AN: This is a sequel of sorts to the fanfic One Last Party Favor (itself a sequel to the fanfic Le Petit Four (which is a sequel to the fanfic Cupcakes (the originator of so many of these dark fics))) As such, it's recommended you have read those stories first.
Party Party Party
"What can I do? She no longer possesses the knowledge of what she's done." The words repeated through her head, as they had for the past month. Twilight replayed the grisly scene she'd found in Pinkie's basement one more time, skulls, the organ party streamers, Rainbow Dash's stuffed corpse. The memory of the party pony trying to kill her and her dragon. "She no longer possesses the knowledge of what she's done."
It wasn't right, why should Pinkie not remember the horrible things she's done? Why shouldn't she get punished in any way for what she did. Why should she forget when Twilight was forced to remember? Spike forgot, he was young, a bit of magic from Zecora to destroy memories helped though. Zecora asked Twilight why she didn't just do the same to herself, implore the princess to remove the memory like she did Pinkie.
Twilight didn't answer, she didn't know why she didn't do that very thing. She tried to forget on her own, to no avail. The nagging question of why Celestia did what she did kept echoing through her mind, it made no sense, there was no reason to spare Pinkie but not her. A week afterward she came upon her answer: Princess Celestia was wrong. In that moment everything snapped into clear focus for her, a mistake, that's what it was.
The princess was wrong, she was wrong to wipe the memory of Pinkie, of that butcher. So armed with this new knowledge Twilight Sparkle started going through volumes and volumes of spell books that had to do with memories. Celestia was wrong. Night and day she pored over the contents of the numerous tomes; rejecting the mundane spells for remembrance, little things like where somepony put something, remembering names, simple things. Then she found it, when she was set to abandon her search she had found it. Twilight felt oddly triumphant as she committed the spell to memory, a thought that she found amusing.
It hurt Twilight to keep her friends in the dark when she told them she was leaving Ponyville for a week or so. Their questions were innocent; after all they didn't know what had happened to Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Princess Celestia had done a very good job at making sure the truth got buried so nopony outside of her and Twilight Sparkle had known what Pinkie Pie had done. Celestia had chalked up the disappearances of the numerous ponies as them simply opting to chase their dreams elsewhere. Rainbow Dash had simply returned to Cloudsdale, and Rarity left to pursue a career in fashion in Manehattan. Everyone accepted this, Rainbow Dash always did whatever she felt like, and Rarity was notorious about her desire to dress high-society with her fashion.
Nopony even questioned why Rarity had left Sweetie-Belle behind; they acted like it was normal and life continued as it ever had before the disappearances. Twilight hopped a train for Pinkie Pie's hometown after assuring her friends that everything was fine, and she was leaving for a change of scenery. She had the notion of taking Spike with her to make him party to her revenge, but decided against it. It would be an entirely pointless idea and a complete waste of having his memory wiped in the first place.
As the train left the station Twilight thoughts replayed the events again, the vividness of the memory strengthened her resolve that what she was doing was right. Twilight exulted in the sheer cleverness of her plan as the train continued onward. She wondered if Pinkie would be excited to see her? Would her former friend bounce and shout in her typical Pinkie manner, Twilight figured she would. Twilight's face contorted in anger as she considered the idea of Pinkie's blind amnesiac face be happy despite all the things she did, all the ponies she murdered. "Patience Twilight, you'll make everything right, you'll rectify Celestia's mistake," she uttered to herself as the train rolled to Pinkie Pie's hometown.
The train came to a stop at the small platform, the doors slid open and Twilight couldn't help but notice that nopony else was getting off the train. She couldn't blame them it was rather dismal, depressing really. She found the small party store that Pinkie ran, not quite as large and elaborate as the one she had in Ponyville, but then given the town it made sense. She pushed open the door and noticed the garish pink, gold, and countless other colors of streamers hung around the store. The garish color design was unmistakably Pinkie's style.
Pinkie let out a squeal of delight as she saw Twilight standing there. It had been so long, it felt like forever since she had seen any of her friends from Ponyville; she started to worry that her old friends had forgotten her. But Twilight was here, so that must mean the others would be here too! Pinkie jumped on Twilight and gave her a hug; "Twilight!" She screamed as she ambush hugged her friend. Horror coursed through Twilight as she fought to get out of the party pony's embrace.
