Applejack ducked low as the shadow colt breezed over her again his sharp hoof cutting into her back, joining the series of cuts she already had. Blood spotted her mane and coat as she slid into the wall and scurried into another small room. The colts flew by going too fast to quickly turn and enter. Applejack slammed the door closed pressing herself against it while she tried to catch her breath.

She had been dodging the colts for almost five minutes and they had still managed to give her a few bruises along her flank and small cuts along her side and back. She wasn't bleeding heavily but between running and bleeding her strength was waning. She had bucked the two of them into the walls and again knocked one through a window but no matter what injures she dished out the colts were back up in seconds.

"What in Equestria are you?" She asked breathlessly. A solid thud against the door proved they had circled back and were trying to force their way in. The seasoned apple bucker dug in her legs and pushed back, her long earned strength allowing her to hold the door despite the attempts of her attackers.

The force relented as they backed off before both started slamming into the door, ramming it to force it open. Each blow from outside shook her teeth as Applejack tried to hold firm, but the blows were growing stronger while her strength was fading.

On top if it all she knew she couldn't just hide. Darkside was here, she was sure these 'things' were his doing, and Pinkie was alone. She couldn't hide and leave her friend in danger. The colts hammered the door again and again, giving Applejack an idea.

After another salvo of hits she found the pattern. Right as they colts hit she pulled away from the door moving aside from its path. The two shadows crashed in, the door almost coming off its hinges as they crashed into the far wall their speed intent on encountering more resistance. Their necks made sick cracking noises as they hit the wall and fell limp to the bed but no sooner did they fall where they stirring, their bodies cracking and snapping as they healed.

Applejack didn't wait to see the effect she knew was coming. Spinning around the door she yanked it closed and twisted the lock. With a strong buck the handle was bent and twisted so it bared the door from being pulled in. The two shadow colts faces filled the glass of the door, yellow eyes piercing her own while their fanged smiles never faded.

Applejack snorted and took off down the hall. Whether it would hold them long she didn't know but it would hold them for a bit, long enough to get to Pinkie.

She made her way down the hall, the blood from her cuts was leaving a noticeable trail but she ignored the sting and looked ahead. The closet where Pinkie was hiding was just ahead, she could see the door and was about to call out when she saw it was wide open. Why didn't pinkie have it closed like she asked? Her answer strode out of the room.

"Darkside!" The farmer yelled charging the large dark stallion as the door closed behind him. The larger being inclined his head to the noise but only grinned at her even as the strong mare closed the distance between them.

She skidded to a stop with still several feet between them. "Where's Pinkie Pie!?" She demand at the monster before her.

His smile never faltered. "She's inside there, just like she was when you left her, very irresponsible of you by the way, leaving your poor friend defenseless, tsk tsk tsk, truly poor judgment." His tone was lording and condescending.

Applejack made a sudden move towards the door but a wall of black blocked her path, springing from the ground before her. Her eyes locked on Darkside.

"Sorry forgot to mention, you don't need to see her, she's in a bad place, let's give her some time. We can get to know each other better." He sneered.

Applejack opened her mouth to reply but a sound made her pause. The small sound was followed by a louder one, a scream, Pinkie's scream coming from the closet. "Pinkie!" Applejack made another sudden lunge trying to sidestep the wall but just as the door was near her hoof a force grabbed her and threw her down the hall across the tiled floor. She snarled at Darkside as the violet light faded from his horn. "What did you do to her?!" She demanded, getting on her hooves despite the pain in her back.

"Oh I just reminded her of some of her past. Some things she forgot, I thought she would be happy, she always did love to smile right?" His words were followed by the loud sobs of Pinkie from within the room.

Applejack struggled back tears at the sound of her friend in so much pain. "Stop it right now! I'm warning ya!" Applejack threated stomping her hoof to the tile.

Darkside gave a small chuckle. "Please, you couldn't even handle my shadows and you think you can threaten me? Besides I'm not doing anything to her right now, the damage is done, even you can't save the sorry little thing from herself now."

Pinkie's sobs were louder, she was talking too but between her crying there was no way to make out what she was saying. "Get outta my way! I have the help her!" Applejack snarled preparing to rush the larger foe.

