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The sun had just risen over the horizon beyond Ponyville, and Applejack awoke with it. A smile set itself upon her face; the order of the day was bucking down the last of the summer crop for the market. There was, she reasoned, no better use for your legs - at least, not in public - and if they got it done in time, she might have enough light left to get Big Macintosh and the other colts wasted enough on scrumpy to break out into song. That was always hilarious, especially since her brother was the only one among them with any talent in that regard. She'd just have to be careful not to join in on the love songs-

Now wait jes' one apple-buckin' minute, she thought, why would Ah not need ta do that? Ah've never met a stallion Ah've been interested in that way, so why's it matter? Or mare, fer that matter... aw, dangit, now Ah've got mahself all flustered. Best git out buckin' afore Ah do sump'n the Princesses wouldn't like.

Her hat jammed firmly on her head, AJ walked downstairs to grab something to eat. A photograph on her dresser sat in its usual place.

It showed all four of her best friends.

*******

Rainbow Dash was lazing atop a cloud above the orchards, as per her schedule. Naps were her second-favourite activity (and definitely her favourite inactivity), especially when they annoyed her more industrious friends.

"Rainbow Dash, y'all git that raincloud out from over mah head right now! So help me, Ah will buck yer until yer eatin' through a straw, ya good-fer-noth-" The rest of the tirade was cut off by the aforementioned good-for-noth as she jumped on the cloud. Undaunted by the sudden localised monsoon, Applejack continued bellowing at her friend until the cloud finally dissipated. "-with mah biggest, rustiest plough!" Dash guffawed at the sodden earth pony and blazed off into the distance, still chuckling by the time she got to the Mandala mountains several leagues away. She knew they were called that after some bigwig unicorn nerd who'd mapped the whole lot via teleportation, and it had reminded her of a friend like that-

"Wait," she said to herself whilst landing delicately on a snow-bearing cumulus, "why would I know somepony like that, or even call them a friend? I don't. Not even Fluttershy's that lame... aw, stop it, Rainbow, you're being mean. Almost as mean as that grouchy little guy who lives in the old treehouse in the centre of town. Hey, I don't think anypony's using this cloud... maybe I can make Pinkie Pie look like she's gone nuts again." With a cackle that was only moderately evil, she tore off back to Ponyville, pushing the cloud back with her as she went. She thought about her friends idly as she flew to prank them, about how she'd never leave even one of them behind. Even Fluttershy, without a doubt the most uncool of the sive of them.

Sive? What the hay kind of a number's sive? Meh. Maybe I shoulda paid more attention in school...

*******

Rarity knew the sun was up in the same general way that she knew Cranes existed; they were very far away and didn't affect her very much. She simply had to get these dresses done on time, and inspiration was proving difficult to find; the client had said something about a star-themed dress that had shown up at the previous year's Grand Galloping Gala, and though she dimly remembered seeing a dress like that - dim was the right word for it, the memories of the dress and its intended recipient twisting out of her reach like mist on a moor - she could not fathom how the thing was cut or even the gems shey'd used.

She bridled immediately at the strange, unusual word. I must have been socialising with Applejack too much; I've picked up her habit of butchering the Equestrian language. Perhaps... oh, why do keep thinking pale blues? Ms. Fairy Cakes is green, for goodness' sake! Subconscious, have you not heard of colour co-ordination? She sighed, gave finding out up for a lost cause, and decided to go for a walk through town to clear her mind. Sweetie Bell was out with the Crusaders trying to get dragon-slaying cutie marks for the third time that week; she didn't approve per se, but the dragon in the abandoned library was very ungentlecoltly. The first time they'd met, he'd got down on his knees and begged her to bring back somepony... the name escaped her, and after she'd backed off and said she didn't know what he was talking about, he'd got violent. In the end, the Mayor had involved herself in proceedings and had a quiet word with the poor lamb. For his assault, he'd been put under house arrest. She idly wondered what had been done about the painkiller addiction, and then immediately forgot why.

