Pinkie had a hoof around Applejack's neck. She was always hugging somepony or other, and today was no exception. Rarity was chatting to Twilight, while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were flying together. They swooped and arced, making complexly choreographed manoeuvres look easy.

The six were together again, each chatting, flying and embracing. Except...

Except something wasn't quite right. Fluttershy and Dash weren't so much 'Flying' as they were 'Viscously Dogfighting'. That whole 'Chat' thing that was going on between Rarity and Twilight, well it was much more of a bitter argument. Finally, it wasn't really accurate to call what Pinkie was doing to AJ 'Hugging'. 'Attempted murder via asphyxiation' was a much safer bet.

And all the while, a tall, muscular white dragon stood among them, pinching the bridge of his nose and slowly shaking his head. Everytime he dared to look at the battle-royale, embarrassment would force his head right back into his claw.

"How did it get to this again?" Spike asked himself. No divine voice of wisdom answered his query. He merely shrugged, and started away from the brawling elements of harmony.

A white mare was looking down at her. Her mane was a deep, eye-catching crimson. What she was saying was muffled, and her face was blurred. It was like watching someone talk while you were underwater. There was another pony too, a brown stallion with a mane that matched his coat. He too said something in that intelligible, burbling murmur. The two of them stopped looking down at Mary, and although no specific words could be made out it was clear they were arguing.

The muffled exclamations grew more strained. She could almost make out defined expressions behind the warped masks the two ponies wore. It wasn't long before the mare, her mother, left. Mary's mother left again, she came back later though. But one day after that, she would go and not return. Probably a day soon.

Mary couldn't tell, there were too many days and too many memories, each obscured and edited by the passage of time and her own grief-stricken psyche. Her mother flew the nest. She flew like Mary, they were both falling and flying while everything span out of control.

Her mother flew and Mary was falling, and so Mary snapped out of the daydream.

A winged mare aligned herself with the earth pony and tried to slip forelegs around her midriff. Mary wanted nothing more than to let those hooves grab her and stop that unrelenting downward travel, but what the princess said stuck in her mind. If she had any chance of getting to her father in time, an endeavour whose chances were likely already spent, then down was the best way for it.

Mary, against all better judgement, turned around to be snout to snout with the pegasus, who looked like she’d just won seven simultaneous lotteries. Mary bunched her hindlegs up, allowing her the space to kick out with them. Straight into the mare’s stomach. Her assailant was clearly winded, but did not fall to Mary’s relief. However she did have more pressing matters at the moment. Namely the ground, which was getting alarmingly close. She scrunched her eyes and remembered what Celestia had said.

She didn’t want to hit the ground and die, she willed against it. She poured everything into her resolve not to be dashed across the ground and burst in a way not unlike the world’s most horse-shaped watermelon. Then it was like she never was falling in the first place. She was lying on a white cloud that had come out of nowhere.

Mary got to her hooves and shook her senses back. A quick look up at the sky revealed several pegasi were taking a break from tussling with the princess in favour of hurtling to her at speeds of stool-loosening terror. Huh, fancy that.

Mary peered over the edge of the cloud and decided to put this to the test, it had worked once so logic would dictate, it would do it again. She focused on her desire not to fall, she focused on the wish for more clouds to give her a path. She focused on-

“HAVE MY FOALS!” Screamed a random pegasus stallion. Inner monologues took too much time. Mary jumped…

And sure enough she landed on another cloud. She had fallen about 75 yards and yet the plush surface nullified any harm that one would normally experience from falling from such a height. More clouds began to congregate, forming a small platform path down to her home.

Mary let out a laugh before descending the 13.5 tog stairway. Every time a pegasus would attempt to grab her from a cloud perch, she’d have already jumped, and added to this a strong wind that made her antagonists’ jobs a lot harder. What luck.

Mary was about seven clouds from the ground now. She jumped down to her next one, but instead of landing upon a fluffy surface the mare felt the wind being knocked out of her as a rabidly salivating mare made a grab for her. Mary instinctively kicked but found she couldn’t make contact. The young pony had failed to make proper contact with Mary Sue. Her hooves scratched against the tempress' coat, but they didn't succeed in scooping Mary up, as was the initial plan.