Darkside seemed truly amused, smiling wider. "Ok, how about I make you a deal." He took several steps from the closet door. "If you can get past me and touch the door, I'll let you see her and leave without any more fighting." He spread his wings as he spoke his shadow cast by the moon sweeping over Applejack.

"That's all? You don't know who yall messing with." Applejack snorted and sized him up. He was bigger than her by at least a foot or two, strong too and he had his magic not to mention whatever that shadow was that stopped her before. She would have to stun him long enough to get by him. No matter how tough he was a strong buck from her to his jaw would leave him seeing stars.

The farmer lowered herself as the alicorn simply looked on like he was watching a show. Applejack roared and charged ahead barreling at him. Darkside stood his ground making no move to defend himself. Applejack slipped to the side and pivoted bucking a stretcher that was along the side of the wall sending it flying at the alicorn. Without even blinking, a black tendril flew up and cleaved the item in two falling harmlessly around him.

Applejack was right behind the makeshift weapon and threw herself fully at the monster's head.

She grunted as the wind was knocked out of her from a sharply thrown front hoof and looked to see Darkside's face inches from her own. Before she could think the monster threw the smaller pony back, her flank bouncing against the wall before she fell to the ground. Applejack groaned but pulled herself up.

She didn't waste any time before she charged again. She held the same course as before but before she leaped at his face Applejack slid to the side under his chin where he had a blind spot from his size. The orange mare threw herself at his side aiming for his legs but the dark stallion stepped back before she connected making her hit the air.

Applejack didn't relent as she planted her forelegs and thrust back a strong buck aimed at his jaw. The stallion couldn't move from the attack but before her legs connected Applejack felt her legs freeze. Looking back she saw her legs grasped in violet light.

"You're already boring me." Darkside said dismissively. He flicked his head and she felt herself thrown towards the wall. Darkside made the mistake of releasing his magic something Applejack didn't miss. A second before she hit the wall she turned, placed her hind legs on the wall and shoved off. The sudden move made Darkside jerk and before he could move her whole body collided with his neck. The large alicorn gave a heavy grunt as he fell to the ground.

Applejack knew it wasn't enough and raised her hooves striking him across his snout into the ground before kicking away and galloping for the door. She was inches away when her legs were removed from under her. A glance back confirmed the alicorn was still on his side but his shadow had reached out, snaring her back legs. Applejack thrashed and reached for the closet door but never touched it.

With a sharp snap the tendrils around her legs yanked and she was thrown over Darkside to the wall across the hall. Her body left a solid dent in the wall she fell to the ground making the mare scream in pain. Darkside was on his feet after a moment, righting his injured neck with a crack. "You are a clever little bitch." He snarled.

With another jerk Applejack was pulled before the alicorn. She thrashed against her bounds and when she was close enough she threw her hooves at the stallion for another solid blow but Darkside sighed before lifting her higher and slamming the mare to the ground the tile cracking under the force of the blow. Applejack yelped as she felt something break inside her.

"So persistent. Still got anything left?" He asked leaning down over the injured mare. Applejack whispered something and he lowered his head. "What was that honey?"

"Got ya."

Before he could pull away Applejack's front hooves planted on the tile and her rear legs shot up, the tendrils unable to stop the blow. Both legs struck the alicorn's face, bones cracking under the intense blow as he was knocked back over himself falling on his back.

Applejack took the chance to jump away as the bounds fell away. She leaped onto the fallen monster and began pounding her hooves into his face, blood streaming from his nose and mouth as she beat him in rage. Images of Pinkie, of Redheart flooded her mind. All her anger pooled out of her hooves into the monster's face.

A sharp pain in her side made her pause, before she could even look, a large hoof smacked her face knocking her down to the floor. She tasted blood as she tried to right herself. Just as her legs touched ground, another sharp pain, this one much more intense pierced her back leg. She glanced down to see the black tendrils from before driving into her leg, blood was flowing freely from the wound.