The walk did indeed do her good; a few minutes into her walk through the marketplace, inspiration arrived in the form of a dust-covered tome of magic, of all things. In a flash, she knew exactly how to cut and colour the slim, flank-clinging dress she knew Fairy Cakes would love. Inspiration struck in the very oddest ways sometimes...

An hour after blitzing through some preliminary cut work and fabric choices, a very happy Rarity bounced out into the street to celebrate. Fluttershy was still treating the hedgehogs, so that ruled a spa visit out, and the others, well... she loved them dearly, but they were too much sometimes. Sugarcube Corner, therefore, seemed just the ticket. Something nice and sugary to fire her up for later. She trotted into the bakery, saw the long, iron-flat mane of her friend, and smiled. Today had been very good indeed.

*******

"Hello there, Pinkie darling! Isn't it just the loveliest day outside today?" Rarity sashayed through the door of Sugarcube Corner and planting herself at a nearby table.

"Yeah, I guess... I guess it is," called Pinkie from the kitchen. Her voice was monotone, almost drab; the spark had gone as much from it as it had from her voice and mane. Nopony out of her friends seemed to have noticed.

"Quite so, darling. Now then, what to have, what to have... oh, the chocolate muffins look divine!"

"There's a present for Ditzy Doo, she's really cut up about the whole thing. Or did you forget her too," Pinky snapped, her voice cracking slightly. Rarity looked shocked for a moment, then put on the face Pinkie had come to loathe. The forgetting face.

"Alright, Pinkie, there's no need for that. I don't know why you insist on indulging that dragon's fantasies, darling; there's no such mare as Twilight Sparkle. Now then, let's just... talk about something else. Those pies smell lovely, are they a new recipe?"

As if a light bulb had been off in whatever fractal mess counted for her brain, Pinkie walked back out to Rarity to talk shop for a while. Those were moments she'd treasured, over the weeks and months since Twilight's incarceration. It felt like everything was normal again, but then she'd say something about an adventure they'd had and Rarity would give her a really weird look and the energy would drift away before it could land properly. She missed it.

She missed everything that her friends had taken away.

And so, once the beautiful white unicorn had been packed off back to her studio with a bag of apple strudels and a Pinkie Pie grin as forced as a vault door in a bank robbery, Pinkie Pie trotted into the kitchen, watched snow falling outside the bakery window, hummed the Winter Wrap Up song and shook with the effort of not crying.

*******

The flight to the mountains had done Rainbow Dash a power of good, and now she was as raring to go as she'd always been. Her trick hadn't really been worth it; Pinkie hadn't run out to proclaim the coming of winter like last time, so she'd simply bucked the cloud into nothingness and given it up for a dead loss. She wondered for a while about what it was she ought to do.

"Hey, you know who I haven't seen in a while? Fluttershy. I know, I know, she's not very awesome, but it's nice to watch her work sometimes. Aw, horsefeathers, I'm monologuing out loud again." With that peculiar aside over with, she sped off to the cottage to find the dustbin overflowing with energy drink cans. Something wasn't right here, it reminded her of something but she couldn't pin down what, and that bothered her. Not as much as Fluttershy's appearance did, though.

"Um... Fluttershy? Are you okay? You're, uh, you're vibrating."

"vvzvvzzzv? vvvzvvzvvvzzzsdzvzv." Fluttershy looked like she'd survived a train crash only to be dragged through an entire forest backwards by an angry bear. Her mane was completely ragged, her pupils had massively dilated, she hadn't been brushed in forever (and curing that was an extremely pleasant thought for the blue pegasus for the nanosecond she allowed herself to think it) and there was this overpowering smell about her, like every bad thing about a hospital rolled into one, including the bedpans. Rainbow reeled backwards slightly.

"Uh... Shy, I didn't get any of that. Is that even Equestrian? You need to take a br-" Before she could finish, Fluttershy began to shout at her. Rainbow immediately remembered the massive arguments she'd had with AJ before they'd broken up and cringed, though the Southern-fried farmpony had never spoken so quickly.

