locked on him, clearly bothered by his pompous attitude. “Don’t you dare speak that wretched tongue to me, devil-worshipper.”

"You forget your place, old foe." Luna added, as she descended from the air and lightly touched a patch of grass below her. "Your master perished eons ago, and to provoke a war that was laid to rest is quite foolish. It will only result in your own demise."

“-But why now. After two thousand years, why do you appear? Why have you come here?” Celestia mused, her eyes thickening when seeing the wyrm bore into her. “Unless.. no… that’s impossible, she can’t be alive, there’s no possibility!”

His hissed curses in response were so loud Pinkie recoiled further into Celestia’s feathers, and even though the princess showed no submissiveness, she could feel her racing pulse tap against her shoulder.

He extended his neck into the air before circling forward and burying himself within the dirt. When his body was gone along with the tremors, her eyes wandered to a mysterious and fiendish glint in Pinkamena’s eyes. The mare had her head glued to Celestia, but as soon as the look was given, it dispersed just as fast.

Perhaps Pinkie was just misreading it.

"Diary entry: seven hundred thirty-six thousand, nine hundred, and thirty-five. Aka, two thousand and nineteen years since I've been on this flipping star!" The sound of something clicking like a thumb on a pen emerged. The voice vented out their frustration through muttered curses, then added, “I’ve had an itch near my rump for centuries now. I never knew I could develop a major phobia of peanut butter.”

She was a strange and colorful oddity within the mass of dull liquorish. Thick strings of a gooey substance wrapped around her torso and legs while also making a suctioning noise whenever she squirmed. A quilt made of hardened peanut butter was slathered all across her body, she was immobilized, all except for a free arm holding a recorder.

The object she held whirred before she spoke again, "For two thousand years, I mourn what could have been. I was betrayed, leaving ruins of what used to be warmth now frozen over. I doubt my friend is as defeated as they claim, like Winter, the earth will appear barren and dead until Spring. She will remain dormant, paused, mimicking the silence of the bitter seasons until making her move. Spring is coming, her Spring is coming... and oh-ho-ho, how her Spring will be glorious-"

Static resonated throughout the vast emptiness, but otherwise, nothing else was heard. The outer layer of the star boiled from the bubbling and ignited gas upon the surface, and the peanut butter shifted from the heat being pumped into it.

She seemed to be used to its routine and only responded with a grimace.

"Wow, that was some Whinney Shakespeare level poetry right there, folks. Write that down, write it down!" She was mighty pleased with herself as the static once more buzzed from her recorder. She refreshed her lips and scrunched her brow to once more dive into her story, “Discord is an envious hunk of junk! He used to be my everything, he always told me how I was such a knockout! Oh, I'll be a knockout alright when I use my boxing glove and slap him upside the head!"

Her pinkie claw curled and her hand was mysteriously donned with a thick glove.

"I have done so many pinkie curl-ups that I'm pretty sure a flick from it would cause a supernova, or something scientifically disastrous. You just wait Discord, after I'm done-" Her tongue curled around a softening lump of peanut butter before coaxing it into her mouth, she swallowed and continued, "-Mmgh. After I'm done—whooo, I'm getting light-headed. After I'm done chewing myself out of this sticky situation, no pun intended, Discord's reign will be abolished by the pinkie smackdown of his life! He doesn't know his banishment won't contain all this raw rage and soon, soon my precious, I will escape with a master plan of annihilation!"

The portable recorder's silver nob flickered with a faint red light, causing the draconequus to notch her lip.

"Oh, good gravy! Low battery? How could I have a low battery after two thousand years? Discord promised these would last at least three! He probably lied about them being biodegradable as well, along with many other things." She knocked the side of the Tascam against a bare section of the star's surface. "Well, I happened to flap my gums non-stop for two millennia. How could I not, the only creature who could give me expert advice is myself. I used to have friends I could talk to, well, one specifically. After Everglade was... mmm, unexpectedly foreclosed, we all walked our own paths. I'm a Spirit of Chaos that prefers one friend, the others can fend for themselves they disappoint me."

Within her mouth, she had shelved a lump of peanut butter to gnaw on. Her nausea for chewing the wad was unfathomable, and she kept delaying the inevitable task of eventually swallowing. For years the mass accumulated like a cow's cud, and now, it was the size of a baseball in the pocket of her cheek.

"I may be alone in this dimension, but Discord made a fatal flaw in my banishment. He left my arm open, and exposed. My chaotic nature is substantial and my power is threaded within my essence. Whether I am tied upside down by my legs, or imprisoned in a cage of peanut butter, he has forgotten the fundamental law of our kind. If even the smallest core of my prowess isn't contained, even a little itty-bitty pinkie claw on my hand, I can use that claw to create a vast dimension." Her sneer was splenetic, and she chucked, "Checkmate, Discord. You may have tried to stop my influence, but now, the dimension I have created will contain my League of Villians... ahem, name pending."

She swallowed the horribly large gulp of peanut butter. The mass was dumped down her esophagus and her throat tensed as it passed down to her stomach. Her hair bristled, and her eyes thinned, but she was able to push it down so that gravity couldn't launch it back onto her face a few hundred years from now. Don't spit out your food or the universe would shake its finger and throw it back at you for littering.

It's happened once or twice, believe it.

"-Once my team is assembled, the battle between Everglade and Equestria will be legendary! Within my dimension, I shall have a stone table. Upon that stone table will be a map, a glorious map of redemption, that shall lead us to victory! Unfortunately, even though I can make a dimension I will be a bit slow adding in all the bells and whistles. Once I have finished it, however, all peanut butter shall be banned... banned I say! No exceptions! It shall be called Cosmos' dimension of utter evil- no, no that's an awful name, God's I'm losing my mind up here!"

A crown of sweat pooled around her forehead where lines of stress were etched. The star was getting quite... uncomfortably hot... to where it was having a greenhouse effect under the barrier keeping her pinned. She wasn't concerned about the threat of becoming an extra crispy Cosmos-drizzled peanut butter snack, though. No, no, she was a Spirit of Chaos and that was not the worst that could or will happen within her immortal life.

Swallowing thickly, she spoke. “I am equal to power with many, but not to Coeus. My guess is as soon as she starts walking her main objective will be to shave that pussycat, mmm, I've got to escape. That kitty has a lot of fur, and she's going to need at least five clean razors to do it. She's also going to need a lot of bandaids, like all cats, this one definitely has some mean claws."

The dimension Cosmos was in had an intricate crossroad that sometimes allowed a stranger to pass through. She wasn't always alone, in fact, she had a penpal. This little crack was not accessible by normal means and the ones who came sniffing around her neck of the woods were peculiar.

A wing beat, drifting a shadow over Cosmos. If it weren't for the familiar shade of fern within the visitor's eyes her pelt of raven wouldn't have been detected among the galaxy's darkness.

"Aaaand you're still here. How long has it been, centuries at least, since you've been abandoned here?"

A black feline strolled in front of Cosmos as if she were standing on a glass walkway. Her voice was raspy and about as scratchy as a briar patch, well, her personality was about as sharp as a thorn bush too.

The draconequus made a hiss when sucking sharply through her teeth, "Ooo, so close. Actually, the answer was two millennia. Did you happen to swing by because you got my last letter? You know the anniversary of my banishment is in a couple of weeks, I'm not expecting any gifts... not at all, but I mean, a good friend wouldn't mind knabbing me some cucumber sandwiches. Hint, hint."

The visitor's cheeks swelled with air and she ran a paw through her cardinal-tipped mane. "I'm surprised Discord didn't muzzle you too. That recorder must have heard a lot of complaining over the years. I told you once already that I'm up to my neck in my own issues, ya know? I don't really have the power left to help much, or dive into the mortal plane to fetch you a plate of cucumber sandwiches... or the care, really."

Cosmos huffed, "My disappointment in you is immeasurable, and now my day is ruined."

The sphinx's eyes were suddenly dour. "I don't think you understand what we're going through. Eighty percent of the multiverse.... has forgotten us. I'm... I'm becoming mortal."

"Well duh, Nike," Cosmos quipped. She overlooked her friend's pacing and gave her a piece of her mind, "Your divine leader of justice is kind of a fraud. You guys flaunt around and act as if the mortals are expendable. I don't blame them for waving the Gods aside and pretending your acts are just a stain on the wall. If one of them isn't testing out bestiality and creating the abomination that is Tirek, you're either pillaging or turning ponies into gorgons! Perhaps if you invested in temper management, they might throw you a bone like they used to."

"Oh, like you mortals are any better," The Goddess volleyed begrudgingly. "The kingdom you drone on and on about is merely an example of this. The nation of peace, give me a break! Everglade was at each other's throats the moment a demon waltzed in their front door."

"Well, if it bothers you so much, where were the Gods? I'd bet as soon as they heard about Coeus they tucked in their shirt and ran with it between their legs, hun. The war wasn't the fault of the demon, in fact, the crime lies comfortably on the shoulders of your kind. Deflecting blame is what you Gods do best, is it not?"

Nike replied, "I'm not deflecting, I'm simply a narrator. You know I can't do pretty much anything around here without the consent of the higher Gods. I'm the Goddess of Victory, not the God of War or the Goddess of Warfare. If you are earnest in seeking victory your best bet is to avoid what lies ahead."

Cosmos thickened her gaze with the Goddess, "Sure the odds may be against me, and I may very well lose. I understand you lost the worship of mortals and things are looking pretty glum, but in no way is that an excuse to be querulous all the time."

"I have a conglomeration of reasons to complain!" Nike berated in a shrilled attempt to overshadow the way her problem was downplayed, and then continued, "Our bed is made, and we will sleep that way. In no way can Coeus be brought down, even with the allegiance of the Gods. Our essence has been chipped away longer than you have been trapped here, Cosmos."

An uncomfortable quietude blanketed over the two creatures. The brisk environment was the only thing brave enough to break the silence, and Nike was the one who made the first sound. She blew a heated breath into her gathered paws to keep warm, but the icy depths of the universe would claim her frostbitten if she didn't thaw near the star. The Goddess of Victory was not one to admit defeat. Nike turned her back on Cosmos for a mere moment, before branching off a few feet away and resting her back on the pulsating exterior of the star.

Neither wanted to say anything, but the Goddess was more bullheaded if anything.

"So what is your plan? Eating your way out some more while clinging onto false ideals?"

"More or less," Cosmos admitted. "-You may be stubborn but you aren't stupid. You do realize you have to change your own ideals, or you will be forever forgotten."

The Goddess had a twinge of uncertainty, but replied, "I realize that. The more daunting task is how to do it."

"Scratch my back, and a demons-" The Spirit of Chaos paused and turned to look at her friend. "We'll scratch yours. My planet hasn't completely forgotten about your kind, and actually, it is about to be reintroduced real soon."

"You have a lot of hope in that hellspawn." She mused, with her paw digging a claw under one of the strands keeping Cosmos bound. "My hope is that it isn't misplaced, you can't trust them."

"This one is different." She replied confidently, watching silver hooks that were the Goddess's claws pick at the peanut butter. "-I must ask Nike, did my letter finally dust off that old heart of yours?"

A gush of air puffed from Nike's nose as if she were suppressing a laugh, but the corners of her mouth wrinkled.

"I wouldn't go as far as to say I agree, but-" She hesitated, bringing her claw toward her muzzle tentatively. The strain in the peanut butter was visible, but it had the strength of a steel cable. The sphinx narrowed her eyes as holes ate through the tension, snapping the goo apart from each other. "You're not wrong when you say you give expert advice."

It crackled, the strings thinning and whitening near the weaker splits. Cosmos eventually had her left side exposed along with a bit of her tail hanging limply by Nike's leg.

"This entire time you really could have freed me?"

Her voice was elevated like subdued thunder, but it was as sharp as a whip. The Goddess of Victory was greatly amused as another strained rope of peanut butter was plucked off to be swallowed by the void.

"You aren't wrong when calling the Gods selfish, but I had a good reason for not helping." Nike's cheeks had a devilish expression tying her cheeks into a sneer, as she explained, "I'd be so bored without my penpal. Look on the bright side though, if I hadn't kept you captive here you wouldn't have a dimension for your League of Villians."

"You are just terrible."

The Goddess stuck out a lip to playfully mock the draconequus, before cutting out another section of the webbed substance. Eventually, the captive was able to wiggle, move, and then finally was loose enough to cheer. Nike maneuvered backward without even a flap of her wings before admiring her work. Cosmos gulped the air in a huge sigh of relief while detaching herself from her eon-long sentence. She put a hand behind her spine and puffed out her chest to bend it inward, making a loud and satisfying crack.

Nike tied gazes with the freed spirit, and Cosmos resumed, "You're still terrible. Could have given me some sandwiches as a celebration, you know."

"Don't make me regret this," Nike forewarned. "You've made me believe your friend is quite the back scratcher."

"She's alive and in no way has kicked the bucket just yet. All I have to do now is find her." She replied, with a hand on her hip and her right resting on the star. Her gaze lingered on the smashed cacoon of peanut butter before she lightly gave a pat to her old back warmer. "Well old friend, I guess this is where we split ways. I would take a bite to eat for the road, but in all seriousness, I'd rather starve."

Cosmos curled her head around the casing of stale goop, staring into the abyss with a glint in her eyes.

"-And now my work begins."

It was soothing to feel Celestia's heartbeat, but it was uneven. The rhythm sped up while the nest of feathers continued to cradle Pinkie within their warmth. The Princess was fearful, that much was obvious. Her younger moon-born sibling was better at concealing her fear, but not her anxiety.

"-But, dear sister, his essence would have been destroyed by the Elements as well. So if he had survived their exile perhaps a piece of her still remains active."

Nodding her head, Celestia addressed her theory. "That was why I let him slip my grasp, I can assure you he is hunting. If my calculations are correct, I assume he'll be tunneling his way back to the original source of power. If it still remains somewhat alive we need to allow him to track it."

Luna was obviously extremely distraught. Her mane was in crimps, her pacing increased, and her voice was ginger.

"I applaud your somewhat cunning deception, but what if he leads us straight into her clutches? We went through a great deal of trouble to keep that creature in that cavern. After the scars she left upon Equestria you should be wary of challenging her so blindly."

"What in the center of a tootsie pop was that thing?" Pinkie Pie asked as an eggshell-shaded feather brushed her nose. "I've never seen such a creature before!"

Luna hummed, "It has taken the form of a wyrm. It's a serpentine-like creature with a hide that can resist many magical essences. If you are talking about what it truly is, that is another conversation entirely."

There was a combined cloud of chatter as gentle flaps from feathered wings approached. Airborne ponies blocked the moon from above as they landed. Pinkie could sense their perturbation and anxious expressions while Twilight scrambled to gain information.

"I'm so sorry princess, we have no idea why we were attacked so suddenly! The entire Canterlot castle is a mess, ponies by the dozens are wounded, and it's all my fault! I should have had a plan in motion just in case this happened!"

Celestia's face remained clear of any spite or anger. Her noble aura continued to ease the little pink pony under her wing.

The retired deity's voice was blame-free as she denied Twilight's self-inflicted fault. "I cannot lie and say that I am pleased with how the Gala had gone, but know none of us saw this coming, and none of us could have stopped it when it did."

Rainbow Dash waltzed into view with a crackling ice pack on the side of her head. "Gotta say, even with the entire dragon army at our disposal we got our flanks handed to us."

"As expected," Luna concurred while fiddling with the torn fang on the grass. "What drew him to the Gala still bemuses me, but I can say this tooth might give us some answers from a certain friend of ours."

"Star Swirl the Bearded?" Twilight asked as Celestia corrected her.

"No, I am afraid this magic has yet to be encountered by him. It is a perilous kind of practice, a forbidden one at that."

Luna was entranced by the detail of the wyrm's detached tooth. Her magic carefully cradled it within its grasp, before twisting it upward for a closer inspection. "We must get to work quickly. I suggest sending a party of elites to follow the wyrm immediately while we do our part by getting in contact with our adversary."

"Yes. I propose we ask for Tempest's assistance, her skills in battle will up our chances of having the party return rather unscathed." The Alicorn of the Sun mused as she gently removed her wing and warmth from Pinkie. "If she truly is alive, I know of her resentment, and the souls she will consume to end us no matter what innocent blood gets shed. We must make haste."

"E-Excuse me if ah may Princess, but we're pretty far in the dark here." Applejack muttered gaining the attention of both Alicorn elders. "Ah know ah'd appreciate knowin' about whatever thuh hay is goin' on."

Luna fixated on the earth pony and her expression shaded over as if there was an eclipse. "-And you'd be wise to thrive within your unknowing."

Celestia cleared her throat and scolded her sister's comment. "You'll have to excuse my younger sister, her memories of that terrible war are starting to surface. I will agree that it is best you stay as far away from this issue as possible. This isn't your battle and I will not put my past failures and burdens upon you."

"With all due respect Princesses we are the rulers of Equestria and I feel we could help!" Fluttershy added as Celestia's lips pressed together tightly.

"That I understand. I am well aware of your victories, your Elements, and your unbreakable bond." Her voice faltered as a sagged flash of despair tainted her eyes. "-But, be as it may, this foe will kill you. If I sent you into this battle I would be responsible for your death, and I could not live with that guilt."

"Sister, we must go, we have limited time in this race against The Devourer."

Luna was shaken and it was shown by the way her voice was unleveled and quivered. The older Alicorn had a sympathetic look that was undeciphered by the group, and it was one only the two of them understood.

"My little ponies, if you truly wish to help I request calming the fires of what happened at the Gala without exposing what you know." The princess instructed, as her wings unfolded alongside Luna's. They both ascended into the air and Celestia gave them a parting farewell, "Until we met again and hopefully under happier circumstances."

They officially departed and faded their outlines into the night sky. A heavy and brooding silence hung over the group, with only Dash's muffled sigh cutting through the tension. She rested herself against a stone serving as a backrest while moving the icepack over her eyes.

The wind hummed, and branches groaned, but the group refused to speak. They wondered what to say or if there was anything to say, even. Pinkie's silence was the most unsettling, however, because she had a weighted pile of guilt crushing her soul unlike the others. She saw the wyrm and she didn't follow her gut. This was her fault, all her fault, and even though she felt like everypony's eyes bore into her... Pinkie was the only one that truly knew she was clamming up.

She should have told.

The Wonderbolt had enough of the quietness and snapped the silence. "I can't believe they are blowin' us off like that! We have saved Equestria dozens of times while they sat on their thrones and did nothing! I say we have a better chance of dealing with this then they do!"

"Dash!" Rarity rebuked, before suppressing her own emotions and speaking gentler. "-Darling, obviously, this problem is a lot bigger than we could possibly understand."

"Ah can honestly say I've never seen Luna so panicky." Applejack said in a joined comment, as she continued, "Better yet ah've never seen any pony that scared."

"The Devourer-" Twilight rambled, focusing her stare in front of her with another mutter, "I find it strange she's such a big issue yet I've never heard of her."

"Well, if what Celestia said was true, and she ya know… consumed souls I'd want to keep in under wraps too." Rainbow Dash grunted, hissing through her teeth when the ice touched the tender lump on her head. "Jeeze, he really clocked me."

"Can you be a little less insensitive to the situation at hoof?" Rarity suggested distastefully as the pegasus lifted her bag with a pout.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to come off as insensitive. I just find the whole problem odd ya know? Why would a giant beast like that thing come bursting into the Gala like he owns the place? I get he has a power trip goin' on, but what was the point of attacking those hoity-toity Canterlot ponies?"

"I don't know, but I feel like he was trying to find somepony." Twilight added, her words causing a dark chill to tingle throughout Pinkie's spine.

As always the stones of her dishonesty piled until it outweighed her desire to remain quiet.

"Okay, I may have made a whoopsie-daisy. H-He, erm... I believe he was trying to find... well, me. I saw this really, really, big and black scaly thing in the forest and then later on a pillar. I... well, my cuckoo clock has been a little wonky for a while so I thought I was imagining it. Who would have known the saying 'a broken clock is right twice a day' would actually apply to me... hehe.. ha... urk."

Ten beady eyes fell on Pinkie. While their thought bubbles were surfacing she nervously giggled to try and deflect the mixture of emotions being added to the pot.

"Wait, wait, wait." Dash paused and shook her hooves to clear the air. "You're telling me you saw a gigantic pony-eating machine pop out of the ground... and you're gonna tell me, seriously, that you thought it wasn't real?"

The violet Alicorn was a bit appalled as well. "Pinkie I'm sorry, but how in Equestria would you just dismiss something like that? Then you allowed it to follow you?"

Pinkie swallowed thickly. "I-I may have a condition that's been raining on my parade a teensy bit-"

"No, I-I just can't accept that as an answer. I know you have your Pinkie ways-" Dash stopped to make a quick air quote before continuing, "-But this is too far. Not only did you threaten everyone at the Gala, but you didn't think at all to warn us even a little?"

"Oh my." Fluttershy whimpered whilst tucking herself into an invisible shell. "Oh, this is bad... I had a feeling something like this would happen. We should have told them."

There was a small 'eep' as the pegasus continued to ball up upon the ground. Even though Fluttershy was timider than the rest of the group the others were not ready to let go of the rope just yet. Pinkie was finding a strong urge to curl up next to her friend, but she knew they hadn't chewed her out enough.

"Now hold on just a flippin' minute, let's not gang up on Pinkie." Applejack interjected, but the staticky aura of blame did not heed. "She's been havin' a mighty hard time adjusting to everythin' and I feel like the stress was getting' to ‘er. Ya know how Pinkie is, why are we just now actin' like this is a new thing?"

Rarity stepped in. "I agree Pinkie is… Pinkie. Unfortunately, there is a difference between her normal randomness and flat out endangering everyone."

"I-Wha? No, no... I'd never purposefully-" She was unsuccessful in conquering their uncertainty, and Dash decided to challenge her claim.

