Night Rain's number is pulled, but her tongue just might save her skin.
When Pinkie Pie pulls Night Rain's number, she does what she does and has Night Rain tied up on the table, however, Night Rain might be able to save her own skin if she plays the right cards and can talk her way out of it. But the truth is, is she willing to accept the consequences if she does get out?
Pinkie Pie woke up as she usually did on a Wednesday. She got out of bed, and made breakfast. But, she then remembered that it was that special time of the week again! The time when she get her special ingredient for cupcakes. She went to her number jar and pulled out a slip of paper. On the paper in very neat mouth-writing was '115, Night Rain'. Pinkie Pie smiled, she would finally have a friend with her while she worked! She quickly made preparations for her friend. Making sure that all of the knives and such were sharp and clean. She then took one of the cupcakes from the cupboard and poured the sleep syrup on to it. Then, she went looking for Night Rain. For today was going to be fun!
Night Rain and Rainbow Dash were flying around Ponyville clearing the skies, as they usually did. Then they saw Pinkie Pie hopping around looking upwards. Seeing that the pink pony was looking for somepony, Dash flew down to see what was up.
"Hi Pinkie," greeted Rainbow Dash, "what's up?"
"Looking for Night Rain," Pinkie replied, "seen her around?"
"Of course!" Rainbow said, "When am I not hanging with her? Night Rain, come down here! Pinkie wants to talk to you."
"Just a second!" Night Rain replied, kicking the last cloud into nonexistence.
"Awww! You said I could have the last one!" Rainbow teased.
"Sorry Dash," Night Rain replied, "better luck next time. Ha ha!"
"Thank you Dashie!" Pinkie Pie interrupted, "Can I speak to Night alone for a second please?"
"Ummmm... Okaaaay...?" Rainbow said, confused.
"Ah don't worry Dash," Night Rain said, "I'll be back in a minute, Pinkie just wants me all to herself for once! What's so wrong with that?"
"Well hurry up, we still have some stuff to do." Rainbow said, annoyed (and a little embarrased) by Night Rain's jokes.
"I will." Night Rain assured, "Now, what is it Pinkie Pie?"
"Oh I was just hoping you could come to Sugarcube Corner at three to help me out with a few things." Pinkie said cheerfully, "But you can't tell anypony, or it won't be any fun. This is something special just for the two of us, so you have to promise not to bring anypony with you, got it?"
"Uh, sure. Yeah I got it. I won't tell anypony, I promise." Night Rain swore.
"Pinkie Promise?!" Pinkie asked.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Night Rain said as she did the actions.
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie chimed, "See ya at three!"
"See ya." Night Rain said as Pinkie hopped off. "Well, that was wierd..." She said under her breath.
Once three o'clock came around, Night Rain flew to Sugarcube corner, where she was happily greeted by her host.
"Oh goodie you're here!" Pinkie said excitedly.
"Yep, I'm here. So what are we doing?" Night Rain asked.
"You're going to help me make cupcakes!" Pinkie shouted with glee.
"Cupcakes?" Night Rain almost burst out laughing. "Pinkie, you know that baking isn't my thing, and if I do any cooking at all, it's either cooking up storms, or pranks with (or on) Dash."
"I know, but I only need you're help making them. I'll be doing all the work, sound fun?"
"Well, I guess it's alright." Night Rain said disappointedly.
"Great! Here you go!" Pinkie said, handing Night Rain the cupcake that she drugged earlier.
"What? I thought I was going to help you make cupcakes. So why are you giving me this?" Night Rain asked, confused.
"Taste testing, to make sure the recipe I used last time is any good." Pinkie said cheerfully.
Night Rain shrugged and ate the cupcake, and it didn't taste too bad.
"Alright, now what?" She asked.
"Now," Pinkie started, her tone of voice changing, "you go to sleep!"
"Wait, what?!" Night Rain asked, alarmed.
Then, Night Rain felt dizzy, her vision got blurry and she found herself falling face first to the floor, Unconscious.
When Night Rain came to, she was in a dimly lit room, with only one almost burned out light bulb above her, she couldn't see that far into the darkness. When she tried to move, she found that her legs, along with her head, were tied to a large wooden table with leather straps. The only appendages not tied down were her wings, which fluttered around uselessly as she tried to free herself.
