Popped

“This is ridiculous!”

“Absolutely ludicrous!”

The hall was abuzz with the agitated voices of the crowd, their words creating a chaotic din as they echoed off the walls. The collective volume of their complaints, when combined with the poor acoustics of the hall, made for a very displeasing experience.

“This is an outright violation of our rights! Literally the day you become Princess Regent, we get droves of royal guards searching every nook and cranny of our private homes!”

Twilight winced, trying to resist putting her hooves over her ears. “Please, everypony calm down!” she yelled, struggling to be heard over the crowd. “I understand your grievances, but I’m afraid the current situation calls for drastic and immediate action. With the unanimous approval of the Royal Council, I have temporarily suspended the constitution to aid in the search effort-”

“You’re corrupt!” A stallion near the back called out.

“We have to do everything within our power to find Pinkie Pie.” Twilight called, raising her voice to dominate the crowd.

The crowd, however, did not concede. Rather, they grew even louder than before. Twilight would have tried again to reason with them, but at this point, she couldn’t even hear the sound of her own voice.

One of the two guards standing at each side of Twilight’s throne looked up, bowing respectfully before speaking. “Princess, I believe it would be for the best if you were to leave the premises until this situation is under control. You've more important things to attend to, after all.”

Twilight looked once towards the crowd, then back at the guard before nodding in agreement. “Thank you, um…” Twilight looked quizzically at the guard, tapping her hooves together as she tried to remember his name. Judging from his decorations, he wasn’t as high ranking as a commander, but he wasn’t a regular grunt either. “...sir.” she finally said, blushing slightly. She made a mental note to work on her nametag idea.

If the guard was offended by Twilight’s lapse in memory, he didn’t show it. He nodded once, and motioned to two lower-ranking guards before moving back to his spot.

Twilight actively avoided eye contact with the crowd as she got up from her seat and walked between the two guards. They led her a short distance across the floor to a set of golden double doors, which were opened by yet another pair of guards.

After passing through the threshold, the grandiose doors closed, shutting out the sounds of the crowd's unrest. The sudden change in volume was almost startling.

“Tough crowd, huh, Twily?” A familiar voice greeted.

Twilight cast her tired gaze toward her brother for a short moment before looking down again. "Ugh," she moaned. "This is a nightmare."

Shining Armor’s mouth hung open as he tried to think of a reply. He wanted to tell Twilight not to worry, that she was just overthinking things again. On the other hand, he wasn’t the type to lie easily. “...Yeah.” was all he managed to say.

Like two foals on an awkward first date, the two siblings walked together in silence as if they barely knew each other. The only sounds to be heard were the resonant echoes of their hooves as they made their way across the marble floor.

"So, uh..." Twilight began, finally daring to break the silence. “Any news yet? About Pinkie, I mean.” Her face was flushed with worry.

Shining Armor looked down and sighed. “Not yet, but If your tracking spell was correct, then she's at the most fifty miles from Canterlot. We've at least narrowed it down to that. With 60% of the Royal guard mobilized, I’m sure we’ll find her in a matter of hours.”

“I hope so.” Twilight replied, tears beginning to well up in the corners of her eyes. "I just hope I wasn't too late. I feel so...stupid.”

Shining frowned and put a foreleg around Twilight’s shoulders. “Hey. Don’t you dare think for a second that-

“Forget I said anything.” Twilight said, rejecting the gesture. “It’s not important. I just…” she paused for a second, looking angrily towards the floor. “I just...I can’t...ugh!” Twilight stamped her hooves on the floor and began trotting in the direction of the palace library. “I just have a lot to deal with right now.”

* * *

The warm tones of the dried leaves that littered the forest floor contrasted greatly with the cold, bitter air that nipped at Applejack’s skin as she made her way through the thick, unsettled woods. Even at high noon, the sun’s warmth couldn’t break through the sky’s thick barrier of clouds. Not a single creature stirred in the dead of winter, leaving the forest unsettlingly quiet.

Applejack hung her head and sighed. Many long, grueling hours had passed since she’d first left the campsite, and she had so far failed to find even a single trace of either of the ponies she was searching for. Not a single feather, dropped item, or hoofprint to assist her with her task.

Her hooves ached, her eyes were weary, and her mind was numb. Cold, confused and exhausted, Applejack stopped in her tracks, unable to convince herself to take another accursed step.

