/Thanks to therichardater, Obsurd muffin, Pineapplemadness, and Soupysoupsoup for the reviews. Alright friends, I'm back for the next installment of this story you're reading for whatever reason. Get ready for a glimpse into the psyche of Pinkamena Diane Pie. Y'all have been warned./

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The rock below me is smeared with blood. Rarity's face is splashed with it. Sweetie Belle is drenched in it. The real kicker, though, is her eyes. Her eyes are empty and hollow, open but no longer seeing. The scar searing across her face seems to have opened again as blood pours down her still face. Her mouth hangs open slightly, her face frozen in an eternal shocked expression. She was a child. Her innocence was ripped away by this war, and the remainder of her life, too.

She'd still never gotten her cutie mark, either.

For the first time in ages, I feel real, legitimate sadness. I allow myself to go limp in Lightning Dust's grasp and close my eyes. I feel the tears squeeze free and run down my cheeks, dripping from my chin. Each tear probably makes its path through the air and splashes somewhere on the ground below, ending its journey forever. Perhaps if I relax enough, Lightning Dust won't be able to hold me anymore and I'll slip, meeting my end on the rocks below, like my tears. Anything would be better than feeling so... Numb all the time.

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Two months had passed since Rainbow Dash left. I was still full of optimistic ignorance. Every day I'd assure the girls that today would be the day she came back. I'd taken to spending a certain amount of time in front of the window every day. That day I refused to give up hope. I had a feeling in my gut that today would be the day, and I was refusing to leave my spot at the window. My eyes refused to stay open and my stomach was grumbling. Strands of my mane stuck out at odds and ends. It was clear the others were worried about me.

"Pinkie Pie, darling, I must insist you move from that window for just a moment. You need to eat something!" Rarity begged.

"No," I shook my head. "I need to be the first one to see Rainbow Dash when she comes back. She needs to know that I knew she'd come home eventually."

Even I recognized the exhaustion in my voice. I'd been up for two days in a row, convincing myself the same thing. I was starting to doubt that Rainbow would ever come back, but I just had to stay optimistic. It was the only thing that kept me going. The girls exchanged looks and Applejack nudged Twilight forward.

"Pinkie... We think it's time you stopped waiting. Rainbow Dash will come back when she's ready, and in the meantime it'd be best for all of us if you moved on." Twilight spoke quietly, treading on eggshells.

I smiled forcefully.

"I promise, Twilight, she'll be-"

I was cut of by an angry noise. Fluttershy shoved her way to me. This was the first time any of us had seen her truly active in months. Normally she sat in the corner or stayed in her room, never speaking a word. This time, however, she was furious. Twilight tried to guard me, but Fluttershy was stronger than her. She pinned me against the wall so we were nose-to-nose and I couldn't escape, then bared her teeth and exposed me to something I never thought would be turned on me in my life.

Fluttershy used the Stare on me.

Almost instantly I felt my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach. My knees weakened. The cheerful lights in my eyes flickered and died. My mane and tail went flat and darkness wrapped around my heart. Fluttershy turned and stalked away, leaving me collapsed on the cold, crystal floor of our castle. The answer was clear now. I accepted it, as all the others had.

Rainbow Dash wasn't coming back to us.

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All of a sudden, I feel a bone-cracking smack against a hard, linoleum floor. At last I open my eyes and find myself right back in Canterlot Castle, at the feet of General Gilda. I should have known. The gryphon rises from her throne and slinks slowly, almost cautiously, towards me. She eases a talon under my chin and lifts me up so I'm face-to-beak with her. She smirks and releases me so I smack my chin on the linoleum.

"Stand up." She orders.

"Nah, I think I'm good here." I say with a yawn.

Lightning Dust sends an abrupt kick to my back. I almost feel a bone crack.

"She said stand up, Private!" She shouts.

I'd disobey again, but I'm already injured in that area and I'd rather Lightning Dust not break my back, so I get to my hooves. I make it a clearly strenuous process, however, so they all know that I'm not going to come lightly. Gilda taps one of her talons on the floor as they wait for me to stand.

"So, Pinkie Pie," She says my name with venom in her voice, as if she knows it will set me off. I clench my teeth and fight to stay still. "Undoubtedly you know what we've done to other ponies who refused to... Cooperate."