"Regardless if you meant to or not, you did." Running a hoof throughout her singed mane, her cheeks swelled with air before she gave a heavy sigh. "Pinkie... I can't just brush this one off, kay? Several and I mean several ponies could have been hurt or worse, even killed! You need to understand how concerning it is when you believe something like that is just one of your fantasies."

"I agree with Rainbow. Pinkie, are you having trouble separating reality from imagination?" Twilight examined with a weighty stare in her direction. "Pinkie this is a serious problem and I need to know what's going on!"

There were cracks in Fluttershy's armor, and she would break quite soon. Pinkie was tongue-tied, unable to explain this bizarre condition to a point they'd understand. It would take weeks if not months to thoroughly get into the place where she could express her difficulty freely. It's not that she didn't trust her friends, she just feared their reaction and judgment.

The exact kind of judgment that was happening now.

"Stop fighting, everypony stop it!" The Element of Kindness squealed, dulling the arguing just enough for her next words to slip through. "-You don't understand, it's not Pinkie's fault she has-"

"No!" A voice boomed, corralling the group's eyes to Pinkie who had made Fluttershy stop in her tracks. "-I can't talk about her. Everypony thinks I'm crazy, and I can't have my friends thinking the same thing! I don't want to go back there... being told what to eat... when to sleep... being told I'm crazy over and over-"

Pinkie was lost in thought but far from reminiscing. The memories bubbling to the surface were not of good ones, not at all. She had believed ponies long ago, the ones that told her she was insane that is. With no other options, she went to where all the 'loose wired' ponies go. They studied her intimately and not one cell in her body went unidentified. Medicine was crammed down her throat by the bottle, and when not tested, she was in a cold room suffering from loneliness. At this point it was blatantly obvious she needed help, but not that kind of help. Not that kind of help again she couldn't bear it.

Twilight was sympathetic, but stern. "I don't know where there is Pinkie. You need to understand that you are showing signs of mental distress and it's costing your own sanity."

"If you won't tell us-" Rainbow Dash forewarned while approaching Pinkie, "-Then you have to leave for now."

"Now Dash there isn't need for-" Rarity was stopped.

"Rares, I love Pinkie, all of us do. I would never do anything to cause harm to my best friend, but you have to agree she isn't well. Our loyalty lies with Equestria and we are tasked with protecting it. She won't be safe if she's waltzing around unable to determine what's real and what's not. We also can't juggle knowing what's reality and what's not, okay?" The speedster explained, looking down upon her friend. Her expression was pained almost as if she were writing her words out on paper with a poisoned pen. "Pinkie, I'm sorry, but you need to go home. We'll do whatever we have to do so we can solve this later. For now, get some rest, and once this is all over we're going help you alright?"

The group was in disagreement about the situation, but they found common ground in Rainbow's words. They were unsettled by the decision and Pinkie's crestfallen face was enough to avert their gazes.

"Y-You... don't need me, really? I-I.. promise I'll do better, truly! Please don't send me home, I'm trying to figure this out! I Pinkie Promise I'm trying!"

Thick tears gushed like engorged dams down her cheeks, as her sniffles increased. She tried to wipe them away, but once they fell stopping them was unachievable.

"Pinkie this isn't a punishment-"

Twilight never got to finish her sentence because the pony she was addressing had fled. Dash called out to her, immediately regretting how she had handled things when her body dissolved into the forest line.

"Pinkie? Pinkie! Come back!"

Pinkie had fled. Like a coward. She was afraid, heartbroken, and confused. This is, in turn, activated a flight response to get away from what she viewed as a danger. The trouble was not her friends, but what would be waiting for her once things got resolved. Their opinions were sealed and they knew something was wrong with her. Mud and wind punched her face and shoulders as she barreled through leafy barricades. She didn't know where she was going, but she hoped to recollect in solitude. She wouldn't dare try to explain her condition since mental illnesses were a fragile topic. They wouldn't understand... not all of them and not now. If the many psychiatrists she saw were baffled by her unknown disorder how could she expect her friends to understand more than somepony who studies the mind?

She was undiagnosed and unlabeled because no one, not one doctor, could understand what was wrong and diagnose her.

At the psychiatric facility, they popped labels from schizophrenia all the way to borderline. There was nothing wrong with the ponies that had these disorders, they were very nice when she met them... but, they acted as if their patients were lab rats. Eventually, those illnesses were ruled out because of something new and abnormal Pinkamena would do.

That's where ponies like her go. That's why she wanted it to stay a secret because she didn't want to go back there.

Her stamina dried up and eventually she was just huffing and puffing in a slow trot. She veered off toward the side where an algae infested pond burbled from frogs swimming within it. It seemed like a good spot to sit down and ball her eyes out at. It was secluded... and lonely... exactly where somepony was supposed to look pathetic and defeated.

She was crying a river, but she hoped she could build the bridge to get over it already! The tears hurt pretty bad. There was a large stinging lump in her throat that hurt about as bad as when soda slips down your windpipe. It was a terrible feeling, and all she wanted was for it to go away.

There was no shooing away this kind of darkness, and she wouldn't get over it soon. Her heart was infected with both fear and anxiety. It was too crippling to chase away with a small dose of laughter. Not even she could agree that any kind of giggle would be the best medicine for this heartache.

Fluttershy would crack like an egg under the pressure, and poof, there goes her secret.

Her hoof trembled when mopping up the tears on her cheeks. She could slowly see the color draining from her pelt, fading into a softer tone of pink instead of a vibrant one. Her mane was losing its bounce, weakly hanging like a tattered rope draped across her neck. These signs only occurred when her spirit was broken and when she lost her laugh.

Even though there was no sound, the presence of another sitting beside her didn't need words to announce her arrival.

She turned to see Pinkamena shrouded in the thick fog beginning to form. There was no expression or even a snicker upon her face. She was as still as the pond before her, deeply engrossed on the glassy surface. Pinkie didn't know why her silence was nerving, but it didn't seem right for her hallucination to be this quiet.

Don't get the wrong idea, Pinkamena's attitude was far from enjoyable. Unfortunately, her muted appearance didn't fare any better.

Tearing the remaining residue off her cheek with the back of her hoof she spoke, "What's got you being such a Debbie Downer? You've never been this mopey and quiet."

She looked a little astonished as she replied, "You just had a major blowout with your friends yet you are asking about my wellbeing?"

Pinkie chewed at her bottom lip while fiddling with knotted reeds. "It's my job you know. I'm supposed to cheer others up when they aren't feeling their best. Whether it be my friends, or even you. I don't want us both to be in a bad mood, you're kinda all I've got right now."

The look in the mare's face showed she was addled, but for the first time ever, her aggravating nature morphed into one of softness.

"I'm only reflecting the emotions you feel. The situation isn't one of light and so I share your feelings of hopelessness."

Pinkie's eyebrows pinched together and her lips pursed. That wasn't true, not at all. Pinkamena's muzzle was tightened and her jaw was clenched tight. She was livid, fuming, and her anger was not concealed very well. As Pinkie Pie inspected her mirrored personality the mare hunched forward, crossing her hooves as if she were being evasive.

"Nu-uh... keep lying like that and your nose will be longer than a telephone wire. I'm serious, that would be awful. It's so bad they sing about it. You know... that... that song about flaming pants and long noses."

She was still guarded but her anger unraveled a little. "Pinkie, that's just a childhood playground tease. It's not real."

"No it's not! It's a warning. It's just like how going to Jupiter will make you stupider!"

She tried to hide her smile, but she failed. "Stop talking to me."

"Why?" Pinkie asked, leaning forward to catch her shoulders quivering. "Wait, wait a minute. Y-You're... laughing... aren't you?"

"I'm not that much of a stick in the mud, Pinkie. I do actually enjoy some humor from time to time." She rubbed her nose with her hoof before swatting at a few blades of grass. She then changed the subject, "Could we not stay here? The mosquitoes here are eyeballing us."

"Sure," Pinkie agreed, finding some confidence in putting a crack in Pinkamena's armor. "If you tell me what's wrong."

"Don't worry about it." Came her response, but Pinkie knew better.

"Why are you always so angry after I encounter Celestia, it's really noticeable."

She tensed and took a second to gather her thoughts before her answer came in a sigh."Let's just say I don't have a fondness for her and leave it at that."

Sitting once more in joined silence Pinkie left it alone as she had asked, but it still picked at her. Not knowing why she was always so angry when she laid eyes upon that Alicorn was bothersome. Pinkamena had bitterness towards all her friends, but usually, her tone didn't reveal hatred until they spoke of the Alicorn princesses.

"Pinkamena?" she asked, changing the topic for her sake but not to a better one.

"Hmm?"

"Are they going to send me back… there?"

She was unresponsive. Pinkie couldn't tell if Pinkamena wanted to answer or not. Her red and black eyes had thinned, and her attitude had shrunken. That question bothered her and she could see it.

"I.... don't think they would," She muttered, bringing her doleful gaze to meet Pinkie's. "If they are the good friends you say they are, they wouldn't even suggest it once they know of your hatred for that place. Their opinions on the matter may not be avoidable and their judgment inevitably negative for the time being, but they should be fair. As of now, I'm certain their intentions are to only help even if that 'help' may seem misleading or hurtful to you."

She didn't want to burst into a fit of tears especially to Pinkamena. She wasn't the best at providing comfort, but the urge to spill her guts to this mare was overpowering. She just needed to talk, she needed to talk to someone even if that somepony happened to be her.

"They are aren't they?" She sniveled, as her tears helped extinguish the fiery pain she had held onto for so long. "-Even now I still can't see a difference between you and a real pony. You look so real, you think and talk like somepony would... you can't just be a voice in my head. I can't be that broken... you're too real... you're... too real."

She bowed her head to hiccup a wave of vomiting sobs. Pinkamena looked lost and unable to handle the situation. Her reaction was peculiar and while Pinkie was trying to get a grip on her emotions, she observed the illusion. Pinkamena's expression ping-ponged throughout the tundra almost as if she were distressed. It was not behavior that was normal for this mare, not at all. Normally she would eat this stuff up and poke fun at whatever she could pounce on. This time, however, she was not happy about Pinkie's despair.

There was an emotion present on Pinkamena's face that was near blinding, which she didn't understand.

Guilt.

There was a yip in the distance. It was short and high pitched before the forest grew still again. Pinkie abruptly halted herself and calmed down enough to carefully listen to the tune emerging. A throaty grunt was heard and then evolved into an eerily clamorous howl. Several of the creatures called into the night, and Pinkie Pie could feel her heart drop into the bottom of her stomach. Her partner could sense the urgent surge of anxiety, and decided to comment on it.

"I suggest we leave. You're an unprotected lump of flesh in Timberwolf territory. You'd make an easy meal."

"I… I don't know where to go," Pinkie admitted. "I can't go back to Canterlot and Ponyville is too far of a walk in the middle of the night."

"Then the next best option is to camp out. My advice is that you should cozy up in a cave, it's safety from the elements." She leaned her head to the right and flicked it to the east. "Shall we?"

A forlorn pony fumbling around in the dark would be no match for a Timberwolf. Pinkamena wasn't wrong about making a camp before being too tuckered out for the night. She was exhausted and her hooves were rubbed raw to the bone. Pinkie wanted to dry out her pelt and hooves which were both misted and damp, but she didn't have enough energy to rub two sticks together for an hour. It would be a restless night without a roaring fire to keep warm, but the temperature was warm enough to go without it.

She took the lead, passing up the mare beside her. Pinkamena mended herself with Pinkie's shadow and trailed behind with what appeared to be a disgruntled expression. Her face was painted with many critical emotions, and she couldn't read her illusion's signals. What was bothering her so much? It was a code that couldn't be cracked for the time being.

A heavy snort broke her concentration. She removed her gaze from Pinkamena only to be hit first with a musky scent. The pungent odor matched that of a murky swamp, and her back bristled when inhaling it unexpectedly. There was a violent shift in the brush while paws forced their way from the thicket. Crunching on dry sticks, a behemoth of a body untangled itself from the shrubs with a salivated maw.

His lime-shaded eyes emitted a soft glow like burning coals, and his limbs were cloaked in what appeared to be burly vines curled around his torso. It wasn't just a coincidence that he had happened upon her, oh no, she'd be a fool to assume he was a loner. She had taken too long to escape when she could have and now she'd pay the price.

Her throat tightened and her heart pounded as if it were trying to break from her chest! His gnarled fangs were already poised and she couldn't help but shudder. She had locked up, unable to move away from where her hooves were planted. Mist seeped from his nose, and she resisted the urge to shove her hoof in her mouth to stifle a scream.

Not even Pinkamena's words could break her line of gaze.

"Pinkie you need to run, right now."

Her voice was toneless and flat. It was calm, but sharp, trying to nudge Pinkie Pie from her rooted stance. When the living reflection noticed her words weren't processed, she upped her tone.

"Pinkie, run! Now!"

Even though Pinkamena's voice was rattled with worry, Pinkie couldn't shake herself out of it. As if she were a deer in the presence of lights, she just stood there choking on a gasped scream. No sound came from her even when the Timberwolf lunged with his jaws flung agape. Claws dulled and chipped from his days of hunting were outstretched, and his charge inched closer with a starved glare at her throat. The dice rolled, and her fight or flight response gambled her fate. The adrenaline gushed forward and she found the energy to flip around.

It was out of instinct to buck when threatened, and she knocked enough sense into herself to do so. Her back hooves flailed and with a grinding clamp of her teeth, she pushed all her strength into it. Her attack was nothing spectacular and wouldn't outfeat say a kick from Applejack, but it didn't feel good she'd bet. She made contact, and he staggered once her hooves beat into his chest and bottom jaw.

Pinkie wasn't very acquainted with combat, therefore, her attempt at stalling him wasn't as successful as she had prayed. His hesitation was nothing more than mere seconds, and his recovery even faster. His claws were once more revealed in the corner of her eyes before he lashed his forelimb across her unguarded ribcage. The Timberwolf easily overpowered her and raked what felt like thorns under her hooves, knocking her off balance. She was swept up and tossed around like she had been sucked in a riptide before his force flung her several dozen feet from her original position.

She spun around in the motion of a corkscrew before being stopped by a barricade of dead leaves. They jumped, flaring up from the random mare plowing into them as she cried out in anguish! The blow had knocked the wind out of her to where she couldn't do anything but wheeze. She dry heaved, her face ashen, and her fatigue draining her will to fight.

"Pinkie get up, you have to get up! No help is coming, you have to fight!" Pinkamena commanded, branching off from the shadows she lurked in. "You have enough strength to stand. I know you do!"

She was right. Pinkie could indeed stand, but not from having the strength. She stood because if she didn't it was all over, and her fear was enough motivation to get moving. The predatory creature was not in the mood to give her the option or time so she could conserve her energy from him, however. The moonlight cast a shadow over her crippled form as she weakly brought herself halfway until a needled bite latched on her spine. She was scooped up into the air with cries of protest and desperation before he flung his head.

Pinkie was thrown with ease and slapped up against a trunk of a tree. Pinecones were shaken from branches from her impact as she lay still, groaning from the whiplash.

She couldn't fight him. There was no way. She needed a miracle, and she needed it now.

Her goose was cooked, and to the victor goes the spoils. He prowled forward to claim his prize only to arch his neck upward when sensing a rival. Looking over his left shoulder something else decided to join the fray. The second Timberwolf rubbed up against his brethren, muzzle wrinkled, and his upper lip pulled back. The first tussled with the omega, as they sparred for dominance over the meal with quick and threatening nips at each other's neck.

They fumbled and tore up patches of grass while huffing at each other like nettled siblings.

"Stand!" Pinkamena pressed, her words and silhouette dancing around in both Pinkie's vision and brain. While she was trying to be rid of her crossed vision her helper once more encouraged in a shout, "Timberwolves will fight over a kill. The alpha is being challenged, you can slip away during their dispute! Get going!"

She just needed a breather, just one minute. Pinkie pressed her eyelids tight and forced her body to obey her commands. It was an unstable attempt to slap together every last sliver of energy, but it was well invested. She hobbled with as much effort as possible to keep her noise down to a minimum. She pushed past a gate of leaves before swallowing the pain and picking up her pace.

Confused mutters came from the beasts, and then came a howl. The chase was once more on.

Their calls for the pack were ardent, they had a thrill for the hunt like all hunters do. It didn't take long before others chimed in accepting their invitation to join. Pinkie coughed through clouds of clustered bugs and barreled through dew-encrusted webs making a net in between trees, any other day she'd stop in disgust, but not today. Sticks clawed at her mane and legs, vines grappled at her knees and neck, but she kept running.

Through the good and the bad, it didn't stop Pinkamena from still forming like a ghostly spectator. She floated as if she were a balloon being dragged behind Pinkie's tailwind. They didn't converse as she fled, both were too focused on staying alive.

The open sky was revealed from a parting in the forest and immediately she locked her knees and hooves. She put on the brakes just in time, for when she skidded to a hault, the edge of a cliff was a mere five inches away. Tiny pieces of rock bounced down the edge while Pinkie panted and tried to formulate another route of escape. There was no way to climb down, that's for sure. Perhaps she could climb... up?

She crouched and mimicked the movements of a leaping feline, before locking her eyes on a shelf of rocks. She could knab one and pull herself up, but it would be a struggle. Even though she lived on a rock farm, the gold ribbon for rock climbing was well guarded by Maud. Her territory was more saved for the participation ribbon in this kind of sport. She leapt and fell short from the first slab of stone, bumping her tail bone when she was pulled back down.

A roar announced its owner's arrival, and not long after, a ring of Timberwolves now circled her from afar. Their mouths were freely drooling a sticky pool of saliva by their paws, and their hunger irresistible. She refused to turn her back and so she flipped once more to where her sight had each beast in view. She was backed into a corner, her tail squishing up against the stone wall keeping her pinned. She was exhausted of options, petrified, and her eyes the size of saucers. She crumbled under their glare, tucking a tail around her tense frame and cowering. She surrendered, there was nothing she could do.

She was finished.

"Climb. It's your only chance! You've got one shot." Pinkamena directed, her voice at war with the noise of the wolves before her. "You can do it!"

Could she make it? Pinkamena believed she could, and she never believed she could do anything. Perhaps she was speaking out of fear for her own neck, but for now, she'd classify it as well welcomed encouragement. One more time... it's all she had to do, she just had to jump one more time. So she sprung up, and aimed for the jagged lump of rock poking out from above her. She was shocked when her hoof was able to cling just barely onto the ledge giving her enough of a hold to climb. It was a game of Hide and Seek to find these little rocks, but she was making progress by an inch.

One of them scrambled after her and balanced himself on his back legs. He hugged the rocky slope while hopping upward in an attempt to snap at her heel. Her grip had the strength of a steel trap, and she wouldn't dare allow herself to fall into the open maws of those below her. Keep moving... keep moving no matter what!

Her escape was near, she could taste it and oh, how it tasted sweet. Lady Luck had another path for Pinkie, however, and gave her blessing to the wolves. The odds were no longer in her favor, and as nature goes, the prey will succumb to the predator. One had managed to copy her movements and mimicked how she climbed. He was flexible and lead on by hunger to where his paw found a sturdy spot. He scaled after her, using his weight and claws to leap up in a last-ditch effort to foil her plans. Since he had climbed and his height made up for the space she had put between them, he seized her back hoof enough to clamp on. Her spirit fell, and so did her body. All the way to the ground.

They tumbled before sprawling out on the grass. Pebbles flicked off her mane as the residue from their fall cleared, and the dust parted to reveal them both dazed and unmoving. Her eyesight was distorted, but the Timberwolves could see their defeated prey just fine. She laid on a bed of grass and stone with her head ringing and her injured hoof throbbing from the wolf's bite. She couldn't get up this time... there was no more energy.

They closed in, there was no way out. They had filled all gaps and their bodies had snuffed the moonlight from her vision. Pinkie instinctually wrapped her hooves around her head, cradling it, as if she were cuddling a blanket when waking up from a nightmare as a filly. In great times of fear she'd have the urge to laugh or to sing it away, it gave her a means of comfort. These beasts were not like her nightmares. They were real, they were flesh, and no blanket or song would ward these fears away.

She was ashamed, but the tune came out regardless. "P...Pinkie you gotta stand up tall. L-Learn to face your fears. You'll see that they can't hurt you-"

They hissed, and her voice died under the noise. She could feel the heat of their breath, and their reflection mirrored in the whites of her eyes.

If she closed her eyes, she wouldn't see them anymore. That's all she could do.

With a tuck inward and a forceful shut of her eyes, she kept herself hidden in the best way she could.

She heard their paws crunch on the gravel, but she wouldn't watch anymore.

Crack!

The noise was so unexpected it hushed even the Timberwolves. She popped open her eyes, but her sight was taken over by an overly large cloud of darkness. A rumble emerged, a sound that was as if a thousand or more hooves were galloping together in unison. It was such a large cluster of sounds and sensations even the earth bent to it. The ground quivered and shook as if were a filly in the snow, while a rolling avalanche of rocks crashed down the mountain. They sped forward with the force and speed of a freed cannonball, and a few Timberwolves didn't intend on meeting them. Some fled, others were frozen in place before they pummeled and buried the pack.

The rockslide swallowed them, grinding their wooden features to splinters. Pinkie plastered herself to the mountainside, keeping away from the sea of boulders as much as she could. The ones getting mashed called out for assistance but were long abandoned by the time their sounds ceased. Unlike the others, she was ignored. It was as if they had a mind of their own, or held a grudge against only the wolves.

Once the last one piled up upon the others all was quiet. Straggled paws with its body lodged between the rocks stuck out, but there was no movement. A thick fog of dust and dirt hovered over what was left which wasn't much.

The pack had abandoned its comrades, and thankfully, Pinkie as well.

There was movement above her. Pinkie Pie found the courage to look up only to see Pinkamena perched dozens of feet above while overlooking the graveyard of Timberwolves. With finesse, she bounced from stone to stone as if she were a mountain goat. She balanced on larger rocks in order to get down, as Pinkie's head fell back toward the stones.