Wearily, she bent over, leaning gently against a moss-covered tree. Its soft, spongy surface reminded her of her bed back on the farm. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a slow, hearty breath to calm her nerves. Maybe this was a bad idea, she thought, staring blankly at the cloudy sky above her. She’s probably back at the campsite right now, wonderin' same thing I am.

Though she had only meant to close her eyes for a moment, Applejack kept them shut. Suddenly, the world was her own. She saw only what she wanted to see. No barren trees, no rotting logs, no nothing. No matter what was going on around her, she was able to simply substitute her own reality.

Being a farmer, Applejack had grown accustomed to daydreaming. While she loved working on the farm more than anything in the world, she had to admit that it wasn't exactly the most mentally engaging activity. The countless hours she spent bucking apples gave her mind plenty of time to wander.

Under normal circumstances, Applejack’s nerves would have be calmed by her free-flowing thoughts. In this instance, however, Applejack found no comfort in blocking herself off from reality, no matter how stressful it may have been. Unable to see the world around her, Applejack’s stomach tightened, her heart pounded, and her eyes shot open again after only a few seconds.

Sitting up almost involuntarily, Applejack quickly scanned the area around her. Finding nothing but barren trees, she was able to calm herself down, but not before recognizing the familiar feeling of adrenaline coursing through her veins.

She placed a hoof on her chest, feeling her heart pump rapidly and irregularly. What the hay is wrong with me? She thought, scanning the area around her a second time. A mountain of evidence told her that she was alone, that she was in no danger. Still, she found herself having to convince herself of that fact.

Suddenly very uncomfortable, Applejack rose back onto her hooves. I need to get outta this place, she thought, pacing rapidly back and forth. A moment later, she shook her head, attempting to snap herself out of whatever had overcome her. No. I can do this. I need to do this for Pinkie. I-

“Huh?” Applejack interjected, her train of thought having been interrupted by a sudden sound in the distance. The sound was so soft, so slight that it would have been undetectable had the forest not been deathly quiet.

Applejack squinted her eyes and scanned the horizon. She stepped forward, her head moving erratically from right to left as she attempted to track down the source of the noise. “Rainbow?” she whispered quietly, “‘That you?”

She treaded carefully across the frozen ground, making as little noise as possible. Don't be foolish. It's probably nothing, she kept telling herself, it's all in your head. She wanted to believe she had just been startled, yet her shaking, jittering hooves told far different tale.

Before long, Applejack found herself face-to-face with the source of the noise. Though mostly obscured by a large tree, Applejack could see the lower half of another pony who appeared to be digging a large hole. The fact that he wasn’t Rainbow Dash didn’t matter much to Applejack. She was just glad to no longer be alone.

Applejack would have removed her hat out of courtesy, yet the precious warmth it provided was far too valuable. "Uh, beg your pardon." she stuttered. Only now did she feel her teeth chattering against each other.

"Gah!" Pokey yelped. He turned to face Applejack with a look of horror plastered on his face.

Their eyes met, and time stood still.

“W-what in the world…” Applejack thought out loud, her hooves glued to the ground despite herself. In that moment, she wanted nothing else but to be home again, yet all she could do was stare like a deer in headlights at the gruesome sight. She wanted to be wrong. She wanted so badly for the pony in front of her to be covered in something that only looked like blood, to be burying something that only happened to smell like a rotting corpse.

"I-I don't want no trouble..." she said, finally managing to take a step back as Pokey moved forward. "Wait, I-"

Applejack cut herself short to yelp as Pokey swung the shovel sideways, Applejack's head at the center of the arc. She quickly ducked her head down, avoiding the spade and sending Pokey stumbling off to the side from the shovel's uninterrupted momentum. He dropped the shovel on the ground as he fell over, coming dangerously close to falling into the deep pit he had made.

A patch of bare, frosty soil crunched under Applejack's hooves as she backed up, her mind just beginning to process what had just occurred. If there was one thing Applejack knew for sure, it was to trust her instincts. She wasn't stupid, nor a coward. It would be foolish to engage another pony who clearly had no moral qualms about killing.

"No! No, no, no, no!" Pokey panicked, the rate at which his heart pounded synchronizing with the rapid sound of Applejack's hooves as she galloped away. Leaving the shovel behind, Pokey broke into a gallop, following the path of displaced leaves left by Applejack's thundering hooves.

Both Pokey and Applejack pushed their physical limits as they weaved through the densely-packed trees, sprinting as fast as their legs could take them. It was a fight of endurance to the death, both of them knowing that the other’s success would mean certain doom, literally or figuratively.