"Hello?" She called into the darkness, "Pinkie Pie? Where are you?"
Then, Night Rain heard a door open and hoof steps coming down stairs. But they were behind her so she couldn't see who was coming.
"H-hello?" She said nervously.
"Hi Night Rain!" Pinkie said as she bounced in front of her. "Like my hidden cellar?"
"Pinkie, what's going on?" Asked Night Rain. "Where are we?"
"Nowhere that anypony will find you." Pinkie said with a smirk. "And that's all you need to know."
"But why? I thought we were going to make cupcakes. So why am I tied down?"
"So that you can't escape!" Pinkie said with glee.
"Escape...?" Night Rain mulled over the word. "What do you mean, 'can't escape'? I am still trying to figure out how this helps with cupcakes."
"Oh silly me!" Pinkie said, hitting her forehead with her hoof. "I forgot to tell you what kind of help you'll be providing! You see, every week I pull a number from this big glass jar I have in my room. A number for every citizen of Ponyville."
Night Rain only listened, unable to process the information Pinkie was going over.
"I then get the pony whose number I pulled to come help me out to make cupcakes. I drug a cupcake, give it to them, and then drag them down here, where I proceed to get my special ingredient. Apple Bloom sometimes helps, and she was SUPPOSED to today, but I don't know where she is." Pinkie said, shrugging.
"Ah'm right here!" said a high pitched voice from behind Night Rain.
Apple Bloom then stepped into the dim light provided by the single light bulb.
"Pinkie, do ya want me to turn on the lights?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Yeah, that'd probably be a good idea." Pinkie agreed.
With that, Apple Bloom went off into the darkness, and a few seconds later, the room was illuminated, and Night Rain could see the horrors that it held. The room was filled with a twisted version of the regular Pinkie Pie party decorations, tables and chairs made of the bones and hides of passed ponies, organs filled with helium were tied to the chairs, and the words "Life is a party" were scrolled onto a huge banner made of tanned pony skins in blood red. All over the walls and shelves were multicolored pony skulls, and on a table next to Night Rain were the heads of four foals, their eyes closed as if they were sleeping.
Night Rain couldn't believe what she was seeing, and she almost puked at the sight.
"What.... what is this?!?!" Night Rain barely managed to stammer out.
"I already told you, silly billie! This is my hidden cellar, but we're really just under Sugarcube Corner." Pinkie Pie replied.
"How long has this been going on for?" Night Rain asked in disgust.
"A couple of years." Pinkie replied cheerfully. "Now, let's get started."
Pinkie Pie went to a table that was near Night Rain, on the table was a medical bag, and a tray with a cloth over it. With a swift movement, Pinkie whipped the cloth off of the tray, revealing a vast array of various medical tools and knives, all of which were razor sharp. Pinkie looked over the tray, and selected a small scalpel. She walked over to Night Rain and placed the tip of the scalpel an inch above her cutie mark.
"Wait. Pinkie wait!" Night Rain protested.
"What?" Pinkie asked, annoyed that Night Rain had interrupted her.
"If you let me go, I won't tell anypony about this, I swear."
"Oh, Night Rain..." Pinkie said, shaking her head. "Do you know how many ponies have tried that? It never worked."
"Well, I can help you. In doing this I mean."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I'll get whoever you pulled to Sugarcube Corner if they forget, I'll even kidnap them if I have to. You'll have a lot more time to get ready, and besides, the more the merrier right?"
Pinkie considered this for a minute.
"I dunno Night Rain," she began, "what do you think Apple Bloom?"
"More help would be useful... But ah don't buy it, for all we know she could split as soon as we let her go and tell everypony in town our secret." Apple Bloom said, looking at Night Rain with suspicion.
"True..." Pinkie said, turning to face Night Rain. "Do you promise not to tell anypony? Not even Rainbow Dash?"
"Promise." Night Rain said.
"Pinkie promise???" Pinkie Pie was nose to nose with Night Rain now, staring her in the eye.
"Pinkie promise." Night Rain confirmed.
Pinkie backed off and said, "Okay. You can go, but a word of this to anypony and you're going back on the table."
"Don't worry Pinkie." Night Rain said as Pinkie Pie undid the restraints. "Nopony's gonna know a thing."