I nod, teeth still clenched. I prepare myself to speak; To say that torture won't do anything. That brainwashing spells are completely useless anyway, now that Sunset Shimmer is back at the mountain with the others. Unfortunately, Gilda cuts me off before I get to give my valiant hero speech.

"I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that those methods will not be used on you." Gilda speaks in an unnervingly calm style. The way her voice molds the words is almost... Reassuring. I shake myself. "Instead, you will be staying with us in the highest accommodations we can provide for you, just in case your friends ever come back for you."

"Don't worry, they will." I speak threateningly.

"Are you sure about that? Are you aware of how we got ahold of you in the first place, Pinkie Pie?"

I cock my head to the side, a noise of confusion escaping my lips. What in Equestria does she mean by that?

"I, um... You took me while we were sleeping, didn't you?" I ask, horrified at myself for allowing myself to appear weak and confused.

Gilda sniggers behind a claw, glancing at Lightning Dust. Her face sends a message like "Can you believe how stupid she is?", and a grin spreads across Lightning Dust's face.

"Jeez, you're more of an airhead than I thought! I almost feel bad for you!" She taunts. Gilda hits her over the head with one of her wings.

"Hush." She hisses. "Y'know, Pinkie, the truth is I'm actually one-hundred percent down with you. Sure you're kind of annoying, but you seem like a good fighter and I know both I and the entirety of my army would be honored to have you fighting for the side that actually respects you enough to protect you."

"...Where are you going with this?" I question slowly. I know my friends respect me, and they would do anything to protect me, just like I would for them. I'm positive they're trying to get to me right now.

"Oh, Pinkie, you idiot..." Gilda muses to herself. "Those fillies you thought cared about you? They're the ones who gave you to us. They've been ransacking our villages for days, searching for information. We promised them a trade; Information for their best soldier, Pinkie Pie. They agreed without argument."

I balk. I feel my lip quiver ever-so-slightly and bite it to keep from showing weakness. My heart sinks further into my stomach lining and I realize tears are just starting to well up in my eyes. The worst part is, Gilda sounds sincerely empathetic saying this. I almost believe it.

"That's a lie," I say defiantly.

"Do you honestly believe that?"

"I... Um..."

To be honest, I can't think of anything that could really disprove it besides the fact that Twilight did patch me up when we first fled the castle. However, I haven't treated any of them all that well since them, and they haven't necessarily done me any favors, either. I have no reason not to think at least the Cutie Mark Crusaders would do something like this. Maybe they did just trade me for information... Maybe I'm not worth anything to them.

Gilda walks slowly from her throne and down the steps so she's beside me. She puts an arm around me and gives me an empathetic glance.

"Y'know, I understand what you're going through. I really do. I've been abandoned by the only pony I thought I could trust countless times. Rainbow Dash left me in a huff when she first moved to Ponyville, and that week I visited I know was my fault... But she's never been very reliable. And don't forget, she left you when you did nothing wrong, and didn't return even when things went south. You need ponies you can rely on, Pinkie. We all do."

I hate myself for admitting it, but Gilda is right. Rainbow Dash left because Twilight screwed up, not because any of us did. If she really cared about us, she would have stayed for us. Not to mention she certainly would have returned to us. I can tell Gilda's words and the sympathetic sound of her silver tongue is starting to get to me. I'm starting to believe her. I don't know how she's doing it, but it's working.

"You're sick if you think you're going to trick me into switching sides. I know who my allegiance lies with, and it will always be Twilight and my friends. Now get off me." I order sullenly, shoving her off.

"Very well. If you need anything, Pinkie, don't hesitate to ask. Lightspeed, show Pinkie to her room."

A red earth pony with a black mane leads me from the throne room and up the stairs. He shows me to a small room with comforting, avant-garde lamps in each corner and a nice, cushy bed with soft blankets and big pillows in the corner. It's one of the nicest rooms I've ever seen.

"General Gilda really does hope you enjoy your stay until your friends come. If they do." Lightspeed says quietly before leaving, closing the door softly behind him.

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/There you go! Another chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Oh, and if Gilda seemed a bit OOC in this chapter, there's a reason for it, don't worry. See y'all next time!/