“Hey! Y-you get away from me!” Applejack called out, the exhaustion and fear in her voice extremely evident. Despite her panic, Applejack was still able to maintain enough focus to dodge the many obstacles that littered her serpentine path. Giant boulders, fallen trees, and deep puddles of mud were no different than hurdles to her well-honed abilities.

Applejack did everything within her power to remain calm, but the sound of another pair of hooves clopping against the frozen ground behind her was absolutely nerve wracking. Resisting the urge to check behind herself was almost painful.

Painful, yes, but not enough to stop her. After clearing a particularly large boulder, Applejack, unable to resist for the sake of her own sanity, snapped her head backwards to glance at the scene behind her. Pokey, though quite visibly exhausted, was only a few feet behind her, galloping at the same pace as she did. The look on his face told her that he wasn’t about to give in. In fact, he almost seemed to be enjoying the chase.

Fueled by fear alone, Applejack picked up her speed, watching in relief as the distance between she and Pokey quickly increased. Oh, thank Celestia, she thought, turning her head back towards the direction she traveled.

As soon as she did so, however, she gasped loudly, her relief having been short-lived. A massive boulder sat directly in her path only a few feet away.

Without a second thought, Applejack bent her knees and jumped high into the air. She flew an impressively far distance, yet the small window of time she was given to make the decision, combined with the meager amount of energy she had available made for a less-than-ideal parabola.

Applejack winced as she felt the shin of her left back leg slam hard against the boulder, sending shockwaves of pain throughout the bone underneath. “D-Gggaaahhh!” she cried out, the rest of her body thrown forward by the sheer force of the blow.

Meanwhile, Pokey relaxed his stance, raising his head up slightly as he continued the gallop toward his target. He wasn’t too sure what was going on in front of him, but he did hear screams. Screams are always good, he thought. Had he not been out of breath, he would have chuckled in amusement.

Applejack closed her eyes, bracing for impact against the rock’s rough, unforgiving surface. As her body was sent forth over the rock, the weight of entire body was placed on her already damaged left tibia, bending it forward. Here, the pain plateaued, the sensory overload making the feeling of each nerve being severed indistinguishable from those which had already been destroyed.

After a few agonizingly slow seconds, the force had warped her bone so severely that it finally gave in, snapping it completely in half. The noise was not unlike that of a stick of celery being broken in two. Applejack screamed like she never had before, her voice cracking into an uncharacteristically high-pitch.

Paralyzed by pain alone, Applejack’s limp body slid down the other side of the boulder, leaving a crimson red trail where her leg had touched the frozen stone.

Having learned from Applejack’s grave mistake, Pokey’s gallop slowed down to a brisk trot as he approached the blood-streaked boulder. He tip-toed anxiously around the rock, eager to see what kind of injury Applejack had inflicted upon herself.

As soon as he did, however, he wished he hadn’t satisfied the urge. “Dear Celestia!” Pokey exclaimed, turning his head to look away. Given his hobbies, he had already laid his eyes upon his fair share of blood and gore. But for whatever reason, in this instance, he didn't feel the same sense of gratification that he usually did. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that it wasn't directly inflicted by him, he thought. What had happened to Applejack was completely out of his control.

Applejack kept her face toward the ground, holding in tears as she tried with all of her willpower not to look. She would have been surprised if her leg wasn’t on fire. “W-w-what h-happend?” Applejack stammered. Still in shock, her words slurred together into a barely-recognizable phrase. “I-isssitb-bad?

Still facing the opposite directions, Pokey replied, apparently not disgusted enough to resist teasing his victim. “Is what bad?”

Applejack responded by simply groaning from the immense pain gripping her body. When she at last built up the courage to open her eyes, she immediately felt her stomach twist into a knot.

It was much, much worse than she thought.

The lower end of her tibia, broken completely in two, had been put under so much pressure during her fall that it had torn right through the skin and muscle of her left back leg. The bone jutted out grotesquely, leaving the soft marrow inside clearly visible.

It was then that the real pain set in. Applejack had already been suffering, but it wasn’t until she saw the actual damage that her brain began to panic. Applejack let out a horrible shriek, the pain doubling in severity as her mind filled in the gaps.

Pokey laughed smugly at the maimed pony below him as she writhed around in misery. “Looks like I’m calling the shots now, my brave little heroine.”