To prove her point, Night Rain mimed the Pinkie Promise with her now-free left front leg.
Once Pinkie had finished untying Night Rain, the latter went to the stairs, and walked up them.
"Who do you want me to get?" Night Rain asked as she opened the door at the top of the stairs.
"I'll have to pull their number." Pinkie repiled, hopping up the stairs and going through the door. "Hold on."
With that, she went upstairs to her room and went to the jar. She reached inside and pulled out a slip of paper, on it read "38, Blue Lightning."
"I got someone!" Pinkie called as she went back downstairs.
Night Rain was still in the shop.
"Who'd you get?"
"Blue Lightning."
"Alright, I'll go get him." as Night Rain prepared to take off, she remembered one thing. "Oh, and Pinkie Pie."
"Yes?"
"One more thing."
"What's that?"
"Leave Dash outta this."
"We'll see."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Night Rain didn't like the sound of that, but she just shrugged it off and went to find Blue Lightning.
After four whole months, Night Rain has grown used to Pinkie Pie's method of getting ingredients for her cupcakes, and has even gone so far as to take a couple of harvests into her own hooves. But no matter how long you are doing something, there's always something to throw you off your game. Now it's Night Rain's turn to have that something happen to her, and she won't like it. At all.
Night Rain was walking along in Ponyville, heading to Sugarcube Corner to meet with Pinkie Pie for their weekly pony harvest. But as she entered the sweet shop, she noticed that something wasn't right, Pinkie was nowhere to be seen, when usually she'd be in the kitchen preparing the victim's cupcake. Confused, Night Rain went to the door that led into the cellar.
As she opened the door, she saw Pinkie Pie already downstairs, and it looked like she had been there all night.
"Pinkie Pie? What's going on?" Night Rain asked, a concerned expression on her face.
"Oh! Hi Night Rain, I'm just getting ready for our guest." Pinkie replied reassuringly.
"Okay, who'd you pull?"
"Nopony special, but since you're already here, could you come here for a minute?"
"Okay." Night Ran walked over to Pinkie Pie, who handed her one of the scalpels.
"This needs to be sharpened, could you do that while I get the rest of the knives and things sorted?"
"Okay."
As Night Rain went over to the sharpening table for the knives, she felt something hard smack her in the back of the head. She fell over, and then blacked out.
When Night Rain came to, she found that she was in a chair facing the harvesting table. She tried to move her legs, but they were held down by the same leather straps that held the victim in place for the harvest. Her head however, was free, and she looked around for Pinkie Pie, who was standing right in front of her.
"Pinkie? What's going on? Why am I tied down?"
"So you can't interfere."
"'Interfere'? Pinkie what are you talking about?"
"To think you'd have seen the table by now..."
Night Rain looked to the harvesting table, and, to her horror, was faced with her best friend, Rainbow Dash.
"Pinkie, you said you'd leave her out of this!"
"No I didn't, I said 'we'll see.'"
Night Rain writhed in her bonds. "Dammit Pinkie I trusted you!!! I promised to help you with this so long as you left Dash out of the picture. I PINKIE PROMISED YOU FOR CELESTIA'S SAKE!!!!"
"But I didn't promise you anything. I only said that we'll SEE if I'll leave her out of this, but I pulled her number and guess what? I decided to go through with it."
"Dammit Pinkie, please. Please leave Dash out of this..." Night Rain hung her head and was sobbing.
Pinkie sighed, wondering what to do.
"Pinkie?"
"Yeah?"
"Let her help us with this, like you did me."
"What?"
"You know exactly what I mean and don't try to hide it."
"Oh I understand what you mean, Night Rain. I'm just wondering if it's a good idea..."
"Of course it's a good idea. With her speed we could easily harvest the ponies we kidnap, even kidnap them faster."
"You mean, we could be more efficient?"
"Yes, exactly."
"I don't know Night Rain..."
"Please Pinkie, I can't lose Dash, not like this."
"Alright, but we should at least wait for her to wake up before we make any final decisions."
"Thank you, Pinkie Pie..." Night Rain smiled beneath her tears.
When Rainbow Dash came to, Night Rain and Pinkie Pie proceeded to tell her what was going on, and Rainbow did not like what she was being told, because not only were her two best friends telling her that they have been killing innocent ponies left, right and center, but Night Rain, out of all the ponies in the world, was keeping secrets from her.