Darkside was on his feet staring down on the mare, blood in his teeth. "That's enough." He hissed through bared teeth. The tendril ripped from her leg electing a small scream as Applejack tried to stifle the bleeding from her side and the hole in her leg. Darkside stepped over her, a tendril snaked around her neck tightening forcefully as the lifted the farmer eye level with him.

"You're a tougher one I'll give you that," Another tendril rose and pierced her stomach, twisting like a drill as it did. Applejack tried to scream but the lack of air made it come out as a weak cough. "But I wonder just how tough." With a violet thrash the bleeding mare was thrown to the ground screaming as her injured body was further abused.

"This will not be quick. Between you and the pink one, I'm running out of patience for being kind." Applejack tried to move but large hoof stomping her fore hoof made her cringe and freeze to hold back a scream. Darkside let his smile return as he looked down on his new victim. Several tendrils of black surrounded him and angled down on Applejack, their tips all twisted to razor edged blades. "I'm going to enjoy this."

The first blade lashed Applejack's face cutting her cheek and splashing blood across her coat. The second lashed her face this time cutting just above her eye. Another tendril whipped down and lashed across her eye making her scream. She pulled a foreleg over her face to protect it as the two tendrils continued to lash her again and again their sharp edges bruising her eye and cutting her face and fore hoof to a bloody mask.

Darkside grabbed the mare with his magic and threw her aside, slamming her into the wall. She gave a grunt but no other indicator she was in pain. He slammed her up this time shattering a light above them with her back and coating her in glass. He gave a muffled chuckle as he slammed her to the wall and floor again and again. Each blow got a louder and louder yelp and whimper from the farmer as she covered her face.

With a final thrust he hurled her down the hall into the wall. There was a sick crack as something broke followed by her tortured scream. The high pitched wail echoed down the empty halls while Darkside simply listened. He drew her back dragging her across the floor leaving a red smeared trail behind her. When she rested at his feet again he could hear her crying, see her cuddling her twisted and broken foreleg, blood oozing from the tear the bone left in it.

The little mare had blood sticking on her fur and mane. The tie that held it in place had come loose at some point and her mane now covered half her body and the floor, though it was stained with blood as well. During the ordeal she had lost control and the stench of urine was detectable in the air. She gave a weak cough and spit a glob of blood to the tiled floor more red staining her white teeth. With a violent kick he knocked her over on her back making her scream again as her leg was jostled and her ribs and organs shaken.

Applejack's eyes were squeezed shut in pain tears marking her face though her sobs were quiet as she was subduing them as much as she was able. Blood was mixing with the tears as she cried, her left eye was swollen shut with a slash across it to ensure she would likely never use it again.

"Any more fight little girl?" He whispered to her ear. When his question wasn't answered he gave a slight tsk and another tendril rose and drove down piercing her side hooking into one of her broken ribs and jerking at it. The pain brought twisted scream from her throat, her voice cracking from the pain. The wail didn't seem like something a living creature could make.

"It's rude to ignore people." He jerked the tendril again and the rib could be heard cracking further shattering in her body. The broken mare howled and wailed to the dark corridor some words could be heard but her screams made them unintelligible. Her good hoof weakly pawed at the tendril to try and push it way to no avail.

"I'll ask again. You . . . Have . . . Any . . . fight . . . left?" Darkside asked, punctuating each word with a vicious slap of a sharp tendril across her face. When he finished Applejack was sobbing, her tears mixing with fresh blood. She tried to pull herself to a ball but Darkside's tendril hooked to her rib only made the movement elect an unnatural wail. She tried to move again but Darkside shook the tendril hooked in her flesh making her flop across the floor with another shrieking wail. She fell to her side, her mane covering her face in a bloody veil.

Her legs fell limply around her and her mouth moved ever so slowly to form words. "Try again dear, I didn't hear." Darkside smirked from above.

"I . . ." Her words faded to a whisper.

"Once more." He cooed.

"I win." She breathed.

The alicorn stood back and followed her bloody gaze. Her left fore hoof was spread out and had touched the door of the supply closet where Pinkie was housed leaving a tiny red mark among the spots of sprayed blood.

Darkside stared before slowly chuckling and soon laughing. "Yes indeed, you have won." He said. "Now for the prize."