“NO!” Applejack snapped, her mouth foaming with rage. “Don’t you...don’t you d-dare touch me! Get away! Somepony help me!”

Pokey scowled. “That’s no way to talk to a pony in my position. Looks like you need to learn your place.” His eyes were fixed in excitement on the sight he had only a few moments earlier found to be revolting. Rearing backward, Pokey slammed his forehooves down onto the exposed bone.

Applejack’s screams accompanied the sound of cracking bone as the lower portion of her tibia was bent downwards, sending a unfathomable rush of pain up Applejack’s spine. Her suffering was reflected by the dramatic crescendo in her screams, going so high that they eventually cut out completely, her vocal chords unable to vocalize the intense vibrations.

Ahh...there it is, Pokey thought, a calming euphoria easing his nerves. He let up after a few seconds, not wanting Applejack to pass out like Pinkie had multiple times. After all, that would have ruined the fun. While Applejack writhed in misery, Pokey used his magic to unharness Applejack’s saddlebags and dump the contents onto the ground.

Unable to hold any longer, warm tears finally streamed down Applejack’s cheeks. “SOMEPONY HELP ME!” Applejack pleaded, taking a series of short, quick breaths to help ease the crippling pain. “PLEASE, PLEASE!”

Pokey picked up a plain red neckerchief that had fallen out the bag. “Oh, be quiet already!” he barked, balling up the neckerchief and forcing it into Applejack’s open mouth.

“Spit it out, and I’ll step on your leg again.” He threatened. Applejack signaled her reluctant compliance with a series of moans and over-exaggerated nods.

Trusting Applejack’s fear enough to divert his attention, Pokey proceeded to tear the bags apart, tearing off the elastic harness that linked the two bags together. He then tied it tightly around Applejack’s head, sealing the cloth inside her mouth and muffling her screams. “That’s a good girl.” Pokey said smugly.

With his victim silenced, Pokey closely examined the remaining items looted from Applejack’s bag. He needed a way to get rid of Applejack quickly and, more importantly, quietly. His hooves were already shaking from pure adrenaline, terrified from the possibility that somepony had heard the commotion.

Among the various tools and survival supplies that had been in Applejack’s saddlebag was a long, thick lasso. Picking it it, Pokey approached Applejack, who was still screaming and writhing helplessly on the ground. He placed the loosened lasso around her neck and quickly tightened the knot. The rope pressed tightly against her neck, exerting almost enough pressure on her windpipe to crush it.

“Plemmf mmnt mm mmis!” Applejack begged, her voice raspy and strained. In addition to the neckerchief sealed inside her mouth, the pressure of the rope against her throat made it exceptionally difficult to speak, cry, or scream; three abilities that Applejack realized she had taken for granted.

“Hang on, this might be a bumpy ride.” Pokey said. Just like he had done with Pinkie Pie, he grabbed the end of the lasso with his teeth and walked to his destination, dragging Applejack along with him.

“Plemmf, plemmf mmn-MMMMNNNNFF!” Applejack’s quiet, muffled screams accompanied the sound her her body being dragged through the frostbitten leaves that covered the forest floor. She squirmed around erratically, both from her attempts to remove the lasso around her neck and her natural response to the unbearable pain coming from her broken leg.

As the rope pressed tightly against her throat, her movements created a large friction burn around her neck that grew increasingly severe with each passing moment. Within a few minutes of relentless struggling, the irritated area had begun to bleed. The burn only added to Applejack’s world of pain, but it was a welcome distraction from other, more severe source of pain.

Eventually, Pokey stopped next to the deep pit where the chase had started.

Applejack’s breathing was cut off completely as Pokey lifted the opposite end of the rope, suspending Applejack in the air for a moment. Anypony watching the spectacle would have checked their ears. It was apparent that Applejack’s mouth was moving as if she were begging, yet she was totally silent.

The sound of Applejack’s muffled screams returned when Pokey put her down again, propping her up against a large tree.

Applejack watched in horror as Pokey approached her, shovel hovering near. She shut her eyes tight, but it didn’t help the horrific pain she felt when Pokey swung the hammer directly into her other knee cap. The dull blade forced its way into the space between the femur and the patella, destroying the sensitive tendons that connected the two bones.

“MMMHHHMMMPH! MMPPH! MMM!” Applejack bit down hard on the neckerchief, sinking her teeth into the wet cotton as she howled in agony. Never before had she felt pain like this. Even in the rare instance of a farm-related injury, Applejack would be surrounded by friends and family to make her feel safe. Here, however, her suffering was only worsened by the unavoidable, overwhelming realization that the end was in sight.