"And so..." Pinkie Pie concluded after several minutes of explaining, "that's why you have to help us, because SOMEPONY doesn't care if we are behind schedule." She shot an accusing glance at Night Rain, who was hanging her head in shame.
Night Rain didn't dare make eye contact with Rainbow Dash, for she knew that there would only be distrust in those rosy eyes.
"Night Rain..." Dash said, her voice monotone. "Night Rain look at me."
Night Rain raised her eyes, just barely making eye contact. But instead of sheer seething hatred in Dash's eyes, she saw something she never would have expected in this type of situation, concern.
"Is it true?" Rainbow asked.
Night Rain slowly nodded, tears starting to well up in her eyes again.
"Well, you can't think that I'm going to just sit here and let myself die can you? Of course I'll help, but only so I can keep Night Rain from getting in over her head. And it looks to me like she already has by negotiating my being set free."
"And her own." Pinkie chimed in as she went to untie Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah..." Pinkie looked back at Night Rain, who was still hanging her head.
After Pinkie finished untying Rainbow Dash, then Night Rain, the trio went outside.
"Since I had to let another harvest go, I have to go pull somepony else. Be right back." Pinkie said as she went back inside.
Once Pinkie was out of earshot, Rainbow grabbed night Rain by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.
"Come on night Rain, we have to tell somepony about what's been going on here."
"What? No, Rainbow we can't."
"Why not?"
"Because you know what happens when you break a Pinkie Promise."
"What does a Pinkie Promise have to do with..." Rainbow's eyes widened as she realized what Night Rain meant by this.
"I Pinkie Promised that I wouldn't tell anypony what goes on here, because if I didn't, then I'd have died a long time ago, and there'd be nopony here to save your skin."
Rainbow took in every word that Night Rain said, and was a little more than happy that Night rain had risked her life trying to keep her alive.
"Alright Night Rain." Rainbow Dash said, releasing her friend. "I guess I should say thank you."
"Don't mention it." Night Rain said, relieved that, for now, that Rainbow was on her side. "Now, let's see who Pinkie pulled, shall we?"
Night Rain got up as usual. It was Wednesday again, time for another citizen of Ponyville to meet their grizzly end. And this was going to be special too, it was Rainbow Dash's first solo harvest. Dash had been helping out for most of the harvests for the last few months, whereas with others she just wouldn't show up. Night Rain worried that Dash was planning against Pinkie Pie, but she knew how hard it had been once she had starting helping with this, and she knew that Dash was probably going through the same paranoia that had consumed her as well.
When she walked into Sugarcube Corner, she was greeted by Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Apple Bloom.
"Well, this is it." Night Rain said, getting herself psyched up. "Dash's first solo harvest. Think you're ready for it Dash?"
"As ready as I'll ever be..." Rainbow replied nervously.
"Who did you pull Pinkie?" Apple Bloom asked excitedly.
"Thunderlane."
"Who's Thunderlane?" Rainbow asked.
"Just some guy who lives alone, I don't think anypony even notices him around." Pinkie replied.
"Okay, is he downstairs already?" Dash asked.
"Yep! He's all yours. You remember the procedure right?"
"Yes, I remember how to do it Pinkie, don't worry." Dash gave Pinkie a reassuring glance before heading into the cellar to perform her first lone harvest.
"Should I go watch her?" Night Rain whispered into Pinkie's ear. "Just to make sure she doesn't crack and let him go to tell everypony what happens?"
"Yeah, that might be a good idea." Pinkie said. "But make sure you're not spotted, otherwise she'll think we don't trust her."
"I trust her with my life Pinkie, she knows that. It's just..."
"Just what?"
"Nothing, it can wait. I'll see you when Dash is finished."
With that, Night Rain stealthily crept down into the cellar, to watch over Rainbow Dash's progress.
An hour later, Night Rain came up from the cellar.
"She did it." she said as she quietly closed the door behind her.
"Good, did she show any remorse?" Pinkie asked.
"No. In fact, she started laughing halfway through. I guess it's getting to her like it has the rest of us."
"That's great! Now we don't have to worry about all those days when she didn't show up!"