There was nothing in front of her, yet something made a sound. She scrunched her brow and looked back up to where the moon traced Pinkamena's form. Her hooves. They were tinkering when she hit the rocks.

She reeled for a moment and had to recollect. Did she just observe her hallucination's hooves make noise?

She landed next to Pinkie who was still curled up against the slope. Pinkamena's nostrils flared when she tried to stop her labored breathing. She put a hoof on her chest as if calming her heartbeat, before glancing at both her companion and what was left of the Timberwolves.

"How did none of those rocks hit me? I was right in their path, I-I coulda sworn I would've been a pancake!"

"You can wonder about your luck later, get going!" Pinkamena replied, once more prodding her onward with her words.

She silently agreed and departed. They both didn't want any more ill-willed fate being directed their way and so Pinkie scurried the best she could with a battered body. She was still scared and alarmed, but couldn't help and wonder about the elephant in the room.

Since when did Pinkamena's hooves make noise on objects?

Pinkie stared into the dim firelight. A small blaze twisted and danced within the grasping pull of the wind. She leaned into it, blowing gently to coax them to grow, but her breath hardly budged them. Her sigh did little to express her disappointment. She then hugged the side of her body to the wall in an attempt to hide from the breeze.

The trees groaned and lashed their branches at the sky. The seeking wind pushed forward, making the embers flicker once again. The shadows spasmed on the wall while the fire weakened and fizzled out beneath the teepee of sticks.

Shaggy moss covered the entrance and only a path of light provided by the stars poked through the overhang of the willow trees. During the time she had spent there, crouched under a crack in the hillside, she had built a nest of forest debris.

The leftover sticks that were not rubbed thin were carefully placed within a bed of stripped fiber from cattails. Leaves that were harvested from the ground were fed to the flames to keep the campfire thriving, but the wind was persistent.

It blew once more, combing through Pinkie’s fur and causing her to shiver. She curled tighter into herself to seek warmth before puffing hot air into her hooves.

Her stomach gurgled, and her tongue ached. She was thirsty and desperately wanted to slate both urges. Whether it be the leaves or the sticks, both were appetizing on an empty stomach.

She placed a hoof on her abdomen. There were gurgles and squeals from where it had been placed, but her stomach's calls were ignored. She had eaten some of the vegetation, shamelessly, a pony had to eat after all. It just wasn't agreeing with her.

The warmth was fading out. Even though it absorbed well in the small room she was nestled in, without the source, the wind would drown it. Her hooves ached from the first attempt at making a fire. Within her hoof, rocks and dirt were smushed within the smallest crevices and caked with nature's grime. Now, these little bundles of joy had a new neighbor who happened to be a family of throbbing splinters.

She slowly picked herself up from her temporary bed and peeled herself off from the wall. One barren stick and a log laid beside the barrier of rocks built around the campfire. She scooped the first up, then the second, before angling it within the charred hole. The slab was frail and burnt from her last attempts, but it appeared to still have some juice left for another go.

She rolled her hooves up and down the angled stick, while she melted into her thoughts.

She thought about her sisters, the wyrm, and her friends.

The sharp smell of smoke alerted her to a glowing ember, but her eyes never wandered downward. Why would her sisters lie about such a strange thing? Especially, Maud. Did Pinkie happen to do something wrong to misplace their trust?

Her speed increased, and the haze grew denser.

It wasn't like Pinkie would ever mean to push them away. A family wouldn’t ever lie to each other, especially about giant wyrms that could destroy Canterlot! Limestone was evasive about it, Marble avoided confrontation, and Maud straight up lied to her face!

The smoke’s odor was becoming rancid, yet still, Pinkie kept rubbing.

"...If Maud lied, why didn't her pants light on fire? That would have been a dead giveaway... but then again, Maud doesn't wear pants. If she did, oh-ho-ho Pinkie Responsibility Diane Pie would've known, I take lies veeeeery seriously. Fool me once shame on you because it was the only day you lied without pants!”

A shadow uncurled from her position on the dirt. Pinkie paid her no mind and continued to grumble without addressing the wisps of smoke batting at her nose and eyes.

“....Pinkie—”

It was if her words were never said as Pinkie's gaze lingered far from where she was staring. Her mind had been in a different world, along with her senses.

“—There is supposed to be fire when somepony lies. It’s science! Somepony is getting pants for their birthday. I'm not gonna allow another oopsie-daisy like this to happen no-sirree!”

Pinkmena leaned forward, the light glistening in her cherry eyes. Her head was angled downward, brows narrowed, before flicking back up to rest on Pinkie’s face.

“Pinkie… you’re on fire.”

"Alright, you got me. I'm not totally serious about pants for Maud's birthday, bleh, but if this keeps up, she is so totally disqualified from the PSSSD this year! I'll borrow Applejack this time, 'cause at least she'll stand by being honest! I also heard she's a good back up for the Sister Hooves—"

"Pinkie, I know you're scatterbrained, but you're on fire. Literal fire."

“Hmm?” She responded, climbing back down to reality for mere moments. Her nose tinged with a grimace. “Sheesh, somepony overcooked the chimichangas. Something smells burnt.”

Pinkie felt heat near her cheek as it slowly absorbed into her shoulder. Her mane was covered in hot ribbons of light, which had bred a small trail of flames. They had jumped from the inferno within the log, before infecting the dry rat's nest upon her head.

“Oh, well, would you look at that.” Pinkie whispered in a dry laugh. “I happen to be on fire.”

The flames intensified, making Pinkie squeal. Her cheeks filled with air before she tried to snuff them out with her own breath in rapid puffs.

"Don't blow on the fire; it makes it grow—oh, just forget it." Pinkamena dismissed, rolling over onto her left shoulder. "It's not like anyone listens to me anyway."

She, unfortunately, she heard the warning after she had blown all the air from her lungs. Her lips sputtered, and her stomach shriveled, once she realized the flames weren't shrinking. They were growing. Oh, how silly of her to forget.

Oxygen made flames grow.

Pinkie's screech cut through the night like a braying foghorn. A tail of smoke followed her as she dropped and rolled into the dirt. She rubbed her back within it vigorously. Her hooves were bent, perked, and out of harm's way while she mimicked that of a mutt's itch on the grass. Pinkamena's cheek rested beside the print in the loose gravel with eyes that observed Pinkie's entertaining circus show. Her lips were neutral, however, neither upturned nor frowned as if she were trying to conceal her amusement.

"Ooo, Ooo! This isn't fun. Okay it's really starting to burn!"

Pinkamena crossed her forelimbs with a mocking curl bending her cheeks. "Yes, fire is known to do that. Or so I've heard."

Well, thanks, Pinkamena. Very helpful. Her eyesight was warbling due to the unwanted light in her peripheral vision. Maybe her observing friend could show some sympathy from time to time, it would be much appreciated. Her opinions of Pinkamena were, however, placed on the back burner. Maybe if she looked somewhat pitiful, she’d help. Probably not, but it was worth a shot.

Pinkie gave a pleading whimper and pawed at the air.

"Pinkie, I don't know what you want me to do."

She swatted again, sagging her bottom lip. Pinkamena's quick dismissiveness was almost automatic and instinctual. Her head had already turned away from the scene. Pinkie caught her saucy side-eye, though. The firelight produced by her mane revealed the mare's crimson eyes angled just enough to peek at her.

The Element of Laughter gave her a timid grin.

"Go jump in a lake," The illusion responded. Pinkie's forehead creased, and her grin bent into an exasperated frown.

"That's rude, I don't tell you to go jump in a lake when you're on fire!"

"What? I've never been on— Pinkie, I'm telling you how to get rid of it! Go to the small pond, or lake, whatever it is. Okay?"

Pinkamena hovered her hoof before extending it outward and gestured to the shallow pond. The reeds and cattails Pinkie had collected earlier surrounded it. They created a protective ring around the bank. Thankfully, it wasn't much of a chore to tear them down to get into the cool watery relief below. Pinkie didn’t hesitate in waddling through the grass when reminding herself about a fire’s natural enemy. She cleaved her way past the vegetation and her follower didn't stray far. Well, at least not with her eyes, she didn’t appear too excited to climb into the swamp.

Pinkie stumbled, and suddenly barreled headfirst into the mud. Pinkie's face slapped right onto the surface of the goop with a wet plop. She murmured with gritted teeth, before pulling herself from the suction that hugged her figure. Mud dribbled from her chin and mane, but the fire had somehow survived even though her cleanliness didn't. She stood once more, and her stance was interrupted by the slippery bank by the pond's edge. She was unable to pull free, and she flailed into the water with spasming limbs. Even underwater she could hear Pinkamena cackling since she had a great view of the show.

She broke the surface and gulped whatever air she could knab! The water wasn’t refreshing, warm, or even lukewarm. It was freezing to the point where Pinkie regretted the fire's warmth.

"This is just a horrible-terrible-no-good-very-bad day!" Pinkie piped, the teeth in her mouth grinding from the cold. "-I-I..."

Tears pricked her eyes. The gleaming pearls stationed on her cheeks quickly began to roll down in clumps. She reached out for the hanging roots by the water's edge to anchor herself. This night was one of the worst nights she had ever had by far. She was cold, wet, hungry, and confused. Maud and her sisters had lied to her, her friends had disowned her, and now Pinkamena was mocking her.

"I... I can't take this anymore."

Her voice was withered. Pinkie's hoof continued to linger on the waterlogged dirt mound so that she wouldn't drift away. She tried to stitch herself together, desperately. She sniveled, and the laughter cut off like an unplugged radio. Just, silence, all of a sudden. The dejected pony threw her elbow over the bank before dragging herself up and out of the water. She then flopped upon the grass, which had been slathered in collected mud. Pinkamena was dead silent, but Pinkie was too exhausted to even glance in her direction. The cold nipped at her dampened skin, she was out of breath, and her body was sore. She grimaced at these new and combined sensations, before clamping her forelimbs to her sides to preserve her remaining body heat.

Why did Pinkamena always feel the need to mock her? Did she do something to be under constant fire? She rolled the memories back and forth in her mind. Her goal was to thumb through the years as if they had occurred yesterday, to investigate and understand. The glass and the chains, as well as her nickname: ' the shunned mare in the mirror,' all had some kind of connection. Her anger was unfocused, and she lashed out far too often for there not to be a reason.

Then it clicked. Pinkie was the reason.

Wasn't she?

She was the reason she was caged, hated, and labeled a burden. Under all the thorns she had poised to defend herself, Pinkamena was truly caring. If her illusion was here to cause nothing but trouble as everypony had said, why did she make such an effort to help her?

“...Everything I’ve been thinking, it’s wrong.”

She didn't need to get rid of Pinkamena. She needed to make peace. There was no reason to fight or to belittle her anymore. Fluttershy had always said she needed to get rid of her problems, but Pinkie wanted to make peace with her inner demons.

She could see Pinkamena's lips slightly part, but no words followed. For so long, there had been a hardness in her companion's eyes. Ever so slowly, their adventure had chipped away at it. Perhaps there was a lesson in all of this? Maybe she shouldn't have fled from these problems for so long. Why was she acting as if Pinkamena was a curse?

By turning her back on Pinkamena, her illusion started to resent her. Even though she was convinced this mare was a terror over and over, it served no purpose. At the end of the day, she was Pinkie's problem, and only she could see and judge her character. Regardless if Pinkamena was real it still solved nothing. Her friends and doctors could label her dangerous and a voice in her head all they wanted, but she was a helpful voice. Pinkie had been going about this all wrong. Of course the mare in the mirror didn’t trust her. Pinkie had been trying to shake her since she was born!

No pony would feel inclined to connect with her if she treated them like that.

Pinkie wasn't as observant as others, but when Pinkamena’s hooves clicked on the stone when bouncing down to the ground level, there was noise. It didn't matter how short her attention span was, or where her attention happened; that sound couldn't have been missed or ignored. Pinkie Pie had many oddities in her life, Pinkamena however, was a mystery that easily claimed the top spot on her list every time. There was no doubt her influence helped save her life, and how dare she validate treating her like a criminal!

Pinkie didn't know how she'd pull this off, but everything the doctors had said officially was flushed down the drain. She was going to do things a different way, her way.

Pinkie's breaths were ragged, and they pushed clouds of mist into the air. The curled tip of her mane had fallen limp upon her nose, dribbling water onto her chest. She knew the cave uphill would be warmer, yet she couldn’t find the will to move.

“Pinkie, you’re going to freeze. You need a source of heat to stabilize—”

“It’s too cold to mooove.” Pinkie whined, volleying her response, “—The wind hurts, I’m bad at rubbing sticks, and I’m contemplating my life choices. This grass isn’t so bad, a little scratchy, but it’ll do.”

“For the love of—ugh!" Her voice echoed but eventually fell out of range.

The irritating tip of her mane plopped a large drop onto her collarbone. She then clamped her hoof around it. Wringing the strand free of water, she flicked her forelimbs to her sides before brushing it back into its proper place. The silence was bitter, and her testy follower's voice had fallen quiet. Pinkie rolled onto her right side before weeding her gaze past the reed stalks and into the cave. Pinkamena had vanished.

Her lips fell, her neutral expression now crooked from a frown. Nothing remained of Pinkamena’s presence, not even the usual feeling of foreboding she brought.

Pinkie didn't think Pinkamena was a lousy pony. She just wished the fighting was somewhat lessened over the time they spent together. The mare in the mirror did save her from the Timberwolves, even when subtracting the weird event that occurred. Without her encouragement, she would have never found the courage to get up. The mare was obviously a lot softer after what they had been through, and maybe, just maybe, Pinkie could coax her armor to break a little more.

After all, in these moments, they only had each other.

A glint of light shimmered in the distance. The gathering source of warmth washed over the shadows to invade the darkness. It hitched Pinkie’s attention and jerked it toward the flames.

Within the abandoned bed of flaked ash, her campfire was alight with fresh embers. Now that the cave had been illuminated, Pinkamena was visible behind the inviting veil of warmth. Their eyes met, Pinkie's eyebrows knit in suspicion, whereas hers just held a twinkling luster.

“That’s—”

Pinkie was stopped before she could investigate further.

"There were some embers still emerging from your last attempt, Ponk. The sticks you were rubbing ignited here too. A fire has to be nurtured a bit before it grows. You didn't do so bad, see?"

She gestured to the healthy flames. Pinkamena then once more tethered their gazes. Pinkie’s face remained solemn, she wasn't buying it in the slightest.

“Just get in here! Seriously, you are acting as if you want to freeze. You can’t be cold and wet. It's just a free invitation for hypothermia!”

Pinkamena was rankled by the prying eyes beaming through the shadows. Surprisingly Pinkie’s response didn’t match her suspicious expression.

“I dunno, everypony loves a free invitation-”

“Get in here!” The mare shouted, her temper thinning to that of a hair-trigger.

Pinkie had untangled herself from the grass in an instant in fear of being chastised for not obeying. She avoided the furrowed brows aimed in her direction by being evasive. She didn't want to look at Pinkamena's ridged cords that snaked up her neck in anger. She wasn't one to have a temper. She was more mischievous and snarky, and Pinkie would agree to call her the choleric type.

The winds were definitely biting, and she couldn't help but let her teeth clatter again.

Once her shadow had morphed with that of the firelight, Pinkamena's presence only lingered a few meters. Her eyes were drawn to the ground to once more dodge that expression.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Pinkie's eyes darted upward to study her reaction. She was relieved to see the strain in her eyes had softened. The leer had morphed into one of gentleness, and even though Pinkamena masked her emotions well, she had obviously panicked.

With a voice one might use on a skittish foal, Pinkamena addressed her. "Pinkie, this world isn't easy on ponies like you. You were nearly mauled by Timberwolves a few hours ago, you lit yourself on fire, and then you didn't take measures to heat yourself back up. If you don't stop being so careless, this forest is going to eat you alive!"

She felt a little ashamed at how easily she had given up tonight. The timberwolves were one thing, but curling up into a ball again because she had one moment of uncertainty was embarrassing. She felt herself flash what appeared to be a half-baked grin at her hallucination.

The mare’s nostrils flared from breathing out a sigh, draining the tension from her eyes. “I know you’re having a bad night, but you have to listen to me… at least just once.”

Pinkamena took a lazy stride to the far end of the wall before nuzzling her stomach into the dirt. Once she had found a suitable position, she outstretched her legs with a glance that directed Pinkie back to her temporary bedding.

“—I also wasn't worried. Now sit. Get warm.”

Pinkie flopped onto her heap of weeds, scattering orbs of pollen. She wiggled around for a bit. Then when she found a spot, she settled, with her chin on the ground and nose pointed toward the fire.

Her gaze wandered back to her familiar, her curiosity clearly not satisfied, "Mena, what pushed those rocks?"

“They fell, now go to sleep.” She grunted with her eyes lightly pressed closed.

"Nu-uh, I've lived on a quarry for a pretty long time. My knowledge on things like this are pretty rock-solid. Landslides like that don't just happen during the dry season, and they definitely don't crack like that before they fall. Kinda suspicious, don't ya think?"

There was a nettled grumble before Pinkamena flipped onto her other side to cut off communication. It was unsuccessful.

“Also, you as you said, fire takes a while to grow, right? How did it grow when it wasn't even lit in the first place? I threw my tools waaaaay over there, and now they are waaaaay over here… near the fire, where I didn't leave them. Strange, could-of sworn I've always had a photographic memory to where small details like that don't get mixed up."

“Pinkie it’s four-something in the morning, I beg of you, please go to sleep I’m exhausted!”

Her face scrunched. “Okie-Dokie-Lokie,” she dragged, her tone low and questioning. “—But don’t think I’ll forget about this in the morning. I've got a mind like a steel trap. Nothing escapes me except for when my train of thought derails!”

Her words made Pinkamena flinch. The back of her neck bristled as if she were withholding words. This tension deflated, however, and her spine curled inward so she could tuck into the wall. She didn't snap back and held her tongue awfully well, perhaps her fatigue was the culprit. It didn't change the fact that Pinkamena still reeked of suspicion, and Pinkie's patience was fleeting.

She was going to leave it alone. That is until something else gave Pinkie fuel for more idle chatter.

“Pinkamena.”

“Whahahatt!” She whined, rubbing her face with both hooves, “What could you possibly need?!”

“I think the sky told a lie…” Pinkie murmured, with eyes trained on something engorging with mystical light in the sky. “—It’s on fire.”

“What is with you and the whole fire thing? The sky isn’t on fire, ponies don’t combust when they lie, and neither do inanimate objects! Now can we drop it?”

Pinkie's bottom jaw was lax, and her eyes never veered from above.

She just slowly lifted a hoof to guide Pinkamena’s line of sight.

She followed, and soon both their gazes were glued.

The sky was definitely on fire.

Streaks of vibrant light were brushed lazily across the sky. A tail of smoke followed behind an object that had been swallowed by a cocoon of energy. A mass of tangerine tinged with a bit of rose illuminated the sky. It sucked and grasped the branches and leaves of trees. They whipped and quavered from the sky's sudden pull as it crawled its way through the darkness.

Pinkamena’s mouth was slacked. They both didn’t seem to have the slightest clue as to what it could possibly be. It wasn't like anything Pinkie had ever seen, that’s for sure.

The rustling of the forest trying to resist the airborne object was loud but didn't have the faintest chance at winning the volume war with what was above. It was crackling as if the sky were falling in chunks, preparing to sink into the earth below. The very planet was trembling, and it shivered under Pinkie's hooves.

As soon as it had come, the sky had shockingly dimmed. The colors vanished instantly and were overtaken by the starry sky within moments. The trees had slowed, returning to their usual sway in the wind, while the croaks of nearby bullfrogs once more called as if they were never disturbed.

“What...was… that?” Pinkie managed to spit out, turning to her companion who had not taken her eyes from that particular spot. “I think it was—”

She was immediately muted by Pinkamena’s ashen face.

"Are you alright?" Pinkie asked in a whisper, approaching tentatively in hopes of calming her throbbing eyes. "It's not going to hurt us, Twilight talks about space rocks coming down all the time! Trust me, if it were a dangerous rock, I'd know."

She didn't move, and her body still appeared shackled to the ground. "That—" Her voice was addled, then her breath whistled as if her lungs struggled to function. "That was no space rock.”

A figure blundered up a slanted pathway. The creature's hand gently helped him balance his weight while desperately avoiding tripping over the obstacles below. He was clumsy and reckless, nearly tearing down stalagmites when using them as a railway.

“....Blasted cave, Equestria has too many of them. Go Tirek, I told myself, go see this magical disturbance and take what’s yours… I said. If I drag myself all the way there and it happens to be that dull-witted draconequus, I’ll wring his neck!”

Tirek coughed into the balled fist of his hand before once more weaving through the labyrinth. The light was scarce inside the tunnel and only poked through shards of crystals hanging like bats from the cave's roof. His hooves were crusted with mud and gunk while his herculean arms were slashed and blotched with tender bruises.

"Although it's faint, it's growing. Over three days, the power has flooded my senses, it's incredibly powerful. Once I steal it from whatever imbecile is wielding it, Equestria will rue the day it opposed the mighty Tirek! Yes… yes that’s what I’ll do—“

There was a meaty smack, and Tirek's nose ring almost made an imprint in the stone he had rammed into. He stumbled, and his weight caused small pebbles to fall from above and tap on his horns.

His jaw clenched, and his glare was fit to be tied. He scuffed one hoof on the ground, lowered his head, and aimed his horns at the blockage.

“HUAH!”

The centaur's war cry echoed along the walls and multiplied. His head acted as a battering ram and smashed the large rock into smithereens. The curved horns gouged the stone like a searing sword through butter. He brought a fist to his lips once more, and he hacked the clouds of dust from his lungs.

He then resumed his muttering once the debris had cleared.