Pokey slammed the blade into Applejack’s kneecap a second time, focusing his magic hard in order to get the job done as quickly as possible. After all, he wasn’t in the secluded basement of his cabin. He was out in the open, in broad daylight. Gagging his victim only silenced her so much.

The shovel that Pokey used was not meant for cutting of any kind, so, appropriately, the sides of the blade were incredibly dull. This fact forced Pokey to repeatedly hammer the tool into Applejack’s back knee cap until it was sufficiently disabled. It wasn’t the edge of the blade that did the job, but rather the sheer force behind each successive blow.

Pokey rammed the shovel under Applejack’s kneecap one final time, but instead of withdrawing the bloodied blade, Pokey instead shoved the handle doward. An audible pop could be heard as Applejack’s kneecap popped out of its socket, the remainder of her leg connected to the rest of her body only by a few intact tendons.

Applejack released a bone-chilling shriek, and for the first time in many years, fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. At this, she felt a terrible wave of shame overcome her. She was the backbone of Sweet Apple Acres. Applebloom’s role model. She wasn’t supposed to cry.

But cry she did. Applejack looked up toward the cloudy sky, whimpering. You’re pathetic, she told herself. A disgrace. She put everything she had into stopping, but the stream of tears only became stronger.

It was too much to handle. Applejack’s mind was overwhelmed with a dreadful combination of emotion and pain. For a few long, agonizing seconds, it was as if her mind tapped out of reality, unable to process any sensory inputs. She simply sat there, drooling, staring with wide eyes up at the sky.

By the time Applejack’s mind had cleared, Pokey was approaching her with a large sack. The top was wide open, allowing Applejack to see the full extent of the horrors inside. The smell alone made her gag immediately, enough to silence her grunts of misery for a short moment. Flies buzzed in and out, feasting on the vile mixture of rotting flesh once known as Rainbow Dash.

As Pokey drew ever closer, Applejack, laying down on her back, instinctively shifted her weight to one side in order to get back on her hooves. The moment she did so, unsurprisingly, was marked by a bloodcurdling shriek, her body going limp as it was overcome by mind-numbing pain. The only thing she was able to do was lay in place, paralyzed from the pain alone, all the while mumbling the same phrase: “Please don’t kill me”, over and over again. Though muffled by the neckerchief in her mouth, Pokey could still make out the changing tone of her pleas, now having escalated from a low moan to something resembling a childish whine.

Rendered almost totally immobile by her physical trauma, Applejack was completely helpless, unable to fight back as Pokey surrounded her lower half in his dark-blue aura and pulled her into the bag. “NNNHHMM!” NNHM, PLEMMNF!” she wailed, feeling her back hooves sink into the foul stew of blood and entrails.

“Relax! This is what you wanted, right?” Pokey chortled, watching Applejack struggle in vain against his magical aura as it slid up her body. “To be reunited with Rainbow Dash? I’m guessing she was with you.”

After enough struggling, Applejack was finally able to wrestle the strap off of her face. She spit out the balled up neckerchief, letting it fall to the ground. “No! D-don’t do this to me, please!” Applejack cried out, getting in one final word before she was fully inserted into the bag. Using Applejack’s lasso to tie the bag closed, Pokey threw it carelessly onto the ground.

“I’m sorry! P-please, I’m beggin’ you, I-” Applejack paused mid-sentence to howl in agony, the bag having been dropped to the ground. Paralyzing shock waves of pain shot through every one of her nerves. When she finally resumed her statement, her voice was shaky and dire. “Please! I don’t w-wanna...I don’t wanna die like this!”

“Then maybe you should have minded your own business.” Pokey replied matter-of-factly. Needing to rest his magic, Pokey ducked his head and pressed it against the side of the bag, rolling Applejack towards the hole. He paid extra attention to the position of his head, making sure to not pierce the bag open with his exceptionally sharp horn.

“No...no! NO!” Applejack bawled, feeling herself roll across the ground. “Please! I’ll do anythin’! anythin’, please!”. She did everything she could to fight back as her mind began to enter a full state of panic.

Between her pleas for mercy, Applejack grunted in disgust as the various pieces of Rainbow’s body sloshed around with her.

Pokey gave one final push forward, sending the bag and its one living denizen teetering over the edge.