"I'mgonnasaythisslowlysoyouunderstandyoubigdumblunkofmeanmeanieness! Icannottakeabreakfromthisevenforasecondbecausewhenyoudraggedmeawaysodarnedslowly
twobabyhedgehogsdied!
AndIstilldontknowwhybecausetheonlyponywithevenatenthasmuchveterinaryandmedicalknowledge
asmeyoutookaway!
HowthehayamIsupposedtotakeabreakwhenlittleanimalsdieifIturnmybackonthemforsomuchas
asinglesecond!
Icantsleeportheywilldie! Icantletthemdie!
Andanywaywhoareyoutolecturemeonwhethersomeponyisalrightwhenyouforgetyourfriendentirely
afterdroppingherinahospital!
Stopbeingsoslowandletmegetbacktomyjob!" With that, the door slammed in Rainbow's face and there was a small sonic boom from inside the house.

Rainbow Dash's ears were ringing, which didn't go well at all with her spinning vision. She walked back down the track towards Ponyville, noticing after a while that her muzzle was wet. But what did that matter.

And what did Fluttershy mean by abandoning a friend?

*******

"Mommy, what's wrong?"

It never ceased to amaze Ditzy Doo how perceptive her daughter was. She'd got good at hiding her emotions; they had been a sign of weakness during her foalhood, one she'd been careful to eliminate.

"Oh, nothing really, little muffin. It's just... Mommy had a bad day at work today. How was school?"

"Really fun, it was Home Ec last period so I brought you back some muffins. Oh, and Miss Cheerilee gave my project 134%, I didn't even know you could get tha- oof!" Dinky tried to force some air back into her lungs as her mother hugged her tight.

"Best. Daughter. Ever. Let's try those muffins!"

They did, and they were good. After a few hours of quiet reading, Sparkler came home from the after-school jeweller's club. "Hi Mom, hi Dinky! Got everyone some flapjacks from Sweet Apple Acres, hope you don't mind..."

"Why would we mind, sweetie?"

"Yeah, big sister, why?" Sparkler still got a kick out of Dinky calling her that, even after all their years together. She grinned and hugged the grey mares, then broke out a book on DIY ballistics and joined the comfortable, happy silence.

After a while, the little pudgy unicorn broke it. "Mom, do you remember a mare called Twilight Sparkle? Used to run the library?"

Ditzy swallowed hard. "Of course, dear. She was... is a friend. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was talking to Applebloom-"

"Your girlfriend," said Sparkler. It was a running gag in their family, and it was funny because it was true, for given values of true.

"-Shuddup, Sparkler. Anyway, I was talking to Applebloom about how I missed going to the library and talking to her about books, learning magic with her, stuff like that. And Applebloom said the weirdest thing."

"Oh yes, little muffin?"

"She said there was no such mare. Now, we're not crazy. So something's happened - Mommy? You're all pale. Do you want me to get your snuggie?" A hint of worry crept into Dinky's voice as her mother sat and stared wide-eyed at nothing in particular.

"It affects blood relations..." Ditzy mumbled. "But she's in prison, I know she is, I watched the Princess put her there... this is a dream," she continued, her voice now oddly bright and brittle, like a sunny day in the depths of winter. "That's all it can be. Just a dream. A horrible, horrible dream." She rubbed the silver chain at her neck, remembering an old adventure, and gathered her children up in a big hug. "Except it isn't, is it. It just isn't."

She straightened up. "Mommy has to go and speak to your Uncle Spike. Sparkler, you're in charge. I might be gone for a few days, but you know where my bits are. Dinky, don't stay up too late reading. You too, Sparkler. And... remember that I love you both. Always." With that, she flew out into the night.

Sparkler turned to look at Dinky. "Now, what do you suppose is eating her?"