What she had succeeded in doing though was knocking Mary just far enough off course to prevent her from reaching the cloud. Within a second she had gone from stable to falling again. She tried to focus on wanting another cloud but the wind silenced her thoughts. The impact with the pegasus had given her a headache and she was so very tired. It was hard to think, it was hard to concentrate.

Mary tried a last desperate grab and her hooves made contact with the second cloud down. Her forelegs were nearly wrenched from their sockets as she suddenly swung forwards. The momentum threw her and she arced underneath the cloud. Said momentum was temporarily shifted forwards rather than down, but it was too strong.

Mary landed on the final cloud and slid, the force from her swing carrying her forward still. She fell the ten metres from the last cloud to the roof of her house. There was no fluffy steed to float her down. What there was was her body, the wind beating against her too weak to slow the descent, and that roof. The roof either ran up to embrace her or she rushed to it, either was more and less likely and the whole world’s spin became a nonsensical, nausea-inducing tribute to vertigo.

Her last ten metres were uncomfortable ones. The screech of the air somehow sounded louder and no amount of eye scrunching stopped the pain when her body hit the mud roof. There was a crack, she hoped it was architectural rather than physical, and nothing else happened for a few seconds.

The roof shifted slightly. Her wish was granted and the crack revealed itself to have originated from her current foothold. There was still a little time. There was always a little time to look up and deliriously smile at the scene of pegasi, all worriedly looking at her, and an alicorn who shouted something Mary couldn’t hear. The whole thing had a strange serenity to it and Mary felt delirious again. A weak smile, a hoof raised to the air, words she spoke with no conscious thought, ones she didn’t even hear herself…

And then the roof fell in.

When her eyelids peeled open, they snapped shut immediately against the offensive glare of the sun. It was shining in from what appeared to be a substantial hole in the ceiling. She groaned and wished more than anything that the room would darken again. A cloud wasted no time in depositing itself over the hole and sealing it.

Mary muttered a thanks to nopony in particular and began to rise to her hooves. The room she currently occupied was empty of ponies but heavy on lavish furniture. The earth pony stood now, however as soon as she went to take a step she swayed. Everything was thrown out of equilibrium and she had to steady herself on a nearby dresser.

She went to walk again, this time slowly and more deliberately. The sway was present but very reduced, and with every step she took the feeling of swampy motion sickness decreased.

“Hello?” she shouted. The house didn’t reply, nor did any potential occupants.

“Is anypony there?” she yelled, more desperately this time. There was stir from her bedroom. Mary’s ear flicked and she cautiously started towards the door. A single hoof prodded the varnished wooden surface and the door opened with a slow, deliberate creak.
Inside was Chestnut Sue, his back was to his daughter. She could not see what he was doing, but she could hear his ragged breathing, like wind croaking through a rusty tin can. Waiting and uncertainty were luxuries that even someone like Mary couldn’t afford. She opened her mouth to say his name, and the opportunity was stolen from her.

There was a cry of 'She's in there', and a terrible banging erupted all around them. Mary looked around frantically, they were trying to get in. The disturbance shook Chestnut from his current activity and he too began to look around. His eyes appeared surprised until they came to rest on his daughter.

His brow was sweaty and he was panting like somepony who had just finished a run. His mouth opened and closed several times as if to say something. His expression was one of frustration and desperation. Memories visibly fought with the influence from Mary’s boon in his eyes. In his hoof he was holding a small portrait of himself and his daughter.

Mary had gotten the keepsake from a local painter shortly after her boon was granted. It depicted nothing more than the two of them, broadly grinning, and Chestnut was now holding it so tightly it looked as if the frame might shatter at any moment.

“I know…” he began, almost choking on the words, “I know I’m supposed to know who this is. I know I’m supposed to know you.” He looked at the portrait again, and then one more time. There was a moment of silence, save for the pounds coming from the walls and the scrapes on the roof.

“Why don’t I know who this is?!” Chestnut screamed.

“Father…” Mary sobbed, his eyes snapped to hers.