"Shhh! Here she comes." Night Rain said, putting a hoof over Pinkie's mouth.
Rainbow Dash came up from the cellar, the medical bag heavy with Thunderlane's organs.
"Hooray! She did it!!!" Pinkie said with glee.
"Good job Dash. I'm proud of you." Night Ran said sheepishly.
"Thanks for the praise guys, but I think I'll have to pass on any more solo harvests for now, I think I'm gonna throw up." Rainbow said.
"Didn't we all..." Night Rain said, she was clearly not happy about something, though she tried to hide it.
Rainbow could see through those lies, however. She has known Night Rain since they were fillies, and she could tell when something was bothering her. She'd have to find out what, but not right now. For now, she would celebrate with the three ponies around her, but once she and Night Rain were alone, it was interrogation time. She knew that Night Rain had been spying on her, and she wanted to know why. Doesn't Pinkie trust me? Dash thought to herself. Whatever, it's not like I've been planning against them or anything, I've only been questioning whether or not I should up and tell somepony about what we do here. But if I did tell someone, would Night Rain be safe? All of these thing were swarming around in Dash's thoughts. Whatever, first thing tomorrow, I get some answers from Night Rain, then I figure out what to do.
Rainbow and Night Rain were walking along in Ponyville, minding their own buisness.
"So Night Rain..." Dash began, trying to spark up a conversation. "I noticed you were a little uneasy yesterday after my... you know. What's up?"
"Oh, nothing." Night Rain replied, trying to keep her cool.
"Come on Night, how stupid do you think I am? I know you were spying on me, and I want to know why."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't give me that! You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Night Rain sighed. "Alright, fine. Pinkie wasn't sure that you'd pull through, she thought that you'd crack and let him go and tell everypony in town what was happening. I'll admit that I was a little afraid of that also, but I'm not the one who started all this, I know how hard it can be to... do it. Look, Dash I trust you with my life. Pinkie's the one who thought you were going to let him go."
"So Pinkie doesn't trust me... That's a first." Rainbow said under her breath.
"I'm sorry that we've been lying to you, Pinkie was just worried with you missing all those days that you were supposed to show up for. She thought that you were telling people, and she wanted me to make sure that that isn't the case. You have been keeping our little secret haven't you?"
"Yeah, I haven't told anypony, even though it did cross my mind a few times."
"That's good, because if you did I don't think that it would end well for either of us... You because you told somepony our secret, and me because I'm the one who talked her into letting you live."
"Right..."
"If I told somepony, then I could live with the consequences, but if you did... I'd never be able to live with myself if you got yourself killed."
"Why?"
"Because it's my fault that you're alive."
"I know that, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Well I don't really like the thought of losing you, and for more reasons than you think."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Dash asked, a questioning look on her face.
"Uhhh... nothing." Night Rain looked away, trying to avoid Dash's gaze.
"Night." Dash stopped Night Rain in her tracks, and forced her to look at her.
"What?"
"You're trying to hide something from me again aren't you?"
"No, I just..." Night Rain was blushing.
"What is it?" Rainbow was trying to stare Night Rain in the eye, but Night Rain kept avoiding her gaze.
"I uhh... I gotta go." Night Rain flew off, heading nowhere in particular. All she knew is that she had to lose Rainbow Dash before she did anything stupid.
As soon as Night Rain got home, she slammed the door shut and locked it behind her. a few seconds later, Rainbow Dash was pounding furiously on the door.
"Night Rain let me in!"
"No!"
"You risked your life one too many times just to save me, and now you aren't going to tell me why? I know you Night Rain, this isn't you, you never do something without a damn good reason."
"You're right about one thing, I did have a good reason, but that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you and make you hate me for being so stupid!"
"What are you talking about? Night, I could never hate you, no matter what."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Night Rain sighed. "Promise that you won't want to kill me?"
"Pinkie promise."
"Alright..." Night Rain unlocked the door. "Dash, before you come in, I just have to warn you, my house is a mess."
Rainbow chuckled. "Open the door already."
Night Rain did as told and opened the door, and Rainbow was greeted to a very messy hallway. "Told you so." Night Rain said.
"That you did." Dash agreed.
As Night Rain showed her to the living room, Rainbow noticed that a lot of the framed pictures around the place were of her and Night Rain.