“NO! I’LL DO ANYTHIN’! PLEEEASE!” she shrieked, feeling the ground under her back abruptly end.

Within a few moments, Applejack had completed the four-foot drop into the bottom of the pit, landing hard on her back. Though the impact spared her broken legs, the air was forced out of her lungs, rendering her unable to speak, scream or cry for a few moments, three abilities Applejack realized she had taken for granted.

With Applejack unable to make any noise, the first few moments after she had landed were punctuated by an eerie silence. Pokey knew she was still living, due to the fact that he could clearly see her front hooves punching the top of the bag, but she made not a single sound.

“See, I could just finish you off right now,” Pokey said, focusing his magic to levitate the shovel off the ground. He shoved the spade into a large pile of loose dirt and dumped some into the hole. “But I figured this would be more exciting for the both of us.”

It wasn’t long before the dirt had returned to its former home, sliding off the bag and settling neatly next to Applejack. “I’M SORRY! PLEASE, LEMME OUT A’ HERE! DON’T DO THIS!” Applejack begged, the final word of her plea transitioning into loud sobbing. She frantically clawed at the woven walls around her, in hopes that she would find a way to rip it apart.

The harder she tried, however, the further Applejack’s heart sunk. Whatever material the sack was made of was exceptionally strong. No matter how hard she punched or bit the lining, it resisted her efforts. All she could do was scream from the crippling pain in her leg, watching through the woven threads as Pokey began the process of burying her alive.

Applejack could smell the dirt’s earthy aroma as it piled up around her, though it was easily overpowered by the vile smell of the decomposing flesh that shared the bag with her. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Applejack’s panicked mind was far too preoccupied to take notice.

While she wanted terribly not to believe it, Applejack knew in the back of her mind that Pokey had pushed her to the point of no return. Even if she were to somehow survive this encounter, she would never be able to return to her normal life.

The three apples on her flank represented more than just her special talent, it was her destiny. It was an integral part of who she was. Now, none of that mattered. Pokey had mercilessly maimed her to the point where she would never again be able to work on the farm.

Even so, she still resisted, fighting tooth and nail to escape as the soil quickly piled up around her. She didn’t care if she was left alone to starve to death; any such fate would be better than this.

After a few minutes, Pokey had made significant progress. The grave was filled with about one foot of dirt, enough to completely surround the bag. The top of the bag was still partly exposed, however, allowing Applejack to move around freely.

“You’re a persistent one, aren’t you?” Pokey said, wiping a few drops of sweat off his brow. “I really don’t know whether I should admire your tenacity or just take pity on you.” He scooped up another chunk of dirt with the spade, grunting from its weight as he tossed it into the hole.

Landing right on its target, the dirt settled on top of the bag.“NO!” Applejack shrieked, watching the ceiling of her prison dip down from the weight of the dirt.. “NO, NO NO NO! PLEASE, POKEY! LEMME OUTTA HERE!”

Pokey pursed his lips to whistle a light tune as he dumped yet another pile of dirt on top of Applejack.

“NO! PLEASE DON’T DO THIS!” Applejack sobbed, watching through tear-filled eyes as the precious little sunlight that filtered into the bag was blotted out little by little. Every few seconds, Applejack’s world became a little darker, the weight above her a bit heavier. Then, with one last shovelful of dirt, her world went dark.

“I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! PLEEEAAAASE!” Applejack screamed, trying to claw away the growing layer of dirt above her with her forehooves. Being inside of the bag, however, she only managed to slightly displace the dirt.

At the moment, there was only a sparse amount of dirt above Applejack, allowing her to move around considerably. Applejack took advantage of this fact, Pressing her backside against the wall of dirt behind her and twisting her shoulders back and forth to slowly wiggle upward.

Before long, she broke the surface, and sunlight once again touched her skin. Applejack took a deep breath of fresh air, regardless of whether or not it smelled of her friend’s rotting flesh. She was alive, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

“Well, isn’t that something?” Pokey said, genuinely impressed. “I’m afraid you’ll have to try a bit harder to keep up, though.” He turned the shovel sideways and positioned it behind the pile. “I have places to be, so let’s just wrap this up.” Instead of tossing the dirt in little by little, Pokey opted instead to push it in. Suddenly, large quantities of dirt began flooding into the hole, filling it at a rapid pace.