*******

dark

dark going to light lots of light can see a white room too bright too bright hurts hurts so bad help please no

dark

hurts

hear them talking hear them laughing hear them hear them no light please no hurts fire burning burning help me help me help me please help me hurts

dark

sick again

thrash again try to move have to leave hear snap bone gone hurts stop bleed sick again stop stop please no no no light bright hurts im sorry im sorry im sorry im

dark

burns

hurts

dark

light

darklightdarklightdarklightdarklight

im sorry

Caducea and Shining Light watched on as the little purple unicorn had yet another seizure. They smiled at each other, the latter's eyes oddly warm in the brushed-steel control room, and they took a few desultory attempts at notes. The thought of scientific endeavour had long since been swept aside in the pursuit of pain. After a few minutes, punctuated by silenced screaming from the unicorn lashed to the table with her eyes wired open, Shining Light turned to her boss and spoke, her presentation cut-glass accent long gone.

"Hey, Aki... tell me why we do what we do again. I mean, it's fun, but-"

"Then there you are. Pain, Miss Light, is an art as much as it is a science. We are artists, my dear, experimental and bold, seeking new media to work in and crafting symphonies from screams. Ponies who will not be missed, or should not be missed, will be made into art for everypony to enjoy. And please... you will address me with some measure of respect. I think... Mistress will suffice for now."

A familiar rush of blood ran through Light at the thought of that. "Y'know," she said, batting her long eyelashes, "I really love hearing you say that, Mistress. I really do." A brief grunt from the aforementioned Mistress told the golden-maned unicorn everything she needed to know.

Foolish child, thought Caducea as she made her aide lick her again - making people do things was, after all, something of a talent. Another simpleton lured by promises and trinkets and pretty little strung-together lies. You were bought as easily as a whore under a dockside lamp. You're even worse than me... except at doing that. Yes. Buck me yes. I'll have to try that little move on little Twilight later. Not so little any more though... there's less point to it. Perhaps I'll have to counterbalance it with more pain. That reminds me, I've got to spend some quality time with my little filly later. Bring back all her favourite toys... oh, sweet Nightmare bucking Moon, Light's got some talent.

*******

Spike heard the door open, yelled the usual "We're closed, go away," and was surprised to hear continued hoofsteps on the hard wooden floor.

"Spike? It's me, it's Ditzy... I think I know what happened."

"Uh huh, you and everyone else. Twilight was crazy and on drugs so they took her away. That's their story and they're sticking to it. Even though they've disowned her."

"Drug addiction? Spike, she's not on drugs-"

Spike let out a short sigh that cut the pegasus off with the efficacy of a sniper's bullet and half as much warmth. "The others think she is. And it's my fault. They think she's addicted to p-painkillers... they took her away and I can't find her and it's all my fault..." His legs couldn't support him, and so they didn't try. Ditzy rushed over to him and wrapped her wings over his hard, newly-bony frame.

"It's okay, muffin... it's not your fault, it really-"

"I dosed her with them!" Ditzy reeled back in shock, eyes widening as they spun in her head. "I poured them down her throat because she was in so much pain! And now they've taken her away from me and I want her back because I love her, D-Ditzy, I love her so much..." He was incomprehensible after that, emitting nothing save a stream of snivelling grunts. The grey mare couldn't speak for some time after that.

"You were helping her, Spike. You were helping her. Nothing can take that away from you."

"Except her friends. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash... they even g-got Fluttershy in to do the analysis. I tried to tell them... they wouldn't listen. And now they're acting like she doesn't even exist! It hurts, Ditzy, it hurts so bad..."

"I know, little muffin, I know... Spike, please tell me if I'm out of line, but doesn't this whole thing seem a little... you know... familiar?"

"What?" Spike paled. "No. You're wrong. Twilight's just been taken away somewhere. The doctor's in prison, there's no way-"

"That, my little dragon," said a voice that trembled with hidden regret, "is what we need to talk about. Come, sit... there's a story you both must hear. It seems that once again I've failed my most faithful student and closest friend. For what it may be worth, Spike... I am so, so sorry."