“Rocks are tearing up my arms, there was an earthquake… I can’t catch a break.”

“—Mmm, but this cave is so small, and you seem so… athletically inclined. Surly a small little cavern such as this isn't making you lose your temper, Tirek. Why don't you just ram through it? It seems fitting for someone of your weight and stature."

Tirek’s horns had formed a writhing ball of magic before the voice was even done talking.

He turned to view nothing behind him, but he sensed an unwanted shadow. "I don't like fleas. Show yourself, and I may allow you to live."

"I see life has made you bitter. Try and be a little more optimistic. It's good for the skin," The voice teased. He kept his blindspots open while rotating in a slow circle. In front of him, something clumped together in a hypnotic array of unmatched colors. Two transparent eyes slipped out from a pocket of nowhere before the voice said, "Peek-A-Boo!"

The startled centaur shrieked with such volume it caused the crystals above to swing! The eyes squinted before the transparent shade faded into a visible figure draped across a bed of risen rocks. The draconequus had an impish grin and her chin within her palm. Her left arm was hanging loosely over the throne of stone she rested upon, with her tail crimped in an odd position beside her.

She cheesed, baring her inch long canines in a taunting smile. "You scream like a mare, and it's quite humorous.”

Tirek’s palm rested on his heart, his lips in a ring, as he released a sigh of relief. “Cosmos, I thought you were Discord! No one’s seen you in eons, I thought the other idiotic Spirit of Chaos abandoned you to rot somewhere.”

Cosmos had her hand in a bag of popcorn. She speared a claw into one of the popped kernels before bringing it up to her lips.

She stopped with her tongue halfway hanging from her mouth. “Excuse me, have some faith in my ability to outsmart my greatest rival. It may have taken two millennia, but I'm here. I'm not late, everyone else is simply early, and Old Faithful Tirek is going to help me out."

"Early for what exactly? I have no time to entertain you, and I have my own headache to deal with. Lord Tirek doesn't assist anyone! Get lost!"

Cosmos responded by tossing the bag into the air which disappeared in a puff of glitter. She then leaned forward onto her interlaced claws. "Mmm, yeah. Talking in a third-person narrative makes you feel special, doesn't it? Adorable."

He swatted his hand in her direction as if he were flicking away a fly. There was an irritated grunt of dismissal before he continued his way through the cave. Cosmos didn't let up, however, and hovered like a windblown ribbon. Her long body slithered through the air for quite some time until there was enough room to be at ear's length with Tirek.

"Hey, big guy, slow down for a sec. We've gotta talk about something," Cosmos said with a light tap on Tirek's shoulder. He replied by shrugging it off, "okay, rude, but I'll let it pass. I know you saw that thing in the sky, and you obviously know what it was, don't you."

“Of course I know what it is, you imbecile!” He berated, tucking his head under a hanging shelf of rocks. “It was a falling sun!”

The Spirit of Chaos blinked. "Uh, no… that's… that's very wrong. You thought it was the sun? If it were the sun, you probably shouldn't be so carefree about it, no matter, thankfully that isn’t what you thought it was. Didn’t you feel the magic power when it was coming down?”

“No, and I don’t care to. Now leave me alone, I’m busy!”

“Oh, I will once I’m done with my errand, trust me, you don’t have the enticing personality to bewitch ladies such as myself.”

Tirek expressed his disgust with an eye-roll.

"I require your services. It's a quest of utmost importance. I need you to track someone for me." Cosmos commanded, squeezing within the tight space Tirek had lumbered into. "You have a nose for magic like a bloodhound, and I need you to find her, now get. Get a move on, chop, chop. Mush!"

"No, I will not. You happened to track me, and you can easily do the same for this ‘friend’ of yours. I feel sorry for them already.”

The villain had nuzzled his way into an opening where he decided to stretch his limbs. His spine popped, a sigh hissing from his lips before he relaxed.

“I can’t track magic like you can, she’s hidden. Like, I can’t really put it into words exactly. I know she’s here, but she’s not here at the same time. It’s almost as if she’s concealed within something. A vessel.”

“Not my problem! If you weren’t such a pest, I would have splattered what’s left of you all over the walls by now! You blasted things are unkillable.”

"Normally, I can find anything. I'm stumped, no wonder she was so good at those childhood hiding games. Well, when she closed those gleaming eyes. Where is her clever little bunker?" Cosmos pondered, fingering a claw through the scruff on her cheek. "Could she perhaps—wait a minute, if you weren’t tracking the thing in the sky, what magical presence were you following?”

Tirek had a slimy grin. “If I were to guess, probably this ‘friend’ of yours. I was wondering how long it would take before you noticed, pathetic really. I told you I was busy.”

"....Why I never! Keep acting like that, and I'm not inviting you to the League of Villains!"

Pinkie's eyelids were brushed with the light of the sun. The roaring fire had done a decent job at blocking the breeze of the morning chill. The flames had provided an extra blanket of warmth, and she was thankful for it. It wasn't exactly the coziest night of her life, but not the coldest. Her senses slowly awakened one by one with her hearing being the first out of her slumber.

“...𝕮𝖍𝖊𝖆 𝖙𝖚𝖌𝖔 𝖈𝖍𝖔𝖍 𝖍𝖊 𝖖𝖚𝖚𝖗𝖔 𝖚 𝖖𝖚𝖊𝖌𝖔…”

Both her eyes and muzzle crinkled. That voice…it wasn't one she recognized. The monotone was thickened and didn't inflect at all. It was scratchy and low, nearly clamorous like a sequence of dragging chains. It was talking to someone, even though Pinkie didn't understand its words, she could clearly tell it was attempting to be discreet.

"I know I don't have much time, and it still doesn't change my mind. Your suggestions are barbaric, we are done talking about this. Do you understand?"

That voice she recognized.

Pinkamena's tone sounded if she were forcing her words to hiss through clenched teeth. She kept her position motionless, and her eyes squeezed closed. Sure, Pinkie would never encourage eavesdropping, except for today, when literally nothing made sense anymore.

“𝕮𝖍𝖊𝖆 𝖋𝖎𝖕𝖕 𝖝𝖎𝖔 𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖗𝖚𝖖𝖚𝖔𝖓𝖚.”

The temptation was overpowering. Pinkie cracked open an eye, wincing once the light absorbed within it. Pinkamena was tucked within a curtain of shadows that had not revealed her body inside the sunlight. Her eyes were focused on something, but that something happened to be transparent. Her gaze followed nothing, yet, her brows were tweezed and furrowed as if she were leering at a childhood bully she detested.

“Get lost. My answer is no.”

She shouldn’t be doing this. Pinkamena was oblivious to the extra set of ears hanging onto her every word. This was spying… wasn't it? No, no, Pinkie could spy on her own imagination, right? That sounded perfectly acceptable. If the voice was in her head anyway, she couldn’t ignore it even if she tried. Yet, something about that voice didn’t appear earthly.

Pinkie had never heard a second voice in her head before.

There was silence. Nothing stirred, and it was the sudden halt in noise that made Pinkie realize she had one bulging eye cropped on Pinkamena. Her companion had simply crossed her forelimbs and appeared to be in a gamesome mood. She was now relaxed, puckish, but even though she seemed to be playful, no pony would need a gift of empathy to see she was weighed down by something.

“I see you’ve slept soundly.” She began, her tone a bit softer than usual. “We need to start moving. Do you know where you want to go?”

Pinkie brushed her hoof through the dirt. She scattered some of the loose material while evading Pinkamena’s eyes.

“I—uh, well, I kinda had a pep-talk with myself. I came to a decision—" She rolled out her hoof while making a full circle with her eyes. "—Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to stay out here.”

“Pinkie, you can’t just keep running to escape your problems!" Her tongue was sharp, and her face crinkled sternly as if her suggestion somewhat irritated her. For some reason, the creases around her eyes and frown quickly relaxed. She balanced her ice with sudden warmth. "...I should know."

Her head turned, gaze hidden behind a curtain of ragged bangs. Pinkie could see her throat tighten as if she had swallowed the words she wanted to say. While she took a moment to shield both her face and expression, Pinkie caught sight of her condition. Her entire appearance looked untidy, stressed out, and bleary-eyed.

Pinkamena had a thin layer of sweat around her neck and muzzle and her breathing was labored. She… appeared to be scared?

Her hooves were quivering from under her shadow and Pinkie could almost see her unraveling at the seams.

"...Well, I wanted to stay out here because you're the only one who accepts me." Pinkie admitted, causing her acquaintance to loosen, but not turn her head. "If I go back, they will keep telling me you're not real. They will try to fix me, and maybe—”

“I’m not real. I’ll never be real.” Pinkamena spat, her eyes glowering at a spot that held nothing to stare at. “The sooner you drop it—”

"I'm not gonna just drop it! Listen, even if you are some mysterious entity, I can't really understand, perhaps I don't need to. This whole time everyone keeps saying how you were up to no good, a big 'ol rotting banana, but I don't think that's true." Her hooves felt heavy, and she felt a little fearful of wandering into this territory. Miraculously she found the strength to walk forward. "—For so long, I've mistreated you. I've been a real Stink Pie, Mena."

When their shadowy silhouettes meshed, Pinkamena’s head snapped up to meet her gaze. Her head bobbed and scanned Pinkie’s approaching form. Her body maneuvered closer to the wall to avoid the mare closing in, and her eyes thickened, not believing the act was of good intentions. Pinkie had butchered this mare's trust, and it hurt.

Underneath Pinkamena's belly, the gravel happened to swirl, crackling from her weight.

Pinkie's breath hitched within her throat. She didn't imagine that, did she?

She continued, “—You may have a harsh sense of humor, true. Yet, as a pony that appreciates a good laugh no matter where all it needs is a few teensy tweaks. You're not mean, you're just being you. Even if that 'you’ happens to be a big pile of stubbornness, you’ve got good qualities too.”

Pinkamena’s face lightened, but her body remained alarmed and defensive.

“I owe you a sincere apology. I shouldn’t be shunning you, I should be accepting you. Who gives two flying rubber chickens if you aren’t real. I can’t imagine you’d want to be friends with me if I’ve been treating you like you’re something I wanted to get rid of, right? That wasn't very Magic of Friendship-like of me, was it?"

The mare was getting severely uncomfortable. Her eyes were small and her form was now crippled. She was basically balled up toward the wall with a downcasted glance.

Her lips parted, but she was silent.

Pinkie didn't let up, "I don't care what my friends say anymore. Sure, I may be a little sensitive to judgment, but who isn't? I don't mind that you're around, it's nice to know I've got an extra set of eyes watching out for me. Limestone always said she had eyes on the back of her head, but I doubt she meant it in a literal sense that would be creepy! Unless that’s something you can do, I don’t mind being experimental.”

“Okay, okay! I got it, it’s alright I understand what you’re saying. I know I’ve been a bit much, and I know I happen to be an acquired taste… but—" Pinkamena's eyes clenched for a moment, and they remained shut. She observed the mare's chest rise and fall, and a gush of air pushed past her lips. The corner of her mouth twitched before her lids revealed the glittering orbs behind them, now glossy and dampened. "-I don't understand why you suddenly changed. This isn't how things go, they never do. My kind can’t coexist with yours. This is a false hope!”

“What do you mean coexist? I’m pretty sure your kind and ponies can—”

Pinkamena's eyes were suddenly frenzied, and the cords once more throbbed along her neck.

“You don’t even know fully what I am, Pinkie!”

Her voice cracked, and her shoulders hunched forward. She grunted, holding back what appeared to be... pain.

Pinkie’s chin bobbed. She may not know what Pinkamena was, but she knew something she wasn't.

“...I know you’re not an illusion, Mena.”

Her gaze was met with hostility in an instant, but she didn't dare return it. Slowly, The Element of Laughter pulled her companion's eyes toward a print in the ground. Pinkamena's chest stopped rising. Her face twisted as if she had been gut-punched when noticing her movement caused the gravel to stir. Clear as day, prints from hooves were squashed into the dirt, not from Pinkie, but from "The Mare in the Mirror,” herself. She was dejected, defeated, and the paleness from her face appeared sickly.

Her hoof plopped back down into the dirt, and it dusted her lower torso with a cloud of debris. Pinkie tried to catch her gaze, but Pinkamena was persistent in boring holes into the ground below her.

"So, what exactly are you?" She coaxed, inching closer to where her reflection now waved within Pinkamena's eyes.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Pinkie was met with a pained expression. Something was fogging her eyes and misting her face with what appeared to be doubt. She was guarded because there was something bigger going on. Something massive. The flames trapped in her eyes and the rage providing the light within them told Pinkie all she needed to know. She was here for a reason.

"I'm pretty sure I would, like I said, I live and breathe ridiculous. Nothing shocks me anymore except for maybe electricity.”

She didn’t respond. The words didn’t appear to reach her at all.

Pinkamena's clenched jaw loosened, and Pinkie continued, "I Pinkie Promise that I'll keep it a secret, okay? Whatever you are, or whatever your mission is— you chose to stick with me for a reason. There's been something fishy going on, and it all started when you came out of the mirror. It's almost like… you're becoming stronger."

"No." She corrected, her body slipping out into the morning sun. She grimaced once the shadows were pushed away, and her eyes adjusted to the light. With a hoof shielding her face, she continued, "You're becoming weaker.”

Pinkie followed close behind. “Weaker? What’s going on, you better spill the beans!”

Suddenly Pinkamena had turned to where her muzzle now leveled itself a few feet from Pinkie's current position. Her eyes were sharp, and her armor seemingly had repaired itself to once more bear hardness.

“My concealment has run its course. Something’s coming, Pinkie. I’ve been preparing for it for a long time. I can’t explain it to you, because once I do, it won’t be long before you see me as an enemy.”

The earth pony cut off her escape route by sliding in front. Now blocking the outside world and the sun leaking in from the cave’s mouth, she stood firm.

“Didn’t you hear me, goofus? You aren’t something I wanna get rid of, you’re going to be my friend, kay? I don’t really care if you consent or not, Cranky didn’t, and he eventually saw my friendship was inevitable and complied. You’ll give in eventually.”

“Yes, I’m aware of your attempt to force Cranky Doodle to break down. Unfortunately, Ponk, it’s not up to you. I don’t have enough time to go over my entire life’s story. I’m not accepting or denying your friendship.” Pinkamena explained, weaving past the blockade in her way. “—I’m not someone you want to be associated with. I shouldn’t have pulled you into this, but I was desperate. That’s my mistake.”

Out of instinct to stop her from leaving, her hoof snatched her shoulder. “W-Wait hold on a second—”

She touched warmth.

Not only body heat, but fur. Pinkie flinched, hesitating for a second while she processed what was happening. It was the first time she had been able to touch Pinkamena, and by the way she tensed up, it was as if no one ever had before.

The unknown diety’s eyes fixated on her, almost testing her reaction. She was allowing it.

Pinkie’s hoof slowly reclined. She couldn’t help it when her jaw dropped about an inch. Sure, a moment like this may not be anything special to others, but to Pinkie, it was something to mull over. She had a living and breathing creature within her this entire time! What she was here for was unknown and why Pinkie was chosen to keep Pinkamena’s secret was also a mystery.

“—I’m sorry, I-I kinda popped your personal bubble.”

She responded. “It’s-”

“𝕳𝖙𝖎𝖏 𝖎𝖏 𝖓𝖊𝖍 𝖚𝖕𝖕𝖊𝖋𝖔𝖝!” A voice interrupted, growling gibberish to slice through the tension.

Pinkie jumped, scanning the area for the owner of it. The forest was still vacant and untouched by anything other than her fumble last night. The unfitting snarl had reached Pinkamena’s ears as well, and when their gazes met, she could see a deep sadness emerging within it.

“Can you hear it too?” Pinkie Pie asked, while the rattled mare in front of her seemingly grew into panic mode. “You can… can’t you.”

"Yes," Pinkamena responded, moving her head toward the sunrise. "-Because it isn't talking to you."

Something wormed its way from her fur and pumped a small puddle into the dip of her shoulder blades. Pinkie's brows ruffled, watching, as this black goop stuck onto her body like a gushing tree sap. She didn't seem to notice, but she did appear paranoid.

“Mena… there’s something—”

"—Pinkie, I have to leave."

Her words were so quickly overrun by Pinkamena that she still had her mouth open from being interrupted.

She was once more evasive. She was hiding a growing fear, and Pinkie wasn't going to let it slide. She was dragged into this, and she deserved to know what was going on!

“Nope. I refuse, you’re staying right here.” She demanded, sticking her snout into the air before huffing past her follower. “I’m going to sit on Mr. Holder’s Boulder Number Two, and stay on this rock until you start spilling some beans! You better get going, I’m a very hungry pony, and if you don’t spill some beans I’m going to get cranky. Trust me, you wouldn’t like me when I’m cranky.”

Right outside the cave, she had found a suitable boulder lodged within parts of the mountain. Pinkamena stood within the entrance giving Pinkie an eye-roll, but the bull-headed mare wasn't hooked by her companion's taunt.

She threw herself over the stone before perching herself upright. With a weighty stare in Pinkamena's direction, she folded her forelimbs over her chest.

"Oh, okay, like sitting on a rock is going to make me change my mind.”

Pinkie snorted hot air from her nose in rebuke.

"Pinkie, you're not a filly. I can't foalsit for you anymore. You're not going to understand or believe me. It's too dangerous to get into with a pony like you. I wanted to depart on a good note—"

Pinkie blew a raspberry in her direction. She was pretty sure Pinkamena’s veins bulged so much she’d pop a blood vessel.

“Fine!” She lashed, making a sharp circle before exposing her flank to Pinkie. “You’re driving me crazy!”

She leaned forward, “You’ll be back. Once you get a taste of the Pinkie, they always come back. If you don’t, I’ll find you. You will comply!”

"Sure, Ponk." Her voice suddenly faded into a lower volume when she muttered to herself. "I've recovered, haven't I? I should be able to break free on my own accord, that's why I've become more of a physical being over the past few days. I can do this… I've done it before."

Pinkie cupped her hooves over her mouth to mimic a megaphone. “You’re gonna faaaail.”

Her glare was enough to scare the devil back into hell.

“I’m serious Mena, there’s something I figured out—”

“You don’t even know what I’m doing! Now hush." She spat as her venomous expression turned to focus on a patch of grass in front of her. "...It's time."

Her bottom hoof moved clockwise, whereas her top moved opposite of it. She stopped halfway to form a mid-circle, while green light softly broke free from a source illuminating her hooves. Pinkie was almost leaning so far she was in danger of falling off! Pinkamena was a magic-user! No earth pony in existence could harbor magic.

Unless— Pinkamena wasn't an earth pony.

Or a pony at all.

Pinkie’s mouth was spasming like a beached fish. She couldn’t believe what was happening!

An invisible pen inked up the sky with glowing words, but the graffiti was nothing that she could understand. It was all gibberish.

There was something… strange happening with her Cutie Mark. Pinkie had never thought much of it since she had always believed Pinkamena wasn't real, but now, she memorized every detail. Her Cutie Mark happened to be a balance scale with the left plate sinking due to the weight of a sword's hilt. Tied on the golden knobs were skulls with blackened eye sockets—void of any color or expression.

At least that was what it had been before.

The left was blinking and sparking, throbbing like it was suffering an invisible shockwave. The mark flashed a brilliant glow from within the once dark socket. It looked like the skull was responding to the magic being summoned.

She mashed her hooves together after muttering chants that were unheard of.

“Zo veno xoquen pekx!”

Nothing happened.

She remained poised from her spell’s position, but the lights faded. She looked flustered and confused, as her hooves dropped to her sides in disbelief.

“You’ve got to be joking-” She whispered, disheartened. “I wasn't strong enough?”

"I mean, I did try to warn you before you did that whatchamacallit voodoo magic of yours. You can touch things, and I can feel you, so you are kinda in the actual world. But—" Pinkie leapt off of the boulder like a bounding lamb. She landed in front of a shallow puddle leaking from the nearby pond. "-You don't have a reflection. You said I was becoming weaker, but you aren't fully formed. I think ever since you started following me, our minds started to separate... that's why you could do more and more as time went on."

She pointed into the rippled reflection of herself as Pinkamena joined her side. She had a shadow, but the reflection did not receive company.

“You are fearfully observant.” She replied while pawing at the water, “—and you are somewhat right. You may not be able to tell, but I’m mortally wounded. I haven’t recovered as much as I thought. This entire plan of mine to hide and regenerate turned out to be a dud. I can’t free myself on my own.”

“Maybe I can help—”

An animalistic screech tore through their eardrums! It forced Pinkie to cup her hooves over her ears to try and block out the sound. It was deafening, so much so, she was knocked to the ground in hopes of cradling her skull so it wouldn't split!

“𝕳𝖊𝖕𝖝 𝖈𝖍𝖊𝖆 𝖍𝖙𝖎𝖏 𝖋𝖊𝖆𝖕𝖝𝖓'𝖍 𝖋𝖊𝖐𝖗!”

The voice was probing, and it raked over them like thunder.

Pinkamena lurched over, her eyes shrunken. “UaUaG!”

Her entire body shivered from an invisible Winter's chill. She was unable to keep her head up, and her spine hissed and cracked as if something were demanding to be let out. The thick tar bubbled even faster now, leaking into the nape of her neck.

“Mena?” Pinkie croaked, but something else responded.

“𝕱𝖔 𝖗𝖎𝖕𝖕 𝖙𝖔𝖐 𝖓𝖊𝖋!”

“You’ll...mmgh… kill… her!” The mare slick with goop pleaded, “leave her… alone, she doesn’t understand!”

“Ⱥղժ էհąէ ìʂ ահҽɾҽ աҽ հąѵҽ ƒąìӀҽժ,” The demonic creature scolded, “Wê §hðµlÐ håvê kïllêÐ ï† †hê §ê¢ðñÐ ï† wå§ ßðrñ.”

Pinkamena’s eyes thinned with slits overtaking what were once gentle eyes. Her fangs bit into her lip in resistance while the goo crept into her mouth.