The dirt quickly piled up along the side of the hole, forming a ramp that slowly moved towards the center. Pokey looked down into the hole, watching Applejack desperately struggle to keep her head above ground. She squirmed wildly in every direction, yet her efforts were simply unable to keep up with the rate at which dirt entered the hole.

Before long, Applejack was once again completely buried under the dirt. She resumed her struggling, using the same method she had used a few moments earlier, but this time around, the dirt entered the grave at a much quicker pace. By the time Applejack was able to move up an inch, two inches of dirt would be piled above her.

“N-no!” Applejack gritted her teeth, trying to wiggle her way up to the surface like she had before, but the weight above her had grown far too heavy. She was rendered immobile, completely paralyzed by the weight of the earth. She was surrounded by nothing but darkness. The only sound to be heard was the slowly-fading sound of Pokey’s whistling, a noise that grew quieter with each passing second.

“CAN ANYPONY HEAR ME? PLEEEASE!” Applejack sobbed in desperation, clutching stubbornly to the delusion that there was even a slight chance of somepony passing by. “PLEASE, SOMEPONY HELP ME!” she cried, her terrified vocalizations the only way to hang on to any sliver of sanity she still possessed. Admitting to herself that she was to die, that there was no way out, would surely destroy it.

From Pokey’s perspective, Applejack’s cries had grown significantly more quiet and incomprehensible as more dirt filled in the hole. “Plea...omepony...elp m...! I...on’t wan...die...thi...ay!” she shrieked, yet Pokey heard only muffled, incomprehensible gibberish.

“What was that?” Pokey teased between exhausted gasps. “You’ll have speak up a bit!” He paused for a moment to listen, pointing an ear towards the ground. If Applejack ever responded, Pokey didn’t get to hear her response. “Hm. I guess she’s a bit shy.” Pokey said to himself, levitating the shovel off the ground to resume his work.

Minutes passed, and as more and more dirt filled the hole, the already muffled sound of Applejack's hysteric crying began to fade into nothingness. After all, the three feet of dirt between she and Pokey made it quite difficult to communicate.

“No..NO! NO, NO, NO, NO!” Applejack whimpered, struggling to breathe as the earth slowly closed in around her, compressing her lungs. Due to the bag’s flimsy nature, it offered no support against the oppressive weight of the earth, forcing it to conform to the shape of the dirt encompassing it. Had Applejack been inside of a more structurally sound object, such as a barrel or an actual coffin, this wouldn’t have been an issue. Unfortunately for her, however, she was powerless against the earth as it hugged her, slowly crushing her to death.

"No..." Applejack gasped weakly, draining her lungs of precious air. She could no longer see the world above her, hear its sounds, or feel its cold breeze on her back. She was all alone, and not a single soul could hear her scream. Applejack's spirit shattered then and there as she realized what she should have long ago.

"I'm...gonna die..."

Pokey’s heart rate gradually returned to its normal tempo as his body cooled down. He scraped the final few mounds of dirt over the hole, which was now completely filled in. Like a foal would do while building a sand sculpture, he patted down the dirt, packing it down and making sure it blended in with the ground around it.

“Wow, I feel fantastic!” Pokey said with a satisfied smile, smelling the cold winter air. The combination of post-exercise euphoria, relief, and the thrill of killing made him feel as light as a feather.

Tossing the shovel aside, Pokey levitated into the air a number of loose branches, rocks, and leaves. He threw them carelessly onto the bare patch of dirt before him, making it indistinguishable from the rest of the forest floor.

“Well, that’s that.” Pokey said, turning around to begin the walk back home. He stopped to look back at the burial site a few times before it was out of sight, marveling at his skills.

Like he always did, Pokey entertained himself with his thoughts as he trotted back to his cabin. Two kills in a row, wow… he thought, mentally patting himself on the back as he ducked under a low-hanging branch. Soon to be three.

Before he lifted his head back up, Pokey huffed and scowled slightly, having reminded himself that he would soon have to dispose of yet another body. That was in the future, Pokey assured himself as he hopped over a small stream. He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

* * *

The cabin door clicked shut behind Pokey. Propping the shovel up against the wall, he turned on the lights and made his way towards the first set of stairs that led to the basement door.

He sighed contently as he walked, glad to finally be back in the warmth of his home. After all this was over, he thought, he would have to lay low for a while. He’d only expected to kill one pony, not three.

One he reached the bottom of the short set of stairs, Pokey went about his usual routine. Before he could bend over to retrieve the key under the loose floorboard, however, Pokey looked up quizzically. The door to the basement was slightly ajar, though the key was nowhere in sight. No sign of forced entry could be seen anywhere.