"I remember this." Dash said as she picked up one of the photos. It was of Night Rain and Rainbow Dash on the day Dash earned her cutie mark. They were celebrating it like best friends would. Dash smiled at the memory, and put the picture down again. Next to it was a picture of the two on the day that Night Rain got her mark, celebrating in much the same manner as in the other photo.
"And I'll never forget it." Night Rain said as she too remembered the days of those pictures. "Come on Dash, sit down." Night Rain directed her to a chair in the living room, which she sat on. Night Rain took a seat on the chair right in front of Dash. "Alright, now what was it you wanted to know?" She asked.
"Why do you keep putting your life on the line just to make sure I stay ok, even if it means that you get killed in the process?" Rainbow asked seriously, staring Night Rain in her bright red eyes.
Night Rain only stared back nervously, trying to keep looking into Dash's rosy irises. "Well I don't exactly want to lose you. Like, at all."
"I can see that, I don't want to lose you either, you're the closest thing I have to family. But why is it that you don't care whether or not you die, just so long as I'm safe?"
"It's kind of hard to explain Rainbow..."
"I've got time, and I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what I want to know."
Night Rain bit her lower lip, trying to muster up the courage to tell Dash just how much she really cared. "It's because, I kinda... love you..." She closed her eyes and turned away, prepared for the hit that she knew was coming, only it didn't. When Night opened her eyes, she saw Rainbow sitting there, her mouth hanging open, and her eyes watering up. "Dash?" Night Rain tried to get her friend to respond. "Dash you still with me?"
Rainbow slowly nodded, slowly regaining control of her senses. "Is that the truth? You-- you love me?"
"Yes. If you hate me I understand."
"Hate you? Why would I hate you?"
"Well usually people don't necessarily like it if their friend has been crushing on them behind their back, especially if they're the same gender."
"Well, I guess I'm the first one to not hate my friend for saying that."
"Seriously?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
In response, Dash pulled Night over and kissed her. Night Rain was surprised, but returned the embrace and kissed Dash back. They broke apart, and Night Rain looked Rainbow in the eyes. "You mean that?"
Pinkie woke up to another Wednesday. It was nice outside, and she went over to the jar of paper that she had for her victims. Just as she was going to reach in and pluck one of the numbers out of the jar, she got another idea.
"I think..." she said to herself, "I'll deal with a different type of problem today." she gave an evil smirk to the mirror, and went down to the cellar to prepare for her victim, and their witness.
Night Rain and Rainbow Dash walked together to Sugarcube Corner, making small talk about who might be next in line for the harvest.
"I don't know if I'd rather it be Rarity, or Octavia." Night Rain said as they walked.
"I'd want it to be somepony I hate, like those two jerks back in Cloudsdale who wouldn't leave us alone when we were kids." Rainbow said.
"Yeah, I'd love for it to be those two, then I'd give them a piece of my mind."
"You mean we would give them a piece of our minds." Dash said, looking at Night Rain playfully.
"Right."
The two arrived at Sugarcube Corner, and went inside. Pinkie, as usual, was waiting for them.
"Who'd you get Pinkie?" Rainbow asked.
"Actually," Pinkie Pie began, looking first at Night Rain, then at Rainbow Dash. "I'd like to just skip today, but I'll need some help cleaning up the cellar, I already prepared, but I was just tired and decided to wait a week."
"Really?" Night Rain asked in disbelief. "Pinkie, that's not like you, usually you never let us have a day off."
"Well today I thought, "maybe I'd better let Night Rain and Dashie have the day to themselves this time, and not even bother with the cupcakes," so guess what I'm doing?"
"I still don't believe you." Dash said. "Night?"
"I'm with Dash on this one Pinkie, something's not right." Night Rain agreed.
"Will you at least help me clean up the cellar?" Pinkie pleaded.
"Fine." Night Rain and Rainbow said in unison.
As the two turned to go downstairs, Pinkie hit first Night Rain, then Dash in the back of their heads. Night Rain fell to the floor and blacked out, and Dash soon followed her.
When Night Rain came to, she was strapped to a table, the same table that she had woken up on half a year ago. In front of her, she could see that Rainbow Dash was tied to the chair, her eyes being held open by small metal clamps that were attached to the leather strap that held her head in place, but she wasn't awake yet.