“I don’t have a daughter… no you’re my… what?! I didn't think... have any children?” He rubbed his temples, trying to stifle the sharp buzzing noise he heard. The banging outside was getting louder. Mary could detect the distinct sound of hooves clawing at their front door. Fluffy sounding swooshes from above indicated pegasi were chipping away at the cloud covering the roof hole.

Every now and again a hoof or an eye would appear at the window. Each frantic looking, she could see hooves striking out in every and any direction. The eyes had hideously shrunken irises, with small red blood vessels grasping at every area of the whites. And through all of this, her father’s pained wails and the noises of his hooves beating uselessly against his ears permeated every bang, scratch and frantic grunt.

“Father don’t,” Mary began to cry. She ran to the stallion, who was almost toppling with the way he swayed and stumbled. She wrapped her forelegs around him in a tender embrace. Their eyes met and for a moment all was still. He smiled for a second and she could have sworn he mouthed ‘Mary’. However the stillness didn’t last.

The stallion groaned suddenly and slipped from her hooves, Mary’s cries of 'father' didn’t stop his writhing though. His shakes and grasps didn’t stop him trying to plug his ears with his hooves or his screaming. No matter how hard she wished, no matter how hard she focused on her desire for the father to get up and be okay again or for the terrible banging and scratching of her fellow villagers outside to stop, nothing did.

By the time her father had stopped his tortured contortions, Mary had already retreated to a corner of the room to weep in desperation. The stallion looked around and his eyes fell on the small form of Mary. He had that same look everypony else had been giving her. A terrifying juxtaposition between captivation and what seemed like insane rage, with the most sickening smiles she had ever been witness to.

“You’re beautiful,” he said menacingly “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so beguiling.” He started towards her and not even her crying stayed his movements.

“No father, not you too,” she wailed, “You have to remember,”

“Remember what? I assure you, had I ever met someone as perfect as you my dear, it would not be an encounter I soon forgot.”

“No, no no no no,” Mary shook her head and tried to wipe the tears away, but every time she looked up she would see the utter lack of recognition in her father’s eyes, and the crying would start again. The tears blurred her vision and stung her eyes, and they just wouldn't stop falling. Everything he said something about her being some sort of enrapturing stranger made her whole body rack with stomach churning sobs.

A single, very loud bang shook the foundations of the house. Chestnut Sue stopped as if woken from a daydream. He looked around at the walls, and his ears flicked every time there was a noise indicating somepony trying to gain entry to the house. There must have been the best part of a hundred ponies out there now, and each of them was desperately trying to get to this beautiful mare who so 'erroneously' claimed she knew Chestnut.

“Oh, I think I know now,” he smiled, Mary stopped crying for a second. She wiped her eyes and prayed that her father might have come to his senses.

“No matter how beautiful you are my love, there are many ponies who want to gaze upon your resplendent form.” He strode over to Mary and she bolted up towards the door. In her distressed state though, she wasn’t fast enough to escape her father’s right forehoof being slung around one shoulder.

“I’m not a selfish pony my dear,” he laughed, “Everyone should be as close to you as I am right now,” and with that, he started guiding/dragging the mare towards the front door. As if the villagers outside could tell, the door started being hammered on more strongly. The faces at the windows looked more deranged with every step they took.

“Father no, no please don’t,” she begged to deaf ears,

“There’s nothing to fear my dear,” he laughed heartily, but did not slow, and did not release the mare, “Nopony wants to hurt you, they just want to tell you how much we appreciate you,”

More steps.

“How much we love you,”

More steps.

“How much admire you and worship you,”

More steps.

“That’s all."

Chestnut pulled his daughter the final few metres towards the front door. Mary screwed her eyes as he reached for the handle and prepared to be at the bottom of the pony-pile with the largest recorded good intention to pain ratio.

The door opened, and there was an enormous explosion of force that knocked everypony off their hooves. For the second time that day Mary witnessed the princess’ supreme form smash down from the heavens. Here eyes were blazing and the very ground cracked where she landed.

The massive mob of equines that had been trying to gain entry to Mary’s home had no time to get up before the alicorn spoke.
“I have had enough of this. I may not be able to destroy Luna’s boon, but I can grant one myself.” Her horn ignited with an energy Mary remembered seeing. Whatever was going to happen, the whole situation was now forfeit. There was no coming back from this.