"What's happening? You need help! You're hurting!" Pinkie gathered her last strand of bravery to defend and protect the crippled creature before her. She was able to move forward and, without hesitation, began to claw the substance off her body. "What… is this stuff?"

There was movement. Pinkie didn’t notice the hoof swooping down toward her until it clipped the side of her head! She spun around from the force before landing muzzle-first into the dirt. Her throbbing skull rang a painful tune throughout her head.

She didn't expect a sucker punch, and it looked like Pinkamena didn't either.

“Ꭰօ ղօէ Ӏҽէ ìէ էօմçհ մʂ. Ꭰҽʍօղʂ ժօ ղօէ ąʂʂօçìąէҽ աìէհ էհҽìɾ քɾҽվ.”

The snarl echoed while Pinkie regained her vision. Pinkamena had been completely possessed by this other being, and she looked to be helpless in its grasp.

“Wê mµ§† ¢ðñ§µmê ðµr hð§†. ̆ ðñl¥ §êrvê§ å§ å vꧧêl. Wê Ðð ñð† hårßðr êmþå†h¥ †ðwårÐ whå† ï§ måÐê ð£ 𝔣lê§h. ñð lðñgêr wïll wê wåï†. ¥ðµ ¢åñ Ðêñ¥ whå† wê årê, ßµ† Ì wïll ñð lðñgêr wåï†. Ì §håll Ðð ï† m¥§êl£.”

It all made sense.

Pinkamena was a hellspawn, a fiend…

A ᎠꂅოԾภ.

Was Pinkie crazy for feeling more sympathy for Pinkamena than fear? She was at war with something that could eat away at her will. Even now, her crazed eyes were void of whatever this demon told her to feel. She didn't agree with it, and she desperately fought against its control.

“¥ðµ ¢åñ ñð† ðvêrþðwêr mê. Ì åm ¥ðµ. Wê årê ðñê. ¥ðµr 𝔣êår ¢åll§ †ð mê åñÐ Ì grðw ålðñg§ïÐê ï†,” It hissed, it’s voice weak in breath while it tussled with the other mind it addressed. “†ï†åñ§ Ðð ñð† ßðw †ð mðr†ål§. †hê 𝔣åµl† ð£ m¥ ¢rêå†ïðñ wå§ ¥ðµr ðwñ. Ì ¢åñ Ðð å§ ¥ðµ å§k, ¥ê†, ¥ðµ §ïlêñ¢ê mê? Hê wïll ßêñÐ hï§ kñêê å§ Ì ¢ðmmåñÐ ï†, wh¥ årê ¥ðµ Ðï§þlêå§êÐ?”

“You’ll kill everything in your way to get there!”

The desperate voice was familiar and did not belong to the demon.

Pinkamena's voice was able to break free from what was muffling it before. Her body was flaring with steaming smoke, and the black mass had melted onto her flank like a dripping candle.

"Pinkie… you have to release me! I can't do it, but if you don't, it will consume you from the inside! Listen to me, the words I said before… repeat them, the spell is already activated!"

“Ì£ ¥ðµ ållðw ï† †ð lïvê ¥ðµ kñðw ð£ whå† wïll håþþêñ. ¥ðµ 𝔣åïlêÐ ïñ ðµr ågrêêmêñ†. ÌñÐêêÐ ¥ðµ årê 𝔣år †ðð wêåk †ð åþþêål †ð ßlå¢k mågï¢. ̆ hå§ åßåñÐðñêÐ ¥ðµ. Äl†hðµgh †hê Ðêmðñ †hå† wê årê ï§ §†ïll wðr†h¥.”

Pinkie opened her mouth to obey, but a searing hot pain locked up her muscles. Her face twisted up in agony, her knees quivering, and a whimper squeezing through her biting teeth. Her body slumped over and plopped onto the ground like a thrown sack of flour. Her senses convulsed from an electrifying pulse of overwhelming torment. Her stomach and ribs clenched, and her lungs hummed.

She could only wheeze and look up at the demon standing over her. Pinkamena's fangs were salivating and her eyes were dimmed. Her muzzle was crimped while her mane remained motionless from the goop squishing it against her neck.

“Ì håvê wåï†êÐ ¢êñ†µrïê§ †ð †å§†ê †hê ßlððÐ ð£ åñ Èlêmêñ†. †hê ßlððÐlïñê ð£ å †ï†åñ. Ì §†årvêÐ wï†h þå†ïêñ¢ê ßê¢åµ§ê 𣠆hê wêåkñꧧ m¥ ð†hêr §ïÐê hå§ þrê§êñ†êÐ.”

Pinkamena was gone. Her body was no more than a shadow. Something else spoke through her lips while the same something peered through her eyes. Pinkie was alone. She wouldn't have Pinkamena to guide her anymore. She had to win with pure wits, since overpowering it was completely of the table. Pinkie couldn't use magic. What was Pinkamena thinking? She could usher those words until her tongue fell off, but earth ponies weren't unicorns. They had never been able to use magic!

The demon was eating her from the inside. It had an unpleasant warmth to it, which was nauseating. While its hoof rested upon her side, it leaned down to tickle her ear with a heated breath. She peered into her own reflection within its gaze. Pinkamena's eyes were a haze of dark cherry and gave off an ominous chill.

“Ðð ñð† †hïñk wrðñgl¥ ð£ mê. ¥ðµr §ðµl wå§ †ð ßê mïñê £rðm †hê §†år† 𣠥ðµr ßïr†h,” It announced, the hellspawn’s voice an uncomfortable coo.

This thing. It reminded Pinkie of something she was once warned of. Something whispered from deep within her mind: an old memory, one being unlocked from this demon's presence.

"If she truly is alive, I know of her resentment, and the souls she will consume to end us no matter what innocent blood gets shed. We must make haste."

Was she perhaps—

“But, be as it may, this foe will kill you.”

She was, without a doubt, what they feared. As Celestia and Luna had warned—

“—We have limited time in this race against The Devourer.”

Pinkamena was The Devourer, a soul consumer.

Should she free this being? They were terrified of it, and there was an obvious reason why. It was an evil spirit that consumed souls, could possess others, and used forbidden magic. Who knows what else it could do, and who knows why it was really here. It's an enemy of Equestria, and as an Element, her job was to—

“—I’m not someone you want to be associated with. I shouldn’t have pulled you into this, but I was desperate. That’s my mistake.”

Was that Pinkamena’s voice? It was, but it was familiar, like another recent memory.

“My concealment has run its course. Something’s coming, Pinkie. I’ve been preparing for it for a long time. I can’t explain it to you, because once I do, it won’t be long before you see me as an enemy.”

Pinkie squirmed uncomfortably when the demon's maw opened. A milky trail of glowing life energy slithered under its tongue. That substance, her soul, her very life, was leaking away. She felt weak, tongue-tied, and her body was unable to fight it off.

Pinkie’s job was to fight and defeat evils, but Pinkamena wasn't like this other thing. She was caring, she was a bit snarky, but far from evil! The Devourer was now an enemy of The Elements of Harmony, but not Pinkamena. This thing was not the mare in the mirror she had always known! She had been battling with it for quite some time. She needed help, not another enemy to fear.

Pinkie would not be her enemy. She said she’d become a friend, and she meant it.

She was not afraid.

“You…. I’m… heh… not...afraid! You… bully!” Pinkie panted, her winded words causing the demon pinning her to cock its head. “You hear me?!”

“Äll mðr†ål§ £êår †hê §ïñ ð£ Wrå†h. Ì lµ§† £ðr ¥ðµr 𝔣êår. ̆ rêêk§ £rðm †hê §†êñ¢h ðñ ¥ðµr l姆 Ð¥ïñg ßrêå†h.”

The demon’s tongue lashed out, flicking against the wind hungrily. Pinkie arched her back so that her legs could stand. The hellspawn looked concerned, gazing at the mare beneath it in a bewildered way. Perhaps it wasn't used to ponies appearing this dense. Who wouldn’t cower in the very presence of a creature from the depths of hell?

Pinkie. That’s who.

“I said I don’t fear you!" Pinkie proclaimed, her voice causing the pressure of its pinning hoof to lessen. Its fangs were pulled into the shape of a frown, and its eyes became slightly murky with distaste. "You're gonna spit Pinkamena back out right now! Do you hear me, Mr. ScaryTeeth?"

“Çrê†ïñ𵧠Ðåµgh†êr ð£ Gåïå, Ì ¢ðñ§µmê †hê §ðµl§ 𣠆hê lꧧêr. ¥ðµ þð§ê ñð †hrêå† †ð mê. Ì åm ïñ§ïÐïðµ§, vêñðmðµ§, ¥ðµr wðrЧ åmµ§ê mê lꧧ †håñ †hê¥ åñgêr mê.”

It was flustered, flabbergasted, by Pinkie’s attempt to beat it down to her level. Pinkamena’s body was still soaked in these gnarled shadows. She was cloaked in this darkness that didn’t appear to worsen or grow while it spoke to Pinkie.

Her pompous bravery confused it, but more importantly, she stalled it.

Its hoof was now entirely off her body, giving the last slot of room she needed to stand. Her stare was steely, and even though her intimidation wasn't nearly as hopeful at containing the demon, her stupidity appeared to do the trick.

“Listen here! I don’t wanna hear a peep outta you! All you’ve been is mean! I have always been told to see the good in everypony—" She appeared to be pushing it back with her words. She refused to let it flee and caught up to it when it stumbled away. "You have been a bad demon! I’m starting to think Granny Pie was wrong! Giggling at the ghosties isn’t the cure for the headache you’re causing, you may be scary, but I’m not allowing you to push us around anymore! I’m not going to laugh away the fear, I’m going to yell at it!”

“...Hðw... Hðw Ðð ¥ðµ ñð† 𝔣êår mê? Håvê Ì grðwñ wêåk? †hï§ ï§ Mðrñïñg §†år'§ Ððïñg. ̆ mµ§† ßê, ¥ðµ håvê †åµgh† †hêm ñð† †ð 𝔣êår µ§!”

“Zip it!” Pinkie interrupted, and her command successfully made the demon’s jaws snap shut. “Bad demons go into time out! Once you think about what you've done, maybe Pinkamena and I will have a talk with you! Do you understand me?"

This agitated the monstrous being, and it gave her its answer with a guttural roar! Pinkie stood firm, and her eyebrows threaded into an expression of a stern caregiver. Her lids narrowed, and once the sound died down, the fiend realized the fear it caused no longer existed. The fear had changed targets, and within the needle-tipped eyes that it had, the terror had turned on the one who created it.

“Ì... håvê 𝔣åïlêÐ µ§, ßµ† m¥ wrå†h hå§ ñð† ßêêñ qµêñ¢hêÐ. Èlêmêñ† ð£ Hårmðñ¥, ¥ðµ ¢åñ ñð† qµêll mê £ðrêvêr. 𝔣êår ï§ ïñꧢåþåßlê, åñÐ whêñ †hê §êêÐ ð£ 𝔣êår åñÐ åñgêr ßlððm§— †hêrê wïll ßê ¢årñågê. ¥ðµr §ðµl hå§ ßêêñ mårkêÐ.” It warned, but the one standing over it was unfazed.

“A small risk I'm willing to take.” Pinkie replied lowly, wiggling her eyebrows mockingly. “Zo veno xoquen pekx!”

The words she shouted were aided by thunder-like war trumpets. Something grumbled from above, bringing both their attention to the sky. There was tension bubbling within the clouds. Darkness had been summoned, which had snuffed out the light from the sun. The land was now plagued by crackling lightning that wrapped around the engorged clouds.

The malevolent being shielded its face from a brightness that wasn't present. There was no light, only a gloomy shadow over the two bodies beneath it. Pinkie's knees wobbled, but not from anxiety over the current weather. She was hit with sudden fatigue, which had dropped her eyelids halfway.

There was a ring of magic gathering around them both. The demon appeared to be caged, but it didn’t gnaw at the invisible bars as she expected. It just started at her with such malice it caused her lips to pale.

A column of light struck the kingdom of clouds. It drilled a hole in the middle and scattered the bolts like bowling pins. The magic had a lurid effect among the bleak sky and was far too bright to withstand.

Pinkie had to shield herself from the light while the wind whisked through her mane.

Thunder crackled, its voice booming alongside the pillars of colors. The demon was swallowed within it, and Pinkie soon followed.

There was nothing in the plains and valley except for the pole of brilliance prodding at the sky. The ground protested in violent shudders, but within minutes, the last of the light bled into the clouds and was absorbed.

Underneath the sky was instantly revealed. Pinkie cradled herself like an infant, the grass was now scorched, and the boulder she had stubbornly sat upon smashed to pebbles.
One eye popped open. Her hoof ceased acting as a last-minute helmet, and her senses slowly reactivated. She scanned the landscape and resting upon it, was Pinkamena.

Well, Pinkamena yet not Pinkamena.

Her mouth stood agape in a silent ‘O’ as the demonic mare stirred.

“Well.” Pinkie began, “That’s definitely not something you see every day.”

What was that probing mouse-pitched squeak rattling my eardrums? Gods, it was high and utterly abhorrent to me like a dog whistle. It formed warped words and slapped me with a strange octave that appeared so far away. What was that feeling under me? It was coarse, spongy, and had an earthy smell to it. Where was I?

My eyelids were heavy. I could catch a scent neither sweet nor sour, I couldn't name it, but it was unique. It was masked behind a layer of sweat that had a sharpness to it. It's edge somewhat jump-started my memory and reminded me that I wasn't alone.

I pried open an eye, being first met with blades of grass. The grass was bent from a silhouette that flattened it with hooves. The outline of the shadow was almost a neon pink within my hazy vision.

“...Alright, well, nothing else worked. Guess I’ve gotta do the kiss of life.”

I heard lips smack. The mare above me looked a little confused as to when CPR was appropriate. Right now was not one of those times.

“NoOoO—" I whined, with my hoof outstretched to reject her oncoming approach. When contact was met, I recoiled, I didn't expect her to be so plush. Maybe that was up for debate since I had been deprived of my ability to touch for years. "Please refrain from violating my civil rights, seriously."

“Woooow,” Pinkie prolonged, “you’ve got some pipes, Mena! I’m sure everyone in Equestria could hear that! You’ve got a gift for screaming.”

Pinkie was perched on my chest with a doe-eyed expression that showed a glossy serenity. For a mare that had an unnaturally healthy diet of gluten and sugar, she was surprisingly light. I winced when a whiff of candyfloss overpowered the other scents warring for my attention. My stomach clenched, not of hunger per se, but more of nausea. I didn't like the aroma Pinkie had because of the overwhelming sweetness. It may be a heady perfume to others, but to me, this was more like repellent.

Her eyes reflected like that of a mirror. I could see my scowl growling back at me. Those crimps along the bridge of my nose should have told her long ago that I didn’t enjoy the invasion of my personal space.

“How long was I out?” I asked the pony draped over my stomach and chest.

“Three days.”

My breath formed a lump that caused my voice to crack, “three days?!”

She pressed a hoof to her lips to stifle a snorted laugh. “I’m just joshing you. You were out for a while, but not that long silly. If I had to guess, I'd say about three teensy hours.”

I released a breath that my lungs had held captive. My heart had picked up an alarming pace from Pinkie's unwanted tease. I had almost drowned out her words from the steady drum pounding in my ears. My anxiety spiked for a good reason, three days would have been a dangerous amount of time to be exposed. Pinkie and I had been quite close for a while, you could say I was literally joined to her hip. Hah, but really, my tendency to jump the gun and drop my shackles backfired horribly. How was I supposed to know my black magic abandoned me?

That red tape was on me, a significant error on my part. I had bunked with Pinkie for the long haul in hopes to fly under the radar. Actually, the anniversary of my decade long 'catch-me-if-you-can’ would have been doubled when Pinkie hit the big two-zero. Not that it was terrible to be chained within the depths of another species, but it wasn't an ideal way to spend nineteen years of your immortal life.

Coeus didn’t spend his time with his tail between his legs like I had. It was pretty gutsy of him to announce his return with a freaking meteor. I wasn't trying to be a hypocrite, I know I had blackened the sky with my return to flesh—but, you know, still.

He had always been overweening about his status and power.

"My discomfort from this situation is immeasurable. I dislike the touch of anyone especially snuggling, please respect that and let me breathe without suffocating." I explained before I flicked my hoof downward to direct her on where to sit.

"I'm not snuggling you, I'm sharing body heat. It's a survival tactic, you know. Do you always use that many syllables in one go when you're upset? Do you know how many balloons you could have inflated with that breath?"

She nuzzled me, finding a spot I didn’t know would ache. I magnified my woe, not allowing my discomfort to show. It had been so long that I had forgotten I was still wounded. I could feel a puff from her breath in a relaxed sigh. I hissed my frustration through my teeth, but it didn’t show in my tone.

“Off, now!”

Her lip was pouty, but she obeyed. With an exasperated huff, she rolled off of my stomach and flopped onto her side. I knew Pinkie was a touchy-feely kind of pony, but demons weren't ones to welcome affection as easily as others.

Speaking of demonic behavior, Pinkie’s way of dealing with my other side was… odd. It was the first time anything was dumb enough to brush up against it and ruffle its feathers. In fact, it was so shocked, it feared her in a way. I had never seen any creature, pony, or animal resist its intimidation. Pinkie was different, alright.

Either that, or I was right about the lights being on, but no one was home.

"What happened to you? You just sorta went A-wall, and I was worried. You got all sticky and evil-eyed before saying all this villainy stuff. You said things like 'Arrr, I’m a demon fear me’ and ‘I’m gonna eat you cause you’re tasty' I almost wet myself." Pinkie traced her surroundings with her eyes while touching her top lip with her tongue. She then quickly looked down and continued, "Actually, I kinda did."

I grimaced, “do you ever keep some things to yourself? Or do you identify as an open book?”

“I identify as Pinkie Pie, goofus. I’m very secure about my identity.”

I opened my lips to say something but closed them. I wasn't even going to try and redirect the conversation back to the original source.

She steamrolled past the awkward pause as if what she had said wasn't dodging me in the slightest. “Gonna need an answer on that one.”

I had agreed since the beginning that I wouldn’t expose myself to anyone. The whole point of pretending to be an illusion would have been wasted otherwise. Mortals hated my kind with a passion, a burning passion. Pinkie wouldn't be any different. She was as soft as chewed gum and would tattle on me to Celestia, who would then turn me in. I wasn't a fool, mortals couldn't stomach me. Especially Pinkie, the sins my kind had done would make her far more than just squeamish. No, but seriously, she was very squeamish, like more so than most ponies.

My story had some dark pages in past chapters. They were torn, ripped, and battered from the words written in bloody ink. I would much rather leave them on a shelf to collect heaps of dust, but they were stuck to me with tight seams. I couldn't relieve myself of the pain, and I'd let the pages cut me like shards of glass when I tried to turn to a blank one. My past haunted me every single day. It wasn't one I liked to share, and I didn't owe Pinkie a retelling of the tale. Yet, strangely, if I didn't tell someone, I'd cling so hard to my past it would cut me even deeper. Would Pinkie listen to my history, or would she believe it was just a fairytale?

I did kind of drag her into this… she deserved at least a little explanation.

"...Well, I'm not really categorized with your kind. I happen to be a hybrid between a demon and something else I'm not entirely sure of." I began, bringing my hoof upwards so that my eyes could peek at it."—I change forms quite frequently, and my body changes depending on how much my demon side is active."

Her nose wiggled, and her ears remained perked.

She just stared at me as if she were studying something alien, almost. Well, technically, I was an alien. I didn’t belong here, none of my kind did. Perhaps she feared my appearance? Or maybe she was debating what to do with me. Sure, Pinkie offered friendship, but that was total bull. I’ve experienced how demons have been treated, rightfully so, but it was still on the list of things to be cautious about.

I didn't want to fight Pinkie, I never did. Clearly, I was far from a threat at this point, but she didn't know that. It nerved me when seeing those beady eyes cross-examine my body. I was a little uncomfortable. It reminded me of those long-furry snake things Fluttershy had, what were they called, ferrets?

She shifted to sit upright, “you’re really tall.”

Of course, that was what was on her mind. No concern about a demon that had been a peeping tom in her mirror for years, or the giant firework show from black magic—nope, because my height was clearly the elephant in the room.

“You have wings!”

Her hoof had crept onto my leathery wings in an instant before exploring them with awestruck orbs of blue. Her eyes swept over my form, while instinctively, I attempted to shiver her off.

“Pinkie, no!” I scolded, but I was promptly ignored.

"Look at this!" She urged, stretching out my right-wing and holding the inner side in her left hoof. She glided her other across the outer surface, "I've never seen any wing quite like this! It's scaley, yet soft, it's also really long! Why didn't you have wings in the mirror? Why do they glow orange? Ooo, are those skulls for a Cutie Mark?”

She snooped around my backside while the steam continued to billow out of my ears, metaphorically, of course. I didn't have time for this! Pinkie was more concerned about a demon's physique than a very detailed explanation about why it was here! She had the attention span of a goldfish, and I tipped my hat at anyone who could corral it for more than five minutes. You know, if I wore hats, I’d recommend hoodies.

What was she even doing back there?

"Wow, you're about a whole Pinkie head taller than me! That's even counting my mane on a frizz day! You're also super lean. What kind of diet have you been on in my subconscious? Keto? Vegan? Clearly, you know how to manage carbs— I-I, don't. I'm terrible at it, as I say I'm here for a good time not a long time!"

I had many questions about that last statement.

"That's enough." I interrupted, shaking her grip off of my back leg. She was knocked onto her rump before she dared to blow a raspberry at me. "—Pinkie, this is serious. I can't waste time playing with you. If your curiosity has been fulfilled, I need to be on my way."