Without any gentleness he picked up the injured Applejack with his powers and undid the door. Applejack tried to hold her broken leg and shattered torso together but blood continued to pour to the ground around her. The door opened to reveal the dark of the inside and sitting in a cuddled ball in the back was a pink pony her mane and coat far faded from the color Applejack knew, her mane and tail were flat and hung over her like a veil.

Pinkie was sobbing into herself curled into a ball. Her coat was darkened all over, her face marked with lashes and cuts. Blood had formed a pool around her with the glass she sat in while she cried.

She only barley looked up as the door opened but immediately shielded herself from her intruders. "Go away! Don't hurt me! Leave me alone, please!" She sobbed into her legs.

"Pinkie. . ." Applejack tried to talk but her strength was long since exhausted.

"Oh don't bother Applejack, Pinkie here is not quite herself. See I showed her all of her past she's tried to forget, all the people who hurt her." Darkside explained. "She can't tell you apart from any of them, which is bad since in her currant stare she's likely to react . . . violently to anyone she thinks might hurt her."

Darkside cruelly dropped the earth pony onto the ground making her cry out again as her bones and organs were shaken. The fall made her cough a glob of blood spitting from her teeth as she continued to cry. Small bits of glass bit into her underside and burrowed into her open wounds.

"You want to be with her, so I'll do that for you. Problem is, in her state she's likely to try and kill you, and in your state you can't hope to hold her off." Darkside said with smile. "So there is really only one way this ends, and that is with a death. Either she kills you in fear, or you kill her to survive. I do love these kinds of fights."

Applejack looked at her friend in the corner. Pinkie's eyes were dark and seated with hatred and fear. "See Pinkie, they came back to hurt you again, you can't let them do that to you. Unless you want it. You do want the pain don't you you sick little filly?" Darkside challenged from above Applejack.

"Shut up! All of you shut up! Noponys going to hurt me, Don't hurt me! Don't' make me hurt you! Stop it!" The pink pony cried, tears on her face as she clamped her hooves over her ears shaking her head.

"Leave . . . her. . ." Applejack's words were weighted with fatigue and pain. Her injures were sapping all of her strength. She couldn't put up a fight against anything in her condition.

"Well I suppose I'll leave the two love birds alone." Darkside turned to leave but paused. "Oh and to make things more interesting." With a flick of his wing he smashed the shelves, cabinets and bottles on the side of the closet. Glass, bits of wood and medicine both liquid and pills rained over Applejack, the glass adding to what was already ground into her coat and hair.

"Have fun kiddies." He chuckled as he slammed the door closed sealing the two in almost complete darkness. The only light coming from the window of the door and weak moonlight it let it.

Applejack used all of her strength to sit up on her flank and look at Pinkie. The pink mare looked back but her eyes were filled in fear and hate. "Get away from me!" She yelled. The fear stricken mare reached out and grabbed a piece of glass in front of her in her hooves, the sharp edges cut into her own flesh but she ignored the pain. "I'll kill you! Don't make me! Go away!" She was crying again, her own tears shining in the dark room.

"Pinkie, it's . . . me. Applejack." The farmer tried to reason with her but her words were only whispers. "We're friends." A new tear fell from her eye, not born from her pain, but fear for her friend. She had never Pinkie in such bad shape.

"Shut up liar! Just shut up! I won't let you hurt me anymore! Nopony is going to hurt me anymore!" Pinkie screamed and lunged through the dark at Applejack the piece of glass raised over her head.

. . .

Darkside listened to the fighting inside the door, the sounds of more glass breaking and screams of both occupants was thrilling. In truth he was curious who would win. If Applejack really pushed herself through her injuries he was confident she could win, but she still had the peace of mind to refuse to fight while the other one was blindly trying to kill what she thought was another violating attacker.

He chuckled at the fight, deciding to the leave the answer for later, let the suspense build. As he walked to the window two small black colts appeared from the shadows and melted with his shadow. He paid them no mind and stepped from the window taking flight. It had been ages since he had this much fun, now he had one last place to see to.

Luna and Rarity at the castle where he had first gone. What fun could we have there?