So she didn’t care anymore. She didn’t bother kicking her father’s forelegs away, she didn’t even bother to watch the dangerously riled pile of ponies, the ones that were just now getting to their hooves again. She didn’t flinch when the violet energy hit her and solidified. It smothered her vision and hardened around her, just as it had weeks ago.

What Mary did do though, was see earth ponies and pegasi and unicorns begin to attack the princess just before her vision was totally obscured. She did see countless faces around her, including her father’s. She saw them desperately try to chip away at the purple material to no avail. She saw the desperation and insanity and pathetic devotion in their faces and she knew she’d caused all of this.

Within her cocoon, everypony could hear Mary wail and weep. The situation had become impossibly ruined and everything had gone wrong. Everything and everyone was messed up beyond repair and it was her fault, and her fault alone.

But as quickly as she felt them start, the princess began to feel the hooves and teeth of her subject’s ease up, and she just saw bewildered, normal villagers fall to the ground once again as the buzzing overcame them. A technicolour flash went unnoticed by the pained townsfolk.

The purple casing around Mary chipped and flecked away, but it did nothing to stop her weeping. What was left when the villagers arose, and regained their minds was a scene. It was a home damaged from external attacks, it was a group of severely confused looking ponies. It was a tired, weary alicorn, covered in scrapes and bruises, sitting on her haunches and not knowing what to do now she finally had time to grieve for her sister. Finally, and most pathetically, it was a small earth pony, with a crème coat and a red mane sitting amongst shattered purple material.

Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at the cut and battered princess, the one she had so selfishly pulled from her day of mourning. Her tears showed no sign of stopping as the villagers started to remember details. Most of them looked confused, some of them shouted things like accusations of dark magic and witchcraft. Many of them rushed over to the princess to apologise and tend to her wounds.

The worst part of it though was the fear Chestnut was looking at her with. She had changed him for weeks on end, she had made him forget her. The question remaining was what else could she do? The stallion backed away cautiously, regarding her more like an ‘it’ than a ‘she’. The villagers did the same, and all the while Mary just sat on her haunches regarding her weak, normal form, weeping and sobbing.

The images ceased in their place, the projector's sputtering death rattle had been going on for so long he had tuned it out. However once the machine began to die down Spike became aware of its pained groans once more.

Celestia was looking down at the ground, her expression was unreadable. Luna was tending to her sibling, rubbing her back with her hooves tenderly. Spike on the other hand was horrified, it was this magic, the very same magic that had given him this body had done all of that.

Sure, it was a lot more subdued here, it was much weaker but still. Luna and Celestia had said themselves, the moon princess had used the very same magic in constructing Spike’s form as she did for that mare a thousand years ago. That mare that had been left crying in the dirt, feared and hated by those around her.

Spike wanted it gone.

“Mary Sue wasn’t a bad pony. " Celestia said quietly, "It was her deep resentment of the world, bred over a lifetime that caused what happened. She was so good natured and kind deep down… But her story ends with pain Spike, just as yours will if you don’t-”

“Get rid of it,” Spike finished for her, “I want it gone.” He resolved. Celestia’s relief was near tangible.

“You’ve made the right choice Spike, your magic could never be a strong as Mary’s but the point remains the same. This love is simulated, this boon grants one nothing but agony in the end.”

“I know… now please, put me back to normal.” Celestia nudged Luna who nodded and began prepping the spell.

“Everything will be back to the way it was soon Spike, and in any case, I’m sure Twilight and the others will forgive you,” Celestia said with a calm smile. Spike closed his eyes and grinned for the first time in a long while. Soon, this would be gone, everypony would be back to normal, and everypony would forgive him... just like Celestia said.

Hold on.

"What do you mean, 'Forgive me'. What have I done wrong exactly?" Spike suddenly demanded. Celestia's smile fell, and the violet magic building around Luna's horn died off. Nopony spoke for the longest while, each was afraid any misplaced word would set off this power keg all over again.

So they all stood in silence, and waited for someone else to make the first move.