They would catch me out in the open. I had no choice – I had to go inside. I burst through the door, not caring about the wooden splinters or that I almost tripped over my own hooves. I scramble to my feet – I can hear them yelling from outside: "She went in there!"
I have to keep running.
Up the stairs. Down the hall. Into the bedroom. I look around. Bed, chair, table, closet - maybe I could hide in the closet.
"Up here!"
I can't hide in the closet.
I turn and see her in the doorway. "I got you now!" She makes a move towards me. I jump onto the bed – the bed sheets make me slip and fall on my side. "Hey, where'd you go? Get back here!"
I skitter out the room – another one catches me by my hind leg. "Gotcha!" I couldn't run!
I give a wild kick with my other leg, somehow hitting something with it. "Ow!" I feel my leg set free and take off. "You'll pay for that!" I hear as I flee down the stairs.
The kitchen. The living room. There's nowhere to hide downstairs. I think about running outside when I pass by the broken front doors, but the moonlight spilling into the hallway told me no. They saw me before. They'd see me again. I turn down another flight of stairs. I could hear their hoof beats against the floor. Getting louder. Closer.
I pick up my pace, skidded around the corner and into the room in front. Dead end.
"Over here!"
I turn around to see the two of them round into view. I have to back into the darkened room.
"You can't escape now."
Chairs overturned. Trapped in the corner. The two of them stood in the doorway. This can't be it.
"You've given us a really hard time with all this." They take a step towards me – I take one back. "I'm gonna ask you one more time. What is your name?"
"I'm…I'm…" I can't get the answer out. I'm so scared.
"Answer me!" I keep backing away as they come closer, but I lose my footing and slip to the ground. They continue to approach.
Dinky, I'm sorry…
"Stop!" The shadow of a pony suddenly pops up from behind them. The pony takes a quick gallop before spinning around to a stop in front of me. "Enough is enough! You leave her alone!"
"Get out of the way, Pinkie Pie. This has to be fixed." One of them spreads a pair of wings and takes to the air.
"I won't let you do that."
"Pinkie, what gives? You know it all starts with her. She's the one who can make this all go away."
From behind them, another pony emerges from the dark hallway beyond. The two trapping me in the room take a quick glance at the newcomer. "I'm so sorry about this," she says as she takes a step into the light. She's looking at me. "But it's the only way to correct everything."
No…not her too…
Even in the dim light, I could notice Pinkie Pie's normally puffy mane begin to lose its shape. "Twilight…" she lets out. Her head lowers, her legs bracing against the floor. "Don't worry, Derpy. I'll protect you, " she says quietly to me.
"HER NAME AIN'T DERPY, PINKIE PIE!" The pony on the ground stomps a hoof against a nearby nightstand, toppling it to the ground.
"Applejack, what are you-"
The earth pony snapped back to the door. "No, Twilight. We ain't got time doing it your way. We gotta fix this right here, right now!" She gets something from her saddlebag. "Pinkie Pie, you might like the ruckus that she's caused, but this must be stopped before it gets even worse!"
Pinkie turned her head to the pegasus. "Dashie, please…" she pleads for me.
"No…we have to do this…we have to fix her…" That look on her face…even with that black eye, I had never seen anything like it. It's like she's…possessed. "Get out of the way, Pinkie. Or we'll go right through you."
The three of them keep coming closer. Rainbow Dash blocking me from jumping over. Applejack twirling a lasso. Twilight Sparkle leaving me with no exit. Pinkie Pie still staring them down as they approach.
And here I am, against the wall, with only a dirty mirror to show my gray coat, my golden hair and eyes shining just enough in the dim light for me to notice.
Why is everypony out to get me?
What do they want from me?
What did I do to deserve this?
Shall I continue?