"Pinkie!" She tried to rein in her anger and fear over what just happened; hoping to make it look like she was pleasantly surprised. "Pinkie, you startled me."
"Aw, sorry Twilight, I was just so happy to see you, I couldn't contain myself." Pinkie started hopping around her friend but stopped when she saw a small sack on the floor next to Twilight. "Hey Twi, what's that?" Pinkie asked as she snatched the bag off the ground.
"Oh, nothing, just a small gift for you Pinkie." Twilight said, a faint grin spreading across her face as the pink party pony pulled the small rope that held the bag shut. Pinkie's smile faltered when she saw a light blue cupcake and a small white piece of cake.
Pinkie looked at Twilight in confusion; Twilight simply smiled back at her and nodded to her implying she should eat her gifts. "Well, they look yummy Twilight." She said as enthusiastically as she could as she ate the blue frosted cupcake; Pinkie couldn't place what that strange taste was. She gave the small white cake a small nibble; Twilight had that same expectant look on her face that she had when she ate the cupcake. Pinkie swallowed the small cake; "Those were... certainly different Twilight, what were they?"
Twilight smirked at Pinkie Pie; "Well, the blue one was Rainbow Dash, the white one was Rarity." The color went out of Pinkie's face, a strange fear coursed through her.
"H-ha ha Twilight, you got me. Dashy and Rarity, you're a hoot, what were they seriously?" The smirk disappeared from Twilight's face.
"Seriously, they were the ground up and baked remains of Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. Two ponies you murdered." Pinkie backed away from Twilight; her friend had lost it, she was crazy, this was just a prank that absolutely wasn't funny.
"Twilight, what, what are you talking about? Rarity and Dash are alive they just moved out of Ponyville. Quit joking around."
"Oh, that's right, you got to forget, you were forgiven for all the ponies you killed. You got to forget all the pain you caused everyone else. Don't worry, you'll remember, you'll definitely remember." Just then a sharp blinding pain pierced Pinkie's mind, she fell to her knees as her head felt like it was going to explode. She looked up and saw Twilight staring down at her; "I'll make you remember." Pinkie's vision dimmed as the pain in her head swelled to unimaginable heights. Pinkie Pie twitched as she fell into unconsciousness; Twilight felt immensely proud watching her writhe on the ground.
The memories flooded Pinkie's mind. At first she couldn't make sense of them, they passed too quickly; an indecipherable mash of disjointed scenes. The sheer volume of them was too much of a burden to try to sort through and she went unconscious. Her mind worked to piece them together, to make sense of the chaotic images. As she did some dormant part of her mind snapped awake; the spell dissipated in face of the insurmountable evidence that played through her mind.
Pinkie Pie recalled every single slice, slash, stab, cut, tear, and bludgeon. Every single one of her victims she cut open; ripped the organs from, every second of every murder. She remembered sewing her cloak, making the unicorn necklace, stuffing Rainbow Dash, all of it. The worst of it was the sudden remembrance of how much joy and pleasure she had derived from the numerous killings she had committed. The joy of listening to her victims crying, their painful whimpers, their final pleas to be let go, to get away from her, to simply let their torment end, and the ecstasy of denying them. To prolong their misery.
Pinkie Pie screamed, a long painful scream, this was simply too much for anypony to bear. Her mind felt like it was trying to tear itself apart; one part of her refused to accept this, there was no way she could ever do anything like this, she wasn't capable of such barbarity. That aspect of her mind was quickly crumbling in the face of the truth, that she did murder countless ponies and fed them to the others. The memories spoke to her, to face what she'd done, and to remember how much she enjoyed it.
As Pinkie awakened she was blinded by a light aimed at her eyes. She tried to cover her eyes but found her legs were strapped down. "Oh," she said as she closed her eyes; of course she was tied up and bound like this. "Twilight," she said her voice hoarse and barely audible. "Twilight!" She yelled, her only response was the buzzing hum of the light above her face.
"Oh good, you're awake, I was worried you know." Twilight said as she circled around the table. "The book mentioned that you could've died after having so many repressed memories come rushing back out. That would've been annoying, but ultimately worth the risk, because you're alive, I knew you could handle it. I knew my hard work would pay off, I don't know what I would've done if you died! So much wasted effort, but no sense worrying about that now."