He never left that door unlocked. Ever.

Pokey did a double take, refusing to believe what he was seeing. There’s no way anypony would ever come here, he assured himself. Absolutely no way. Pokey’s face was stricken with worry. The more he assured himself that nothing was amiss, the less he believed it.

Then, it struck him.

The broken lock.

No, no, no no! Pokey screamed in his head, feeling a rush of adrenaline fill every nook and cranny of his body.

He leaned in to listen closer, struggling to hear over the sound of his own heart pounding away in his chest. The murmur he heard in the other room was so slight that he couldn’t tell whether or not it was his imagination.

Pokey’s ears perked up to a familiar sound. He froze, listening in horror to the creaking of wooden stairs. The weak, flimsy planks created a loud din that lasted for what seemed to be eons.

Pokey put a hoof over his mouth to keep himself from screaming. No. This can’t be happening! Not now! He thought, backing away quickly from the door. His retreat began as a slow march and ended as a panicked dash toward the front door.

"Stupid! I'm so stupid!" he muttered, eyes scanning the room for anything of value. With a quick burst of energy, he levitated a bag of bits, a dulled knife, a scarf, and a thick coat over to himself. Then, a mere moment later, he disappeared out the door.

* * *

“Hey, did you hear that?” said Iron Pike, stopping behind his superior before he reached the bottom of the narrow staircase.

“Hear what?” Commander Valor replied, refusing to divert his attention from the task at hand for even a second. His loose-fitting armor jingled slightly against his lanky frame.

Iron Pike motioned towards the door at the top of the staircase. “I could have sworn I heard somepony up on the ground floor just now.”

“Ignore it. It’s probably this ridiculous wind again.” Valor said, mindlessly straightening a few out-of place feathers in his beige-colored wings .

Pike tightened his scarf, but just as quickly loosened it upon feeling the intense humidity cabin’s basement. “Ah...I don’t know Commander. With all due respect, this place gives me the creeps.”

“Which is obviously why we should search it. Don’t question your superiors.”

Pike instantly straightened up, the wooden step he stood on groaning under his weight. “O-oh no sir, I meant no disre-”

“Regent Twilight said to thoroughly search every house, so that’s what we’re going to do.” Valor interrupted. He took a few steps forward into the main hallway. “Besides,this will only take a few minutes. We might as well get this over with so we can regroup with Captain Shining as quickly as possible. Go check out what’s inside those three rooms over there.”

Iron Pike nodded and stepped into the basement proper. “Yes, sir. Consider it done.” He turned away from Valor and peeked through the bars of the closest cell door.

Using a light spell to navigate through the dark basement, Valor returned the nod and trotted towards a small, cramped closet next to the staircase. Immediately after he ducked through the door, the first thing to draw his attention was a shelf filled with nothing but what appeared to be a large collection of home-made video tapes.

Normally, this would be nothing to gawk at. Lots of ponies made have movies, but what piqued Valor’s interest was the sheer quantity, as well as the method through which they were indexed. Instead of normal descriptions of the tapes’ contents, each was labeled with a set of two initials and a number. “What in the world?” he remarked softly, removing one at random.

“H...HH...” he mumbled, squinting his eyes to read the sloppy handwriting on the label. “HH - Three?”. He stared at the writing for a few seconds as if it were written in a foreign language.

Placing the tape back in its original spot, Valor picked out another, newer-looking tape from the shelf below it. “PP - 4.” He said out loud, feeling an uncomfortable sensation arise in his stomach. Why does this seem so odd?

Before he could pick out another tape, a voice echoed from across the basement. “Um, Commander,” Iron shouted from down the hallway. His voice was trembling and anxious. “I-I think I…”

Valor put down the tape and trotted over to Iron Pike, almost hitting his head on his way out of the closet. “What is it?” He interrupted. “Did you find anything suspicious?” On his way over, he cringed slightly, noting the disgusting smell that grew stronger with every step he took towards the far side of the hallway.

Iron nodded furiously as Valor approached. “Y-yes, Um, I think-”

Before he could finish, Valor pushed his way past Iron Pike, stepping into the open cell he had been standing by. Valor, however, confident as he may have been, stopped dead in his tracks once he laid his eyes on the sight before him.

Pike slowly made his way into the cell next to Valor. “...I think I found her.”