"Dash." Night Rain tried to move, but, much like before, her limbs, torso, and head were held to the table by tight leather straps. "Dash wake up!"
Rainbow Dash groaned, and her eyes started darting around the room. "Night Rain, what's going on?"
"Not sure, but I have a pretty good idea."
"Ah! You're both awake. Good." Pinkie Pie said, walking between the two.
"Pinkie, what are you doing? Let us go!" Rainbow Dash screamed.
"Not this time." Pinkie said. "I know how much of a great help you've been Night Rain, and I appreciate it. But I think that I'd better teach Dash a lesson about trying to tell somepony our little secret."
"Pinkie Pie what are you..." Night Rain's eyes widened as she grasped Pinkie Pie's words, she was going to kill Night Rain, and Rainbow was being forced to watch. "Dash." she began, tears starting to well up in her eyes.
"No..." Rainbow started, her voice choking up as she too realized what Pinkie meant. "No, no, no, no, no. Pinkie Pie, you can't!"
"Why not? It's not like you weren't thinking about telling someone about all this."
"I was not! You can ask Night Rain!"
"Then why didn't you show up those couple dozen times?"
"I wasn't feeling well. I was still just getting used to the harvests."
"Well I'm going to make sure that you never get the idea to tell anypony."
With that, she grabbed a scalpel off the tray, and went to Night Rain's left flank. She placed the scalpel an inch above Night Rain's cutie mark, and began a circular cut around it. Once she had removed Night Rain's left cutie mark, she moved to the other flank and repeated the process. Rainbow Dash was screaming at Pinkie Pie to stop, but Pinkie wasn't listening, she was too busy butchering Night Rain, who remained silent, she wasn't giving in to Pinkie, for Dash's sake.
Twenty minutes later, Pinkie had cut off both of Night Rain's wings, and was making the incisions in her abdomen. Night Rain remained as silent as ever, not uttering a single scream throughout the entire process, no matter how much it hurt.
"Dashie." Night Rain said, she was trying hard to hold back cries of pain. "before Pinkie can finish this, I want you to know that I love you, and that no matter what happens, I want you to think of me long after I'm gone. Remember who did this to me, who took me away from you. Never forget that, and I know that in the end, you'll do the right thing."
Rainbow's throat was raw from screaming at Pinkie to stop killing the only mare that she loved, but she managed to say, beneath all her tears, "I love you too Night Rain, I'll never forget."
Pinkie then sliced open Night Rain's abdominal sack, and started ripping out each of her vital organs. Large intestine, small intestine, stomach, and so on, until the blood loss was too much, and Night Rain passed away. Rainbow was crying, and Pinkie turned to her.
"Ever gonna tell anypony about this now?" Pinkie asked.
"No." Rainbow said between sobs.
"Good." Pinkie untied Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow walked toward the table that Night Rain's corpse was still strapped to.
"Goodbye Night Rain... I love you." Rainbow Dash closed Night Rain's still open eyes, and planted a kiss on her forehead. She then turned to Pinkie Pie, who was watching her.
"I'm sorry Rainbow." Pinkie Pie said.
"Me too, sorry that I'll never let you get away with this."
"We'll see." Pinkie Pie said, walking away.
"Yeah," Rainbow muttered under her breath. "When I choke the life out of you."
Rainbow Dash watched as Pinkie struggled in her restraints. In the days that followed Night Rain's death, Rainbow had been planning to exact her revenge on Pinkie Pie, and put a stop to the needless slaughter of innocent ponies once and for all.
"Ready to begin?" Rainbow asked her writhing victim.
"Why are you doing this Rainbow? I thought we were friends!" Pinkie said, beginning to sob.
"That ended when you killed Night Rain."
"I'm sorry Dash, I didn't know that you two were that close."
"Even if we weren't, she was still the closest thing I had to family since both of our parents died, and you took her away from me. And I am not going to let you continue to take innocent lives like this and ruin the lives of those that they loved, ever again!"
Rainbow then hit Pinkie hard in the face, she clearly wasn't going to kill Pinkie the way that they did most of the other ponies that they had strapped to the table, but she was still going to do it slowly.
"Any last words?"
"I know that you won't forgive me Rainbow, but I'm still sorry."