"Wait a minute!" Pinkie halted, sweeping in front of me as if that would interrupt my urge to swerve around her. "—Where are you going? We're just getting to know each other! Now all my friends can see that you're real and that I wasn't—"

“No!" I pleaded, "Do not tell The Elements of Harmony! That would be very, very, very dangerous to my health. The Elements... I… we… well, we just don't really get along. In fact, it's safe to say they are hazardous. Don't tell your friends I'm here, for both your sake and mine. Can you do this simple task?"

Her face was blank. “....Why?”

There was that pesky stare again, my God! She was a curious thing, but she wasn't one to deceive her friends. I had asked her to lie about me and to pretend she didn’t know I was real. She would never keep something from her best friends, and I was stupid to even ask for such a thing. Pinkie couldn't even keep a secret about Shining Armor's baby— what in Gaia's green earth would prevent her from doing the same with my secret?

She’s the absolute worst at secrets. Judging by her look, she didn’t appear very happy with my silence and was growing impatient about my response. Perhaps she’d understand my side if I told it first. Unlikely, but it was an option.

“Pinkie, I really don’t want to be the one to break this to you,” I began, lowering my tone to a warmer degree. “Remember that comet that we saw the other night?”

“The space rock that Maud likes to collect before intimately snuggling with?”

“Yes, wait, no. Huh?” My eyebrows formed crimps. Her expression didn’t change, once more refusing to follow up more on the subject. I hated it when she did that, "—It wasn't a space rock, or a meteor, comet, not even space debris. It's an… old rival of mine who happened to have been gone for a while. A… Titan."

She pursed her lips. "Mena, what's a Titan? Sounds kinda bad-guy-ish. Is it something that spells inevitable doom for Equestria? We get that a lot."

Inevitable doom wouldn’t be the half of it. Try extinction. I didn’t expect her to know what a Titan happened to be since the last time one was seen was two thousand years ago. The only one who would have lived long enough to remember was Celestia, and oh, she remembered.

She was not fond of me, obviously.

"Titans are what you call a lion among sheep. To the best of my knowledge, they were here before even Equestria was formed. Before you were born, before I was born, and even before Celestia was an Alicorn."

Pinkie swatted her hoof with a trill of her lips. "Pfft… that can't be true. Celestia was here before sliced bread. She's oooooold.”

She fell into a gale of laughter. The way her voice chortled in such a childish manner had annoyed me over the years. Eventually, my irritation wouldn't bother to bubble up since it was so free and pure despite it being carried into adulthood. It had a unique charm to where one would consider overlooking the immaturity in it.

Titans were much more than just lions. The one I knew was a hunter, and a long time ago, I was his sheep. His name was Coeus, Lord of the North. He had Equestria wrapped around his hooked claw the last time we had met on the battlefield. I was positive his allegiance with Celestia hadn't changed. It appeared she had him on speed dial considering what she said after the Gala.

How would one go about telling a sunshine child about war? Where would I start? Should I begin before the bloodshed or after it? Or perhaps somewhere in between the mature and PG-13 version? I needed to figure it out, I had run out of time, but I didn’t mean I had somewhere to be. I had run out of time to stall.

She had no idea about the war stirring. I didn’t think it would be right to even tell her, yet, I had to. The Elements of Harmony were Celestia’s trump card, both a strength and a weakness. I was fooled once, and I paid heavily for it.

She would soon find out that I had to fight her friends. As well as fighting her.

“...Maybe you should sit down.” I coaxed, gesturing to a patch of grass beside me.

I wasn't always a monster. I could be gentle when I needed to be like when I had to deliver harsh news to a sensitive pink Ponk. News that could be somewhat soul-crushing. She may stare at me with eyes full of betrayal, but it had to be done. No amount of pleading could stop what would be. I had to be tough on her even if it did utterly… annihilate… her trust in me. I had to do this even if it felt like I was hitting a filly in the face.

I had been avoiding her look, but I failed. I could see a part of it from the corner of my eye. My choices were not at their best this evening. That look tugged at the rusty strings of my heart, she trusted me, a demon. If she weren’t so innocent, my vocabulary would have flared up into some colorful curses.

By the Gods, I couldn’t crush this pony’s soul! This was Pinkie Pie. She didn't know what war was, and she would never grasp the concept of it.

“You are the absolute worst pony to explain this to. The universe has a hilarious sense of humor. Regardless, we need to have a serious chat. Come, sit.” I offered, grazing my hoof on the tips of grass blades in hopes that she’d join me.

She lumbered forward, sitting down shoulder-to-shoulder. The silence was awkward to me. I held air in my cheeks while grinding the gears in my brain. I needed to be accurate but along the lines of censorship.

The whole realm of Equestria had changed since the last time I was around. Now they've got the entire province convinced life was about rainbooms and happy little critters. From time to time, a boorish creature would stomp on their parade, but why bother worrying? The Elements of Harmony would just use their little artifacts of death to rainboom you to oblivion, so who would care? No big bad wolves here to worry about, right? Wrong.

Celestia had kept peace because of that illusion. She had buried the history in which my story had been sworn to silence in an earthy grave. The final nail was my banishment, and there Equestria's secrets would have been sealed. If I had died, that is.

“...You asked about what happened, and I know you’re wondering why I’m here and what I am. Have you ever wondered how the heavens and earth came to be?”

She replied, "One day, I asked Twilight about heaven. Since it's in the clouds, it should be pretty easy to reach by air travel, aka, The Pinkie Balloon. She kinda gave me a funky glare and muttered under her breath that it wasn't real. She then gave me a very lengthy chit-chat about how religion was just a way to rub a non-existent deity in every pony's faces. She called herself an atheist… I think that's the word she used, which is crazy because we both saw heaven!"

My stare had been focused elsewhere for a while, but they found Pinkie’s eyes. “You’ve seen heaven?”

She giggled, her muzzle crinkling to expose her top teeth in a smile. “Of course, I don’t know why every pony is acting like it's some high-end party place. I’d give it three stars at best. The rainbows were nice, a little spicy, but doable. The clouds are bouncy, the sports are fair, and the tour was meh. Twilight must feel pretty silly after my balloon idea worked."

My face fell. Was it truly possible for a pony to be this stupid? I would never say my thoughts aloud, but you could knock on her skull, and it would echo. There was nothing there. I had to resist the urge to investigate if my theory held water.

“—Pinkie. Cloudsdale isn’t heaven.”

“Uh-Whahaaaat?” She responded in an overly exaggerated gasp. Her eyes were dilated as if I had just told her the earth wasn't flat back in the old days. “But-but, Fluttershy has a pet named Angel… that’s a dead giveaway to their dirty little secret!”

“Anyway,” I continued through a vexed and clenched jaw. “—There are two ancient Titans that created most of what you see. The air, the grass, the dirt, and the sky. One is Gaia, the one they call Mother Earth, and the other Uranus.”

Pinkie hiccuped, choking on her breath before bringing her hooves to her lips. “That’s a funny word.”

It’s like talking to a brick wall. I was not trying to be rude, but she wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. You could compare her to that ridiculous white crayon that came with the pack and tried to fit in. She was trying, but her contribution was less than useless.

I tucked a lock of my mane behind my ear, "They created Titans. I am aware of one, Coeus, but none of the others. Long ago, Gaia had an era called the Golden Age in which everything was arguably perfect.”

Pinkie glanced around my left side. Her wandering eyes didn’t distract me from continuing. It was just a quirk Pinkie had that you either ignored or excused.

"—Twelve of them are said to keep the balance of life functioning. One happened to have three sons, in which the second tier was born. They were called Olympians, but mortals fondly call them Gods. These Gods didn't really agree with their father Cronus, and so they started a war—"

"—Pinkamena, there's an arrow in your shoulder," she interrupted.

“This war,” I spat, trying to continue my freaking conversation for like the fifth time. “—Was between all Titans and newborn Gods. The Titanomachy. Led by the eldest son, Zeus, they struck down their father and banished the remaining Titans into Tartarus—”

She placed a hoof on my shoulder blade. “That’s a pretty big ouchie. Umm… I think you need medical help. Like an: ‘arrow-in-my-body,’ doctor.”

“Let. Me. Finish. Please!" I slapped my hooves together in a 'prayer' position and touched the tips of them to my lips. "I just want to explain so you won't be caught off guard, and then we can part as unlikely friends."

There was a sharp prick near my upper back.

“Ooo. Oo. That looks bad, we are going to need a lot of bandaids. The head is really stuck in there, like when you lose the cap to your icing tube inside the cake batter. It's pretty hard to fish out."

I recoiled with a throaty roar. Pinkie leaned back, removing her hoof from where it had rested. She was flabbergasted by my reaction, how rude of me, perhaps I should have warned her before she so carelessly broke the no-touch rule.

I parted us with a wing and scooted her a few inches away, “why would you touch it?!”

Her right forelimb draped over my wing as her left hoof pointed forward. “Cause you need help! Now that I’m looking at you, you’re pretty banged up. You look like you got in a fight with an archery range, and lost. I don’t think the other guy looks as bad as you either, no offense, I’m sure you held your own. Archery ranges are tough cookies.”

I wet my lips and avoided eye contact. My eyes had disobeyed me and had taken their line of sight to my legs and stomach. Pinkie wasn't wrong. Not that I was expecting a different outcome, but it wasn't very uplifting to see yourself mimic the poor soul who pissed off Rarity’s cat. Slashes from claws advertised memories of my past battles, as well as gashes from sharpened swords. They were scars far from the spoils of war I wished to gain. Then, Pinkie had politely pointed out another, which was sticking out from behind my vision.

Well, on a regular basis, yeah, I should have noticed. What kind of moron doesn't see half an arrow sticking out of their shoulder? Me, apparently.

"I… urg… mmgh—" Pinkie hacked with her face as green as what you'd expect nausea to look like. "Mmmkgh…"

When I mentioned Pinkie was squeamish, I was actually serious about that. She covered her lips with half a hoof. Her face was about as knotted and twisted up as I imagined her stomach to feel. She then grimaced as if she could already taste the inching warmness and the aftertaste in the back of her throat.

“I’ll be fine. Demons regenerate, it may take two millennia,” I muttered begrudgingly, “—but it’ll heal… some time… probably.”

Pinkie looked woozy and a little light-headed. "No… no voodoo magic. Need.. hospital… and modern-day medicine… urk. Mmgurgh.”

That didn’t sound like an ‘I-should-be-within-five-feet,’ sound at all. Removing myself from the splash range would be an intelligent move right about now. Pinkie’s face was dulled into a pale-pink and dotted with a layer of cold sweat. Yep, those dilated eyes meant she was about to blow.

“This way!” She suddenly announced, shooting her hoof into the air and veering around to point forward. She wiggled herself into a standing position, “weeee-ooooooo!”

I wasn't super familiar with the encyclopedia-length definition that explained each of Pinkie’s abnormal sounds, but this was matter-of-factly a knock off of a siren. Or an attempt. At least she put some effort into it, but it wouldn’t win first prize at the fair.

"No thanks," I declined. My goal was to keep my voice as light and as polite as possible. Hospitals weren't too well-read when it came to demon anatomy. I doubted any insurance company had a policy for my kind, anyway. “Pinkie, I have to get moving.”

I had hit a forked road here. I couldn't just let Pinkie roam around knowing what I was, she'd crack like falling glass as soon as someone questioned her. I also couldn't keep her on a leash and attach her to my hip, either. When I possessed her body, I had a plan I… just… well, I couldn’t convince myself to go through with it.

My demon side didn’t like me going back on my word.

So I had two very different options. One, I could consensually kidnap Pinkie Pie, or you know, kidnap her the regular way.

I wasn't going to kill or hurt her. She wouldn’t even notice she was a captive. I'd never actually hurt a pony— no, no, Pinkie wouldn't actually be kidnapped. She just had to stay away from her friends. So, in other words, I was going to have to babysit her. I really wanted to avoid that option, since that meant I had to actually look after her until I had a solid plan.

She jumped out in front of me. Again, not entirely educated on Pinkie sounds, but I think she just made the sound of a skidding tire.

"—Wait a minute," She declined while pressing two hooves onto my chest and anchoring her tush into the ground. "Y-You can't leave, there's still so much I've gotta know about you! We also have to yank that thing right out of your—"

“No! Don’t touch it, dear God, please!” I begged, removing her hooves that felt like fishing hooks digging into my skin. Her grip was oddly desperate and clingy, “I’d much rather have anyone other than you do it!”

Her face darkened from a slash of hurt. Immediately, I felt a sting of remorse. I wasn't trying to be insolent toward her offer since I knew she was only trying to help. I could take care of myself, and I didn't need to be nursed by an Element of Harmony who may or may not still be on the ropes about keeping our truce.

Pinkie’s face was animated with more than just annoyance. She was not very happy with me. Her eyes squinted, challengingly, before a hoof sank into the giant puffball that was her disheveled mane. I was surprised at how dense it was, regardless if you wanted to look or not, her disappearing act was impressive. Half her limb was absorbed in the mess like a sinkhole.

Slowly she pawed out a yellowish paper. It was bent up, peeling, and water-damaged as if it had been through a few showers. She pinned it between two hooves before flicking her wrists to present the front side to me. She had quite the conceited smirk on her face as if she had just beaten me in a chess game.

I looked downward, and I still didn't get it. "Pinkie, this is an Uno card."

“Mhmm!” She chirped, once more nudging the card forward.

There was a pause. Perhaps I was too dim-witted to understand Pinkie’s realm, but it was an Uno card. The behavior of the Pinkius Pieicus, as Twilight had named, was quite something to behold indeed.

“....I don’t… I don’t understand.” I admitted, her sigh of dissatisfaction following quickly after.

“It’s an Uno skip card, duh. It means you aren’t allowed to deny my assistance because your opinions on the matter have been disabled. Therefore, in the rule book, which I totally read— you can’t make an action. Speaking is an action, rejecting me is an action, and you can’t do these things until it's your turn again.”

My entire expression was rounded all the way from my lips and eyes. Not in fear, more so questioning why I was even bothering with this mare. That was never how Uno had worked, and I didn't think anyone bothered to tell her.

"—Simon says, follow Pinkie." She commanded, flicking a hoof over her head and gesturing for us to get moving.

I...what… huh? This didn't make sense! My best bet was to roll with it, as of now, I didn't have much of a plan. Pinkie needed to stay away from her friends until she knew my side of the story. Once she was grouped with them, it was game over.

They’d hound me like a pack of starved wolves.

I followed closely. Pinkie bounced along the grass, humming some improvised tune of mirth. I stepped on a patch of bristles that was dampened, and I wrinkled my nose. I did a little waddle to flick off the mud from them, before once more tailing my guide. I hadn't felt water in a very long time. Or sunlight, heat, cold, and any sensation others may have had trouble imagining life without.

It was strange.

—Being back on the earth as a full form, smelling the forest in its prime. It was fading into fall, and so the scents of pine and crisp winds were evident. The grass was tangled with colored leaves, which I happened to notice when we crunched through them. Speaking of smells, I ached to feel taste.

The agony of going years without quenching my thirst had nipped at me. The same was told for food. I hungered, and I hungered terribly.

Demons fed on emotions you see, but not for nutrients. We happened to suck negative emotions to fuel our power, and consumed souls to absorb the owner’s abilities. When it came to what I wanted on my plate, a caesar salad is what I’d prefer.

—But not what I needed.

We're carnivores. Predators existed in Equestria, and eating meat wasn't as shunned as it was in the old days. Griffons had a more meaty diet back in the day, even picking on smaller species if they got hungry enough. Of course, this was outlawed when the nations agreed that it was an unnecessary onslaught.

My kind, well, I’d keep this to myself until the day I’m dead and gone— but we eat, you know….

Pinkie.

Not her specifically, but her species. I'd never in a million centuries do something like that. I couldn't vouch for my other half, however. It didn't agree with my choice of eating something less alive and green. It liked its prey still squirming on the dinner table. It was why I chained myself in her subconscious. I couldn't be trusted when it came to my unwanted urges.

One slip up, and the demon had already sharpened its claws.

I had been absorbed in my own thoughts for quite some time that I didn’t notice Pinkie had been flapping her gums.

“—Dashie said eating a bunch of sweets would make it all go to my hips or my tushy-tush. So I started throwing sacks of flour to get all lean with a few tiny bites here and there. She came back to tell me everypony thought I was getting even bigger, hearsay! It’s just my floof, you can agree, right Mena?’

"I'm not familiar with the word floof, " I said, drowsily coming back from my own thinking.

“It’s a cinnamon for fur,” She responded.

“I think you mean synonym, Pinkie. It’s not pronounced that way.”

She snorted, "I'm pretty sure I'm up to snuff with my English classes. It's pronounced cinnamon."

No, it's not. It's really, really, not. My eye roll was so emphasized I was positive I got a good look at my brain. It was best to ignore her and let her yap on.

Pinkie was much more friendly than I expected. She either didn't know a lot about demons or was a little foolish.

Sure, she might be questioning how evil I could have possibly been. She figured out I shook the entire mountain to crush the timberwolves, restarted the fire, and kept pushing for her to survive. Honestly, I would have been freed if she would have perished. That was why my demonic half was getting pissy.

If she would have died, The Elements of Harmony would be shattered, my secret would be safe, and it would weaken Coeus significantly.

Even though I was trying to save their planet, could I truly live with the idea of sacrificing others for the greater good? The answer had always been no.

I was weak in that aspect.

A cry of victory shredded my last thoughts. “Mena, look! Shelter! I have provided!”

How long had we been walking? It felt like a few minutes. Apparently, our walk had been quite long because the sun now looked like melted butter on the horizon. The sky had announced that it was sunset, and it cast a golden hue upon the valley. A weather-beaten barn rested within a wheat field that had been tucked in the plains. A lonely cottage was snuggled between two rugged trees with vines constricting the cobblestone walls.

Pinkie shielded her face with a hoof. “What a score, it looks like it's abandoned too! I don’t think anypony would mind if we just slipped on in there, dontcha think?”

I was beyond relieved to notice the entire property was vacant. Pinkie would have had a hard time dragging me anywhere near places with… life.

I'd expect Equestria to have abandoned houses with rotting frames and squirming termites in places like this. The woods were infested with timberwolves, and it wouldn't take a genius to gather up their savings and find better farmland. Yet, these crops looked healthy. It wasn't impossible for plants to grow without care, and it could very well be wild wheat, but something didn't seem right. It was too innocent and easy.

Pinkie divided the golden vegetation that was up to our hips with her stride. She cut a path through the wheat and scattered little grains from the crops into the air. I felt a little tickle when one of these reeds brushed against my muzzle. I tensed up, snapped my hooves together, and hunched over in a sneeze.

Allergies. Wretched Mother Nature.

I sniveled and rubbed the back of my hoof against my nose. Pinkie had crushed a path in minutes, which made my stroll a lot easier. I followed closely, careful to avoid more pollen clouds that would sucker punch me at any given moment.

She bounced out into an opening where the wheat had faded into visible grass. It was unkempt and wild, with several dandelions and onion grass that sprouted from clover. This property had been left to rot, no doubt. The entire cottage was a crumbling skeleton of what it had been.

I wrinkled my nose. The whole place smelled like rat droppings. Ugh.

"Come on, come on. Let's see what kind of treasures are here," Pinkie invited in an oddly playful tune. "—Who knows what will be inside! It could be a lion or a witch… or a wardrobe! Or something inside the wardrobe, like Narnia. The world may never know, but we would!”

I came up by her shoulder as she dusted off a window. Her entire hoof was coated in whatever grime she had just wiped off. Okay, ew. She didn’t appear to mind and peered inside by pressing her entire face against it.

“Thuh drr iz luocced.” She said, still breathing steam onto the glass.

Her voice was muffled and dulled by her entire face being squished. I gently took my hoof and pushed it under her chin. I then tugged her throat away from the window, and her muzzle popped right off the glass. She took a large gulp of air, while I stared at the imprint she left. I had no idea her smushed face could mold like playdough and make such a work of art. I held back a chuckle.

"English, please," I replied.

“The door is locked.” She repeated, pointing at the bolted door. “Gonna need a little something, something, to get it open. Watch this!”

She strolled around to the door's front. She flipped around to where her back hooves now faced it, and her head was visible to me. She gave me a reassuring nod and balanced her weight onto her front limbs. She angled her back ones up into the air and then let loose.

“HUAH!”

Dust fluttered forward, and there was a heavy thud. Unfortunately, that was about the only exciting thing that happened.

I rolled my eyes yet again. If I were to keep doing so, my eyes would roll right out of my head. She looked disappointed, pouting at the undamaged hinges as if they would be shamed by her evil glare.

"Well, now I'm convinced physics is a myth. When you kick something, it's supposed to go 'flop’ and fall down!” Pinkie berated while furrowing her brows, “—This is unacceptable!”

“Not to ruin whatever it is you’re trying to do, but aren’t locked things supposed to be a sign to you know… stay out?”

Pinkie threw her hoof toward the ground. "Well, this mat says 'Welcome,' so your argument is invalid. Therefore, I'm going to accept their offer and come inside even if it means I have to break down this door!" She looked a little too aggressive about the problem when she turned and marched toward the window. "You hear me! I accept your oddly secured welcome invitation!”

"Pinkie, this is trespassing. I don't think this place is abandoned—"

She placed both hooves on the glass window, before whipping back to stare at me. “No, we’re venturing onto another pony’s property without their permission.”

“That’s—” I stopped, rubbing the anger from my temple with a hoof. “—That’s what trespassing means! It’s also illegal!”

While I massaged the tension from my head, there was a loud crack. Something shattered, hooking my attention and making me snap back up to look at what had happened! Pinkie was worming her forelimb through a purposefully made hole in the window. I was utterly shocked, and my mouth was slacked.

“Pinkie… what in the actual hell are you doing?”

She stuck out her tongue in concentration. Then she decided to press her shoulder into the window frame to lean in further. “I’m getting the bolt cropper they left on the desk near their living room window.”