Twilight rolled a small cart closer to the table; numerous bladed instruments lay on the dented and scarred wood. "You know what comes next, right Pinkie?" Twilight's voice came out at an odd lilt. "You have no idea how long I've waited to do this." Twilight held a knife in front of Pinkie's face, a look of terror flashed across Pinkie's features. In one swift motion Twilight dug the knife deep into Pinkie's leg; pain tore through Pinkie causing her to scream. Twilight pulled the knife down Pinkie's leg until she hit her hoof.
Twilight placed the knife at the top of where she stabbed Pinkie at the start and cut around her leg. She repeated the process at the bottom of the cut, she put the knife down on the cart and turned back to Pinkie. Tears were pouring out of her former friend; Twilight smiled a thin smile as she put a hoof on the cut. Pinkie tried to pull her leg away, causing her to scream as she caused the cuff to rub harshly against the wound. "Twilight, please. No!" Pinkie screamed as Twilight pulled on the incision and ripped her flesh off. A new wave of pain washed over Pinkie. "Cut it off! Cut it off! Cut it off! Please!"
Every time her leg touched anything fresh agony coursed throuh her. Pinkie tried to keep her leg still, not let anything touch it; Twilight was annoyed by her lack of movement and slammed a hoof down upon Pinkie's skinned leg. She kept whacking the leg until she stormed away from the table leaving Pinkie whimpering in silence. "Twilight," she said choking back tears.
"What?"
"Please cut it off. Please."
"No," was all Twilight replied as she walked out of the room. Left alone in that room Pinkie's mind was awash with thoughts about how she might be able to get out of this alive. She looked around the room, hoping that maybe Twilight had made a rookie mistake and left something she could use to get out. Kind of like you, when all this started. Pinkie stopped and tried to figure out where the voice came from.
She gave her leg a small pull, and noticed that the strap holding it had loosened. Pinkie resisted the urge to let out a laugh and instead set about pulling her leg out. Slowly, inch by inch she pulled her throbbing leg out of the bond. A small glint of metal shone out the corner of her eye, before she could turn to see what it was she heard a small thunk. Time seemed to stand still, she stared at the roof above her as a new feeling of pain coursed up her leg. Pinkie screamed in agony and pulled her leg up off the table and saw that it ended just above her knee. Twilight picked the severed leg from the table and looked at it; she smiled. "Ah, come on Pinkie, you're pulling my leg if you thought you could actually get out of here." She laughed and threw the leg behind her.
"Tell me, did you really think, that after all I've done I would just let you go?" Twilight pulled the axe out of table and swung it down on another of Pinkie's legs. "Huh? Did you think that?" Another leg gone, the pain was excruciating, and to Pinkie's surprise Twilight had cut off every leg except for the one she had almost got free. Twilight brushed the limbs off the table and sat next to Pinkie, her chin in her hoofs as she stared at Pinkie's face. "You want this to end, don't you?" Her voice was devoid of her previous anger, it sounded like she was genuinely curious if Pinkie simply wanted the pain to stop.
"You won't stop this. You've come too far to simply let me go. You're toying with me, you're trying to get me hoping just so you can snatch it away. I should know, I've done this exact thing, the despair somepony feels when you do this feels to good to pass up." Pinkie looked Twilight in the eyes as she said this. "You know... it's kind of funny, how much like me you've become." Pinkie let out a weak laugh, Twilight stabbed Pinkie in the stomach.
"I am nothing like you!"
"Oh please Twilight, you're just like me. I recognize that same look of psychotic glee, I saw it every time I looked in a mirror." Twilight screamed and twisted the knife causing Pinkie to cry out in pain. "You know, I hope you're able to control the itch better than I could." Pinkie let out a pained sigh and closed her eyes.
"What does that mean? Huh, what does that mean?!" Twilight screamed at the pink pony who lay unmoving on the table. "No," Twilight pushed Pinkie, there was no response. "No, no no no no no!" Twilight shook the body hard trying to coax Pinkie awake. This wasn't fair, Twilight had gotten almost no satisfaction from this. She screamed and threw the knife against the wall. she stared at Pinkie's mutilated corpse she had had so much more planned. So like Pinkie to ruin her plans; she left the shop and headed back to Ponyville.