Her voice was so casual and unbothered that it nerved me.

"You're getting arrested," I replied flatly while crossing my forelimbs over my chest. "—Like with charges of breaking and entering.”

Pinkie leaned back out from the window. She held a silver bolt cropper within her grip in which she flipped into the air before catching. She cheesed at me, before slinging it over her shoulder and showing some spunk in her strut toward the door.

"Nah. Dontcha know the rules? We already sinned when we broke the window. If you commit one sin, you've already been a bad pony. If you're the lowest of the low, you can't go farther than that, right? As they say, once you hit rock bottom, you can only go up! So in order to no longer be on the naughty list, you've just gotta do good things. Do one good thing for each bad thing, and it cancels each other out! Easy peasy!"

I put up my right hoof with it slightly bent. I then put it back down. There were just so many things wrong with what she said I wasn't even going to try.

Pinkie angled the bolt cutter's teeth on one of the light chains securing the door. "This chain is wrapped around even on the inside. No amount of brute force is gonna crack it. With this lock busting thingamajigger, I can crack it open like a very stubborn ostrich egg!"

She fiddled with her position, and my hooves remained crossed.

I then filled the silence. “I find it odd that the owner had something that just so happens to break through the chain fortress on their door.”

She blew a raspberry. "Well, duh, if you get locked out of your house, you need something to help you get back in. Cause if they lose their key, that would be prettttty bad. So most ponies hide a little tool, which I exploit, in order to get into places. Many ponies don't know that the oldest trick in the book is either the key under the mat or the bolt cropper near the window. 'Ol Pinkie knows."

"So, in other words, you break into houses for God knows what."

“Correctamundo,” She agreed while putting pressure onto the cutter’s ends. “Anyhoodle… almost got it open. Mmmgh!”

The chains didn’t budge. She once more applied pressure, but her strength was no match for the flimsy locks that rejected her. She wiped non-existent sweat from her crinkled forehead, but this time, pushed her upper body over the bolt cropper.

I blew silent air from my nostrils. The words she said before… I wondered if—

My curiosity led me to the worn ‘welcome’ mat Pinkie sat on. She paid me no mind while I gently brushed my hoof over the bristles bent out of shape. I tugged at a corner before peeling it up from the grass it rested on. Something decided to play peek-a-boo from under it and smiled it’s shining face in the falling sun.

Well, would you look at that?

“There’s a key under the mat.”

Pinkie paused mid-push. Her head slowly turned my way and met my smug expression. Her face looked like it was radiating so much heat from the embarrassment that I could cook a three-course meal on it. Her lips were pressed tight as she addressed me.

“Are… are you serious?”

I nodded, my lips parting to reveal a fanged grin. Ouch, that must have been humiliating.

“You didn’t think to check that first? It could have saved you a lot of effort,” I teased, watching as her face darkened a few shades.

“Don’t question my logic!”

I sat with a knavish grin while she swiped the key from under the mat and jammed it into the key lock. She muttered more things under her breath, jiggling it around until it gave in and clicked to symbolize being unlocked. She used her spare hoof to push on the battered door, and it groaned when opening at that of a snail's pace.

Her shadow fell upon the wooden floorboards, and I leaned forward to look inside. The windows were withered and yellowed by time. It was a rotting heap, musty, and the air was pungent like it had been soaked in mold. There was a fireplace that was cracked and worn with a gathering of dust bunnies scattered around a woodpile.

Pinkie ventured first with a hesitant step through the door frame. I followed suit, stepping on the spongy floorboards that flexed under my weight. My eyes wandered to the walls that were nearly caved in like a loaf of bread that was prematurely removed from the oven. Ugh… the fumes were ghastly. This place was a biohazard, and I was sure the spores I breathed in weren't healthy.

“...Remind me again why we have decided to break into what appears to be a hidden lair.”

Pinkie either didn't hear me or chose to ignore my question. I was dismissed for a while as she broke off to scavenge through the kitchen by ripping open drawers. She rummaged for something, but my attention turned from her.

I stared at the wall. A grandfather clock was tucked neatly within the shadows. It sat upon a bed of flaking paint from the damaged plaster. It reminded me of dandruff. This whole place was disgusting. There was no saving it, and whoever owned this place just needed to burn it. Just dump an entire can of gasoline, chuck in a lighter, blame your crazy ex and collect the insurance money. Two birds killed with one stone.

Something shrieked, and I jumped about eighty feet. A mouse scurried under my hooves, making me stomp around to try and avoid it.

I heard a giggle behind me. Pinkie continued to gather what appeared to be supplies tucked under her forelimb and elbow.

“It’s just a mouse, he’s probably looking for a cheese wheel. Not going to lie, I’ve been looking for one too. I’m hungry.”

“Why are we here?” I demanded, observing the vermin scamper up the clock and disappear within a chewed hole in the wood. “S-So many diseases are in here. At least forty not counting rabies.”

“Medical supplies,” Pinkie muttered, zoning in on something underneath the kitchen sink. “—And some food, I’m sure whoever lived here wouldn’t mind.”

“Wouldn’t mind you stealing? I doubt it.”

She slapped the cabinet door shut and turned to face me with her hoof still lingering on it. “It’s called borrowing.”

“Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night,” I replied with a light shrug. “Besides, I don’t think anyone is coming back here for a few pieces of gauze and some expired cans of discounted beans.”

I kicked one of the cans that I had found on the ground. It made a loud clank before bouncing off the wall and spinning around aimlessly. I was about to turn away, but something caught my eye. Instead of a sealed can meeting my gaze, I instead was met with a hollowed one. An empty and consumed can of beans.

Mmmm, this didn’t smell right. It had the stench of something fishy around here.

I crouched, falling silent, before nudging the edge with my nose. I could smell something’s scent still lingering on the outside where he had held it. A stallion, young, perhaps not even old enough to grow his first chin hairs. It was fresh. Whoever had eaten this hadn't left that long ago. Maybe they were still— AYGGGGG!

My jaws unhinged in an involuntary screech that rattled the windows!

Out of instinct, I couldn’t help but snap back at whatever had dared to touch a very sensitive wound on my body! I craned my head around to my right side, where an idiotic Ponk still had her hoof planted upon the arrow embedded in my flesh.

I lunged, she didn’t move, but I was able to pull myself out of my blind rage. My teeth clapped right in front of her face, any closer, and I would have had her throat.

She blinked at me without a twinge of fear.

“I’ve gotta get it out, Mena,” She responded flatly. “Ouchies like this get infected, and then they turn into major second-tier ouchies. You do not want it to turn into a third-tier yikesie either, trust me."

I couldn’t promise her safety if she were to be careless enough as to touch me again.

“Please refrain from placing your dirty mitts on me! I strongly despise contact, how many times would you like this repeated before you understand?" I warned, reverting my gaze, so she didn't sizzle under my death glare. "—I don't like others touching me. I'm not used to it, nor do I require it. I'll regenerate."

“It’ll be easy! Like yanking out one of those pieces during the game Operation! The only difference is its crusty, messy, and…. A-and… mmgh—" I heard something bubble in her throat, and she pushed a hoof to her lips to keep something from coming out. "Bloody… and really… urrrup… deep in there.”

I wrinkled my nose. “And you expect me to entrust this kind of burden on you?”

“Absotootly!”

Laughable. Indisputably the worst thing I could put my trust in.

I pressed my hoof against her nose.

“No,” I whispered.

Her face twisted up as if she detested my answer. I, again, bent down to investigate the can and ignored Pinkie who had slipped behind my other shoulder. She sat down the gauze and the bottle of over-the-counter hydrogen peroxide. My stomach gurgled, and I hesitated for a moment.

Beans… the reminisce of them smelled so…

Right, I hadn't eaten in nineteen years. Real food at least.

“How did you get those wounds, Mena?” She asked, unwrapping the gauze and measuring a certain length. “You’re really hurt.”

My jaw locked. I didn’t like the memories that came with them.

“Do you mean the arrow? Or all of them in general?” I replied.

“All of them,” She answered.

She grew still, her eyes a gentle gaze filled with warm concern.

“Remember when I was talking about Coeus and the Titans? The Titanomachy specifically. Gaia believes you mortals are incapable of keeping the peace, she dislikes how you all are exploiting the planet. Pollution and war are big factors, you don't own this world, you're simply borrowing it." I began, twirling the empty bean container with a stray hoof. "Coeus was born from Gaia, and so he shares the same vision as she does. Titans are mindless drones in the presence of Mother Earth, few have their own opinions. A long time ago, I didn't know about Titans. I trusted him."

She cocked her head while engrossed in my story. “He… did this to you?”

I shook my head. "No, not all of them, the little wounds were from your kind. A long time ago, two thousand years to be precise, I lived among a nation where races weren't divided. Our culture was to be accepting. I knew Tirek and Chrysalis during their teenage years, funny enough."

Her eyebrows did a funky dance in amusement. “—Wait. You've lived over two thousand years? You don't look that much older than me! I didn't think the fountain of youth existed, we've gotta tell Rarity. She's been worrying about a gray mane ever since I came to Ponyville!"

I withheld a laugh, but my lips curled into a small smile. “No, the fountain of youth isn’t what I used to become immortal, Pinkie. Demons don’t actually age. Neither do Titans. At the age of sixteen, I went through a metamorphosis once my demonic side consumed the negativity and fear I felt. Just as you witnessed, it gets stronger when fear is involved. It doesn't care who it feeds upon."

I looked at my hoof. There was once a time I had paws. I was knocked unbalanced once Coeus went rogue and destroyed our kingdom. I was the only survivor. Demons are much more resilient to fire. Perhaps he wanted me to live, he couldn’t have possibly been that stupid. He knew what I was. There was no possibility that he could make such a dire mistake. Demons didn’t burn. Not by the Elements, not by fire, not by anything.

She laid her hoof on my shoulder to provide comfort. Once she made contact, I flinched, expecting it to sting. It didn't, and I was ashamed at how I expected it to. I associated it with pain because I had lived so long that every physical interaction stung like walking through a nettle pasture. No one dared to touch a demon with affection.

“So that thing I saw… that was your demonic half? Why haven’t I seen it before?” She asked, with her voice down several octaves. I had never heard her voice so flat, it was almost pained, “—Is that why you were chained?”

I nodded. "I had to. I grew a hatred for mortals. Yet, you were innocent of these crimes ponykind has done. You've done no harm, but as I said, my demon does not forgive. To prevent myself from hurting you, I chained myself with binds created from black magic. I then fed on your emotions to regenerate and hide from Gaia and Coeus. As long as I was chained, it couldn't escape to harm you. Nor could I."

Her hoof inched higher. “So it wants to eat bad vibes to get all big and muscly, right? You could have told it spinach does the trick, Mama Pie taught me that one. My Pinkie sense is telling me that might have been the reason you were being a Pinkameanie.”

"Mhmm," I answered, "The more I feed, the stronger my demonic power becomes. If I were to feed on negatives like your despair or anger, I would heal faster. I convinced myself that you would one day side with Gaia, and so, I had a chip on my shoulder before I even truly knew your future intentions. Black Magic is considered evil— for a good reason. It comes from demons and is learnable by every race. You, Twilight, even Discord could harness it if you wish. As long as you know the spells and accept the consequences. That was also the magic used to unseal me."

Pinkie’s hoof was warm. It was soothing to feel another. My wounds ached, and my memories of them stung once again. I was still a teen. I could live for ten thousand more years, twenty even. It wouldn't change that I hadn't experienced adulthood. How could you learn to be an adult if you were never given a chance? I was sent to war when I was sixteen. Alone.

“...So to understand, you get more powerful when I start feeling down?”

"Yes," I agreed, "—I… I didn't know what else to do to heal or to hide. When I was sixteen, my home Everglade was demolished by Coeus. We were both adopted by the king, who had pity on us. Coeus wished to dominate, and I wished to keep the peace. We never agreed on how to run the kingdom once my father stepped down, and so he decided if he couldn't have it, no one would."

I felt her stroke the tender flesh that had throbbed for two millennia. They were wounds that were still healing from that awful war. Her emotions did heal me to a degree, but not enough to fully recover.

I continued, "he left Everglade one early morning. I didn't stop him. I was… saddened when he left. If he felt his destiny was not with us, I had no reason to demand him to stay. As I watched him disappear over the hill, I mourned him. I considered him a brother, but I didn't know… I didn't know he left to destroy us all. Gaia had gotten to him like every Titan born from Mother Earth. The Golden Age was all she cared about, and now that burden is on her son. She convinced him that with me here, the Age of Titans couldn't be revived."

She was right. As long as I fought, Titans would not roam free on this planet. For the remaining time I lived, Coeus and Gaia were threatened. I was foolish, I trusted him because he was family. It was a blind trust the young have, for why would someone you love and look up to, want to harm you? No child would ever be prepared for that harsh lesson of reality.

My stare was heavily focused onto the uneven floorboards as Pinkie spoke, “—Mena… what is Coeus here to do?”

There was a knot in her throat, I could hear it in her voice. She was trembling and I could smell something seeping off of her. It was a sweet aroma that beckoned for my attention.

𝕱𝖊𝖆𝖗

My lip curled. My mouth was salivating, I was so badly starving.

“You need to listen to me very carefully, Pinkie." I forewarned, while my stomach expressed its eagerness to slate its hunger with a growl. "I understand you don't know much of what's going on, nor do I. I've been playing a lot of this by ear, but I can say that in the presence of a starved demon, you cannot show fear. I'm weak, and my control over my urges aren't as stable as they used to be."

Demons didn’t feed much on emotions for nutrition, but the flesh of who it belonged to was a very desired treat. Imagine drizzling some ketchup on fries. Most ponies wouldn't find straight-up ketchup as a full meal, but adding it to other foods made it much more appealing. The fries by themselves are fine, but with that condiment… they were two peas in a pod. This wasn't any different. You could say that fear was just a sauce to make a meal more desirable.

I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. My teeth clamped on my tongue from the sudden feeling I was unprepared for. I lurched forward with bristling fur!

“AUAGH!” I wailed, chomping down on a hoof to prevent my screams of agony from shaking the cottage like booming thunder. “Wha… mmghr!”

I could hardly speak from the wind being knocked out of me. It felt like a gut punch, which was so sharp, it summoned a tear in one eye. My entire body was shivering from a fervent icy-hot chill running down my spine. It hurt, it hurt so bad!

I turned to Pinkie, my eyes bulging when seeing an arrowhead lodged within silver kitchen tongs. Her lips were pale, and her teeth were clenched behind her lips. She looked like she really regretted that decision.

“Pinkamena, I had to get it out.”

I was going to go for the throat in about three seconds. It took every ounce of my willpower to not maul the pony in front of me. I knew she was trying to help, but that was completely uncalled for! I groaned back my urge in a heavy sigh, one of those sighs that was more of a snarl than an exhale.

I bit my tongue too. I didn’t like that metallic taste whenever it happened.

“You… You are horrible!” I shrieked, slapping a hoof over the pulsating wound. “You can’t just do things like that, Pinkie! What’s wrong with you?!”

She cautiously put down the tongs. She then shot her hooves into the air as if to tell me nothing else was up her sleeve.

“You need medical help, bad. I’m dead serious, you’re hurt, and I’m worried!”

I opened my mouth to say something, but I only huffed as I stood up. I needed to remove myself before things got out of control. My temper was unusually high to the point of danger, and Pinkie was right in the middle of the storm.

I was blundering toward the door, unable to see straight from my dizziness. I fumbled around for the doorknob before pushing the busted door open. I nearly fell on my chin when forgetting to step over the tiny concrete step at the entrance.

I could hear Pinkie Pie’s steps behind me. “You won’t go to the hospital! My only other option was to look for medical supplies, that’s why I came here! Mena… Mena!”

The second time she called my name was much more stern. I didn’t know where in the name of the Gods I was going, but I wasn't staying here. Something was trailing after me. I could hear Pinkie’s hooves squish in the tilled dirt.

I did not trust Pinkie. Not with personal space, not with secrets, not with my wounds— not with anything! I was being courteous by explaining my side before the war raged on, but she could fend for herself!

No… No, I was being careless. I wasn't that ruthless, Pinkie wasn't a pawn on a chessboard. I couldn’t manipulate her and then throw her aside like a disposable glove. I’d be no different than Coeus if I did.

I took a moment to breathe in the crisp air. She needed to stay with me. I had to swallow my pride and go back. I had to.

I slowed down to a normal walking pace before stopping and letting her catch up. She panted, half the gauze roll fluttering in the wind as she came up to my side.

"Please—" She wheezed, "—Please don't run. I haven't run this fast since the ice-cream cart slapped a warning sign about not giving me free samples. Apparently, taking more than fifteen is against the rules… hah… when I came back for another, they ran faster than you."

I didn’t respond and instead just leveled my glare.

“What," She whined, "I had to taste all the flavors before choosing one to buy! Now can we please go back inside? I’ll be gentle, you won’t feel anything else okie? If you do, I’ll tell you my most ticklish spot and you can torment me with it. Deal?”

She had a way with humor, I’d give her that.

"You've exhausted me," I replied.

"Good, then that means we can take a little power nap. Sound reasonable? I've held off my sugar crash for three hours now."

I mumbled, but it wasn't anything other than a few jumbled curses. I wasn't going to go back into that house that smelled of rotting fruit peels, you couldn't threaten me enough to do so. I gave Pinkie a side-eye before turning and stomping toward the barn. A barn wouldn't be much better. However, I did like the feel of hay as long as it hadn't been sitting in rainwater.

I touched the door that was littered with jagged splinters. I could smell the stale air from inside even before I pushed open the double door. It creaked, the hinges screeching as if something hadn't demanded them to move in ages. Darkness greeted me, and the only life within it happened to be old webs from the residents that currently lived there.

Spiders… I hated spiders.

I shivered but walked inside. A limp and unlit lantern swung from the wind that had pushed past me. It rattled against the wall before I unhooked it from its position.

I touched the wick, and a small flame was born.

“Witchcraft!” Pinkie accused from behind me.

I sighed, "Pinkie, I'm a demon, and we are quite literally created from fire.”

"Pfft, I knew that,” She hummed. Her hooves scuffed against the wooden flooring as she surveyed the area. “That’s how you lit those sticks so fast back in the cave. Witchcraft is cool, I wish I could shoot fire from my hoof. Unfair advantage.”

I found a small table next to a large stack of hay and tossed the lantern onto it, lazily. The flame jumped and jerked from my movement before growing still. I sat beside it while tucking my tail underneath me. I guess I needed to think of a game plan. Gaia probably knew exactly where I was and would send someone soon. Not good.

I heard overly loud chewing sounds behind me. I broadened my gaze and caught Pinkie on her hind legs nipping at the haystacks.

“Pinkie, no! You don’t know where that’s been!”

She froze mid-chew. Her head slowly turned to me with a sheepish grin that caused some of the straw to fall from her mouth.

She swallowed, “hay is for horses! Ponies like hay, I like hay, this is free hay!”

"Get over here and sit down. For five minutes, could you just sit still?" I pleaded, observing her lip-sync my words mockingly.

Her medical supplies were set in a neat pile near a pitchfork and a shovel. Unfortunately for me, her hunger did not make her forget her original mission.

“Alright, time for those wounds to get all snug like a bug in a rug, kay? Just gonna wrap this around your shoulder nice and tight—”

“No!”

She jumped at my outburst. Eventually, her startled expression started to smolder into what appeared to be frustration.

“Why are you so stubborn? We’ve gotten this far!”

She stamped a hoof, and my muzzle wrinkled with disdain.

“In case you haven’t been listening, I am fighting an unwanted war against Titans and your kind. I apologize for the circus that I threw at you, truly I am," I said with sincerity. I was desperate to keep Coeus and mortals separate, but the scars were still fresh. "—But that doesn't change what happened and what will happen. You know Celestia is hunting me, and soon, so will The Elements of Harmony. You will be hunting me.”

I could see her swallow a painful lump. I pricked her a little, and it had bled.

"Please don't group me with everypony else," she said softly. Her expression was crestfallen and somber while her eyes fled behind a fragment of her mane. "—I may be an Element of Harmony, but I'm also your friend. I'm not going to abandon you all willy-nilly because there are some bad rumors. I know what I experienced, and I know who you are, you don’t want to be The Devourer. I saw it.”

My anger dissolved when her glossy eyes met mine.

"You're right," I said gently. "That was an unnecessary outburst. I'm sorry. I'm confused and angry—"

I stopped. Great, now the same lump that had infected Pinkie was blocking my throat. I didn’t mean to scream, or to be so on edge. She was making an effort to understand. That was more than enough to have some more faith in her. Perhaps she could vouch for me, but Celestia wouldn’t be a listening ear even if Pinkie spoke on my behalf.

I felt a reassuring hoof on my shoulder. She had joined my side to provide support even though I had given her the cold shoulder a minute ago. Pinkie Pie was a very forgiving pony and much more than I deserved.

“Tell me what happened,” She coaxed.

The gauze was in her hoof, but she didn’t intrude like she did last time. There was a deep plea quivering in her eyes. She wanted to help and was worried. It wouldn’t be the end of the world to swallow my pride and allow her this one thing.

I lifted my forelimb so she could tend to the wound. She sparkled, nearly illuminating the barn with her gratitude.

“When I spoke of the Titanomachy, The Golden Age, I was referring to the ancient war between the Gods and Titans. Yet, I’ve known about a second. Gaia wants to overthrow the Gods and what she’s created. More specifically, mortals.”

Pinkie was ginger when patting in the rubbing alcohol. "So, Coeus is here to overthrow us?"

“Yes, but you’re not what he’s worried about. No mortal could hope to challenge a Titan. It would be… madness in polite terms. I was a vengeful teenager who just lost her family— and I paid dearly for it when I tried to take him down myself even at his weakest.”

“That’s after he destroyed Everglade, isn’t it?”

I could hardly hear her. She was heavily focused on her work, and obviously not wanting to listen. I didn’t blame her, war was a disturbing topic.

"Yes. He… annihilated everyone there—" I choked, two thousand years, and this still held a bleeding spot in my heart. "—Coeus, caused my demonic side to feed on my despair. I had never known about this dormant evil until I became unbalanced, and my mortal side couldn't fight against it. I went through a heavy change throughout the next three years on my own. I fought as much as I could, but I lost against it."

“...That’s how you became immortal, right?’

“More or less. My aging stopped at nineteen, three years after the metamorphosis took place. I couldn’t control my actions at that point, my memory is foggy during those years, but I remember…pain. Arrows, spears, cannons… and the sharp smell of smoke. Some hit me, others missed, I ran and fought. I grew angrier, frenzied, and because of it I became more powerful. Yet less mortal.”

Pinkie poured a thick jelly-like glob into her hoof before smearing it into the ripped flesh. "That thing that had all that black goo...was that how it acted and what it looks like?"

I gave a small and dry laugh. “Yeah, it’s quite easy to jump on the demon-hating bandwagon when something like that is attached to me. That’s why Celestia became easily convinced that Everglade was a nation of devil-worshippers. The Elements of Harmony are meant to keep peace and… well, harmony. So Coeus went from my kingdom to hers, before lying through his teeth about what was truly going on.”

“Oh,” Pinkie deflated a little. “...He used the Elements to… hurt you… that’s what happened to you… isn’t it.”

She didn't ask a question. I couldn't tell if she was upset about what he did or that she felt she was somewhat a part of it. The Elements were connected to those artifacts, whether or not they wanted to be. In a way, Coeus and his sins were on her shoulders. She bore the burden of vanquishing evils as long as she carried the name 'Element of Laughter.’ Celestia may feel differently, but I was never evil.

Neither were the civilians in Everglade. Souls were sacrificed for my head, and I would carry that guilt for the rest of my immortal life. Now Pinkie shared some of that weight.

“I-I’m—” Her voice was hoarse and raspy. She had stopped tying the cloth around my shoulder and was instead biting her lip raw. “—I’m so sorry! I’d never do something like that. If you worry that I’ll do the same as Coeus, you’re wrong! The Elements of Harmony aren’t that way, we don’t do that!”

"I know you feel that way," I whispered hesitantly. I really didn't know how to say this to her, and I had to be selective with my next words. "—But you and your friends belong to Gaia. She has been with you from your very first adventure. Pinkie, power like the Elements doesn’t happen from thin air. It can turn immortal deities into stone, crumble nations into dust, or even tear demons apart from the inside like Stygian. You have the borrowed power of a Titan.”

“You have to believe me! My friends wouldn’t ever stand for—”

“Destroying an evil? A sin? An enemy of Equestria? Pinkie, I am your enemy. I had planned since day one that this would end in a battle. I don’t wish to harm anyone, but Coeus is not someone I can let walk away. Gaia will evict your race from this planet, and I don’t mean with a notice. You’ll be blown into next week to make way for the second Golden Age. She’s insane, she’s nuts!”

I clamped my hooves around my skull, knocking over the bottle of medical alcohol Pinkie had sat on the table. I shouldn’t be talking about this, all of it was crazy, and it gave me a head-splitting migraine. I feared Gaia, and I feared Titans, I was just one demon! At the end of the day, Pinkie was an ELEMENT! What was I doing? She followed the Tree of Harmony, and she loved her friends! I couldn’t ask her to turn on them, she’d never believe me!

“¥ðµ £êêl ï†, Ðð ¥ðµ ñð†? †hê mðr†ål §êêk§ ¥ðµr hêåÐ," The demon grumbled.

Pinkie latched onto my forelimb, but her voice was so far away. Shut up, everyone needed to shut up! My other half deserved to speak, least!

“Mena, listen to me!” She begged, but I couldn’t feel her anymore. All I could feel was—

𝕱𝖊𝖆𝖗.

It was taking over once more. I was dreadfully weak, and I could feel the cold claws of it scraping along my body.

“I Pinkie Promise, I won’t harm you!” She persuaded, yet, her voice was shrill to the point it reverberated throughout my head. It silenced even the demon.

She was panting, and glossy shine had applied itself to her cheeks and forehead. The little curl at the end of her mane was limp, and her hoof was dampened by a darkened mass stuck to my body. Pinkie had caught my attention enough to halt whatever emotions had prevented her voice from reaching me. A moment longer, and I would have been lost.

"I Pinkie Promise," She repeated in a thin and winded grunt. She slashed a hoof across her chest before weakly pressing a hoof against her eye. “—But you have to promise something as well.”

I remained still, mostly shocked, and unable to register what was happening.

She continued, “You have to promise you’ll make an effort to avoid a fight. I’ll help you, but they are still my friends even if they won’t understand. Please don’t hurt them, they won’t understand… they’ll—”

There was a shining trail down her cheek like a transparent ribbon. Pinkie had just sworn off harming me. I…I didn’t know how to respond to it. It was such a foolhardy thing to do! Pinkie had a different notion about demons from the time we spent together, but refusing to use her Element against one was suicidal!

—Although, I dearly respected it.

There was quite a large gap between my distrust and Pinkie now. Split right down the middle. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn't going to block a volley of arrows for her just yet, but I’d toss a shield her way.

“....Okay.”

She looked back up to me with a glint of hope sparkling in her eyes. She had already recovered from the tears which had slipped.

“—But Pinkie, you do realize Gaia is the Tree of Harmony. If you help me, you will be an enemy as well. Coeus is dangerous, and I can't promise things won't get grizzly."

“Should… should we make a plan?”

I hissed a breath through my teeth. “I’ll be gravely honest, I did not think I’d get this far.”

"So, in other words, we're going against a Titan who wants to eliminate us all? As well as a two-faced Tree of Harmony using my friends as sock puppets? Wowie… heh… this is definitely going to be a story to share next Nightmare Night. Limestone is so going down this year.”

Limestone! That was a name that was sweet but bitter.

"Pinkie, this is going to sound a little… odd—"

“I don’t think anything else can top what has been said,” She giggled.

I was glad to see some color return to her face. It had been quite a dark evening.

"Remember that… wyrm… that was at the Gala?" I hinted, rolling my hoof outward to try and help her along. I didn't really want to explain since the silence of her sisters had hit her pretty hard. Pinkie's face was blank, and so I had to continue, "—Remember when we talked about how Coeus used the Elements to severely damage me? Have you ever wondered why your childhood rock farm was so barren?"

She deadpanned. “It’s a quarry. They aren’t super luxurious, believe me.”

"Okay, yes, but no.”

“—Rock farms have nothing to do. Barren is putting it softly. Do you know how many friends I had back then? None! No pony wants to live there! It was so lone—”

I clamped my hooves softly over her muzzle.

"It's barren because that was the spot I was hit by the Elements and banished under Equestria to live like a feral rat. It slaughtered all life within a twenty-mile radius and buried me under a mountain of rocks. Two millennia went by.”

“Twuh mlina?” She asked through a funny form of ventriloquism. I kept my hooves over her mouth while nodding.

“Yes, two thousand years," I confirmed, loosening my grip so that Pinkie could gasp without losing oxygen. "He believed that would kill me, but using that much power in one shot exhausted him. I believe that's why he has been gone so long. I'm not sure how I survived, but I can safely say I had help. I'm not the only demon here, Pinkie. Longro, the wyrm you saw, or Beelzebub in the mortal tongue was with me. I don't remember how he got there, but when my demonic side was beaten back to submission by that blast, I regained my own body back. I peered up, and his eyes met mine."

Longro was what you could call a real demon. A gluttonous creature that devoured whatever he found, without even chewing mind you. Ponies feared him, Celestia feared him, all because to him, they were considered prey. He did not fight for justice, he fought for power and hunger. Exactly like my own demonic side, they took for themselves. Longro was never satisfied, but he obeyed my word.

“Longro hammered away at the seal that kept us there. On the other side, settlers plowed away from the outside. Coeus had buried us under minerals, materials natives chipped away at for centuries. It weakened the seal, and the magic was worn away by time. Eventually, those settlers passed, new ones came in, the veins dimmed, and the miners faded. I outlived the magic.” I explained, letting my hooves fall from her mouth. “Your family was one of the only ones who remained after two thousand years of miners. Limestone was the final tap that collapsed the seal.”

“She found you?”

“Maud and Limestone did." I added, "They were hospitable. Even as children, they showed empathy as you do. Before you were… um… born—”

I put quotations into the air with two hooves, she squinted but dismissed it. That was a long and complicated story for another time.

“—They were the only ponies I semi-trusted. I told them my story, and they agreed to help. Of course not without a fee. Limestone took a liking to Longro, and since he can burrow, she traded her secrecy and assistance for work hours. She was like… five, and I didn’t want to draw attention so I agreed. I knew Longro wouldn’t emerge from underground without a valid reason, and I let them do as they pleased. I didn’t think they’d remember me. They are still covering for me after all this time. I expected Longro to fade from their memory.”

Pinkie beamed, "yep, that's my sister! Even at such a young age, she makes our family business proud! I can't believe I wasn't in on this! I could have been a great help!”

Her cheeks swelled, and she puffed her chest in disapproval. I didn't have time to argue about why or why not she wasn't involved. She was required as of now. Therefore, I didn't understand why Pinkie's expression was as sour as spoiled milk.

“We need to find your sisters because at least they’re allies.”

Pinkie saluted me. “Tin fork, Pinkamena.”

I wrapped a hoof around a can of beans on the table. “It’s ten-four, not tin fork.”

"Okay, this time, I'm positive that it’s tin fork!”

My hoof applied pressure around the can, and the lid popped off. My eyes remained leveled with hers, and my expression lacked emotion. The lid clattered onto the wooden floor near her hooves, and she shrunk in her skin.

“Or.. Or it’s ten-four like you said.”

Speaking of forks, how was I going to eat this? I removed my stare from her and peered into the goopy mess of baked beans. What was with this pony and their large collection of canned foods? Oh well, I wouldn’t complain about any meal at this point.

I lashed my tongue into the can and flicked it against the mass. I smacked my lips after sampling the taste. Seasoned, slightly spicy… it’ll do.

I lapped up mouth fulls while Pinkie awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. She opened her mouth to address me, but suddenly withered under my gaze.

I wasn't sharing.

I was so hungry. A pony could go days without eating before sinking their teeth in a stale slice of bread, yet they'd devour it as if it were a five-star dish. Starvation convinced you that something tasted a million times better than what it was. Stale and room temperature beans had never been so appealing.

“Mena… may I?—”

I snarled, my muzzle wrinkling even though it was buried halfway down the can’s opening.

“—Nevermind!” She squealed, shuffling away from the table.

My fangs gnawed on the can's outer surface, denting it. She avoided eye contact. Wise of her to do so since demons were food aggressive. I couldn't help it, alright? I wasn't born this way, I just so happened to be overtaken with more animalistic reactions. It happened when you fused with your demon side at a young age without knowing how to control it.

I heard something fumble from outside. I stopped my sloppy eating for a second to zone in on the sound. Pinkie's senses weren't as heightened as mine, and so she continued to dwell in her thoughts as if she didn't catch it. I pulled my muzzle from the can before gently setting it down on the table. My nose twitched, and I caught Pinkie studying my sudden reaction.

She dropped lower and copied my alarmed movement.

“What is it?” She asked, her voice hushed.

I put a hoof directed at her to my lips before giving a silent cue.

I could smell another. A young stallion, I predicted. It was indeed the same one I caught a whiff of back inside the cottage. It appeared he wasn't alarmed. His steps were lax, not hurried, or too spread out as if he were sneaking. I could hear him mumble, the volume of his mutters growing sharper and clearer as if he were coming closer.

Great. It never went well when a civilian laid their eyes on a demon for the first time. Normally, the story went the same way. I got caught sticking my nose in things I shouldn't, and then stabbed by pitchforks. Every single time. They always go for the torch or the giant farming fork! I could smell it on him. Definitely a 'grab your pitchforks and slay the demon’ kind of guy.

There was another stumble outside the closed doors.

"Dagnabbit, stupid crumblin' mess being a thorn in my side." A voice cursed before I heard something fiddle with the door handle.

Pinkie's ears were sharply perked, and her eyes were visibly growing wider.

“Code red, code red! Our cover has been blown, to the haystacks!"

I opened my mouth to say something, but she had already fled like a mouse in the presence of a tabby. She dug into a large dump of straw before tucking herself into a small burrow inside it. It shifted and writhed before growing still. I wrinkled my nose, there was no way in hell I was hiding in a musty heap of—

The door groaned, and a silhouette appeared within a spotlight of moonbeam.

I rested my hoof upon the table. He lumbered inside, brushing dust from his leather vest, before peering up to meet me.

The little reed in between his teeth dropped from his lips.

My eyes narrowed. He was quivering in his little boots. I wasn't going to hurt him, but I knew how this was going to go down. If a pony felt cornered, they would buck out of instinct to defend themselves, meaning they would fight. It didn't matter if it were a dragon, hydra, or even a hellspawn.

I could hear his jaw clench and his heart quicken.

“What in the corn-shuckin’ field are you? Look at ‘em wings and—”

I stood up, and I saw his throat tighten along with his stance.

“—And… I… Gods yer some kind of monster!”

I put up a hoof. “Listen, I won’t hurt you. I have no intention of causing harm.”

Wow, I had no idea a pony could be soaked in sweat in a matter of seconds. It wasn't every day one stood in the presence of a demon. Props.

“...I don’t like those teeth, they got a nasty hunger to ‘em. You ain’t part of those other races, you’re… you’re… uh—”

Here we go.

He looked toward the raided can of beans. “—You’re a damn thief!”

His fear immediately melted into anger, which bled through furrowed brows. I reared back a little when he approached me without any preparation. He didn't even hesitate in arming himself to the teeth so he could attack.

He swung it around like a baton in a parade before flipping the edge toward me.

I lowered my gaze to look at the sharpened points aimed at my chest. I knew he was a pitchfork guy. Two thousand years and they still haven’t learned to use something else.

I sighed. “What a plot twist, a demon and a stallion can’t sit down and have a conversation without rattling sticks at each other.”

He jabbed it forward to intimidate me. “I don’t care whatcha are. A cow, a pig, or a pretty little succubus. Ima teach you a lesson ‘bout stealin’ from hard workin’ folk.”

I was choosing to overlook that insult.

My expression was lazy and spiced with a little bit of sarcasm. “So to do that you’re going to try and stab a demon? You don’t think that hasn't been done before?”

Pinkie’s hideout shifted. I saw a shadow slip out from behind it before lurking among the shelves. She was looking for something. She had a plan.

I hated it when Pinkie used her brain. It never ended well.

“Darn right I’m gonna poke ya! We don’t allow demons down here in the south!”

Pretty sure we were in the North. Being a country pony didn't always mean their homes were geographically located in the south. I didn't understand the trend with that.

Pinkie had found a shovel resting on a workbench. Her smile was alarming.

Fortunately for Pinkie, I couldn’t let my eyes follow her. I was too busy with the stallion trying to poke a hole in me.

“Say your prayers!”

"Demons happen to be atheists, or at the very least some form of it," I responded waggishly.

Wrinkles appeared in his forehead when his eyebrows tweezed. I could see confusion cloud his eyes. He didn’t know how to respond and it was beautiful.

He charged with his aim targeted toward my poor defenseless heart. Pinkie had hustled to try and intervene, but she didn't catch him in time. Without much effort, he was inches away.

He skewered me—the small dagger-points colliding with my fur. I kept my stare solemn, but I was quite bored with this recurring witch hunt. Pinkie's mouth was agape, the shovel in her grip lax, as she watched the metal burst into shavings.

The flurry of shattered metal fell upon the flooring. The sound reflected that of small hail flinging against a window.

It broke down to the hilt of the pitchfork where the stump bumped against my chest. I raised an eyebrow. The stallion was appalled.

He swallowed thickly before shakily bringing the broken tool away from me. His eyes were that of dinner plates and shaking within their sockets. I slowly directed my eyes toward the dull stick he was now holding. The metallic splinters on the ground were laid like traps around our hooves, but they didn’t exactly stop my approach.

I carefully placed my hoof around the useless wooden rod. “Yeah, no. You shouldn’t be playing with sharp objects or stabbing it at things you know nothing about. Give it to me.”

I easily removed it from his possession. He didn’t even try to resist.

I gently bonked his head with the edge of it. “I trust you won’t be doing this again. Cleaning up broken pitchforks is quite the pain. It’s like broken glass.”

I tossed the wooden pole onto the ground, where it rattled until it rolled into the shadows. He backed away once I turned around to face him. His rump hit that of a light pink chest blocking his path, and he nearly jumped like a startled calf. Pinkie stood behind him, shovel equipped, and a wide grin sparkling at us both.

“Hi!” She greeted, placing the end of the shovel in her other hoof to secure her grip.

“—And who in tarnation are you?” He asked, his voice sounding like a squeaky tire that desperately needed to be oiled.

“I’m Pinkie Pie!” She chirped.

She then hit him as hard as she could with the shovel.

“Oh my God—” I screeched, as the stallion fell chin-first onto the flooring.

I could have sworn I heard his skull crack. In no way would that not cause a major bruise when he came out of his newly acquired coma. Pinkie rested the handle of the shovel onto the ground as she watched his tongue loll from his mouth.

I placed a hoof over my racing heart. “Pinkie, what the— why would you… what’s wrong with YOU?”

“He’s fiiiiine!” She whined, before resting the shovel against the table. “—He’s just gonna have a nasty bump like in the cartoons. Ya just push it back in when it slowly rises with that whistle sound effect and all is good with the world. Ten out of ten doctors recommend that treatment.”

"Pinkie, I don't think he's breathing. Oh, dear God, he is not okay. You're crazy! Hitting someone that hard will cause swelling and concussions, Ponk!”

I ran a hoof through my mane as I examined the stallion knocked out cold. I could still hear his heart so that was a good sign. A small piece of hay was being pushed from his breath, which confirmed at least he was breathing.

He stirred, rolling his shoulder a little in his slumber.

Pinkie reached for the shovel.

“No! Pinkie, no! No more hitting, go in the corner!”

“But I hate the corner—”

“I don’t care!” I snapped, throwing my hoof toward the darkness. “Go sit and don’t move until I clean up this mess!”

Pinkie’s lip sagged and she pouted. She whispered curses with an embittered glare in the direction to where she was forced to sit in time out.

I exhaled quietly, trying to tie together my last nerves that had been strung thin. As of now, I was officially stuck with Pinkie. I couldn't let her fend for herself since she'd be on the menu to whatever pests lurked outside. She also couldn't wander back to her friends.

I glanced at the swollen lump on the poor sod’s head. I then gathered his legs in a glowing net of magic that secured his body. Well, wasn't this a nice mess I’ve gotten myself into. My demon was stronger than me, Pinkie was absolutely idiotic, her friends would side with Gaia— and now we’ve probably killed an innocent outcast.

I dragged him across the floor behind my wake. I placed him upon a bed of straw and levitated the hat that had been knocked off his head into my hooves. I then gently placed it over his eyes. I tried to give my condolences with a pat, but his unconscious groan told me I didn’t do a good job at avoiding his lump.

There was no way I was ready to face Coeus. Two thousand years had passed since our last battle. This time, however, I had some extra dead weight to lug around.

I glanced at Pinkie who was trying to catch a gnat in the air.

—Make that a lot of useless dead weight.

“...Quajh jheko mefok. Hedinj.”

A rough whisper that had a coarseness matching fragmented rocks cooed over the plains. The body in which it belonged to crackled. It was thick and armored with plating made of scales. They were like blades that coiled against the writhing mass.

“....Jto ij four... to ij fourok.”

The ruddy spines upon its face was revealed with a slashed eye beneath the ridge. It was looking at a patch of flowers misted in dew.

It hummed a growl, and the flowers danced from under its breath. "Yenjaquo hto hihun.”

It plucked a few from the earth between its fangs. Slowly a forked tongue coaxed them the rest of the way into its maw. The wyrm chewed, grinding the plants into a well-marbled paste before swallowing.

“...I can hear the songs from within the flames. An endless pit of hellfire in a sympathy of begging souls. Do you hear it?” The wyrm asked, as he turned his eye to an approaching pony.

The opalish mare had a look of boredom. “No, and I don’t care to.”

She had emerged along with a group into the field where the giant hellspawn had coiled around his findings.

“Longro, what are you talking about?” Marble asked, while her older sister Limestone, found a spot to sit under the demon’s shadow.

“—Gaia despises fire. It grows, flourishes, in her world. It is uncaged, no longer trapped within what had hidden it. Do you not feel her very essence dripping with fear?”

He ripped another mouthful of flowers from the grass.

“Why are you eating that? Those are poisonous, you dweeb!” Limestone scolded, clunking the side of her hoof against the oddly arranged scales sliding over each other.

“Wolfsbane,” he explained, “—A potent toxin. I sharpen my scales, I consume the poison of your world, to meet the Titan between heaven and hell.”

“Wait, you don’t mean—” Limestone was interrupted.

“—He comes from the stars, I heard the thunder he sent from above. She comes from underground, I heard the fire emerging from her soul. Gaia trembles in anticipation between the meeting of darkness and light.”

"I have no idea what you mean. You've been out here spewing nonsense for hours. We are going back to the rock farm, you've caused enough headache for me already!" Limestone chastised, slapping his scale once more.

“He means Pinkamena has risen,” Maud announced, without much inflection.

The group was hushed. Her words settled like bubbling nausea. Not one pony or demon happened to break the silence when putting the pieces together. Longro gazed at the pale radiance of the moonlight while the quietness slowly broke.

His otherworldly eyes shimmered under the pale light, “Tok tejh tuj yeppumjox. In your tongue, she has broken the mind of her host. The creatures of hell will meet the divines—” He stopped to glaze the group in his shadow. “—In the battle of Titans.”