It was a sunny day in Equestria, as usual. The Pegasi were clearing the very few clouds in the sky. Little did they know that one of their best members were missing, Rainbow Dash. Her whereabouts were unknown, but, nobody had noticed her absence. Under the sunny weather worked a country pony, Applejack, and her brother, Big Mac. Meanwhile, the smallest filly of the family, Apple Bloom, snacked on an apple.
"Apple Bloom!" Applejack yelled. "There's a reason I told you to postpone the Cutie Mark Crusaders meeting!"
Apple Bloom looked up from her treat, and saw that her siblings were setting up tables. She knew that today was the Apple Family Reunion and that she was supposed to be helping set up. She had to move the Cutie Mark Crusaders meeting because of the event.
"Sorry, Applejack! I'm coming!" Apple Bloom replied as she ran to aid her siblings.
After all the setting up was done, Apple Bloom remembered something she had to do.
"Pinkie Pie asked me to come over to play." she said.
"Well, I figure there's some time left before the reunion. You can go, but be back before lunch." Applejack consented.
Apple Bloom ran as fast as her tiny legs could carry her to the bakery. When she arrived, Pinkie was already waiting for her. Apple Bloom gasped for air, and could barely speak to her host.
"I... I... was helping Applejack. S-sorry I'm late." she panted.
"No problem!" Pinkie bounced.
"So, what are we going to do?" Apple Bloom asked, finally catching her breath.
"Making cupcakes!" Pinkie replied excitedly.
"Ok! That sounds fun!" Apple Bloom smiled.
"I have a new recipe! Wanna try?" Pinkie offered, and held out a cupcake.
Apple Bloom couldn't refuse, she gulped it up in one bite. She licked the crumbs off her lips hungrily and brushed some icing out of her mane. Suddenly, Apple Bloom felt as if she couldn't keep her eyes open. In a matter of seconds, she blacked out.
***
Apple Bloom awoke in a dimly lit room. She tried to move, but her hooves were restrained. The filly examined her surroundings, dead ponies' skulls covered the wall. "Life is a Party" was written on a banner in blood. There was also a pony on a stand in the back, she was all stitched up. The pony looked familiar, but, Apple Bloom couldn't put her hoof on it. Her heart beat quickly and her eyes started to fill up with terrified tears.
"Pinkie?" she called softly.
A figure walked out of the darkness.
"You called?" a high-pitched voice responded.
"Oh w-" Apple Bloom began, but was too shocked to finish.
Pinkie's face had a wide, sinister grin plastered on it, her hair was straight as well. She had a dress on that looked like several Cutie Marks stitched together on. Also, the dress had six Pegasi wings sticking out of the back and six Unicorn horns for a necklace. The pink earth pony waited for Apple Bloom to complete her sentence.
"Yes?" she waited.
"W-where am I? Aren't we making cupcakes?" Apple Bloom shook.
"We ARE making cupcakes, silly!" Pinkie giggled. "I just ran out of the special ingredient. I need some more."
"Then why am I all tied up?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Because YOU are the ingredient!" Pinkie replied.
The filly's mouth dropped, her eyes filled up with tears, knowing that she was going to die.
"Oh, cheer up!" Pinkie encouraged. "Rainbow Dash toughed it out, so can you."
Then, Apple Bloom understood. That stuffed pony in the corner was Rainbow Dash, Pinkie had killed her. Pinkie pushed Rainbow Dash's corpse next to Apple Bloom.
"Let this be a reminder to keep your head high." the earth pony smiled in a demonic way.
Apple Bloom sniffled, she was only a filly. How could Pinkie do something so cruel? She walked into the corner of the room and readied her supplies. Apple Bloom gasped as she slipped one her front hooves out of the restraint. It was too big for her! She unstrapped the other one and prepared to do the same to her back ones.
"Aw... why are you leaving so soon?" Pinkie suddenly said.
Apple Bloom gulped at the approaching pony.
"Don't you know it's rude to leave so early when ponies invite you?" Pinkie asked. "Didn't Applejack teach you any manners?"
She strapped Apple Bloom's hooves back in, this time even tighter. The filly whimpered at how tight they were. She watched as Pinkie examined her tools, and the pink pony's face lit up as she found the one she needed. Pinkie picked up a scalpel, looked at Apple Bloom's rump, and then frowned.
"No Cutie Mark?" Pinkie asked.
"I haven't found my destiny yet..." Apple Bloom sighed.
She started to sob, realizing that her goal would never be reached: getting a Cutie Mark.
"Hmm..." Pinkie puzzled, rubbing her available hoof against her chin. "Where should I start?"
"Pinkie, you don't have to start. Just, please... let me go..." Apple Bloom plead.
"I have a responsibility that I must do. You don't have any, you're just a filly." Pinkie replied.
She then decided where she should start.
***
"Where's Apple Bloom!? The family's arriving!" Applejack demanded.
"Applejack?" a gentle voice called from behind.
"Apple Bloom!" Applejack gasped, turning around.
But it wasn't Apple Bloom, it was Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Apple Bloom's best friends.
"Oh, hello fillies! You here for some apple delicacies?" Applejack offered.
"We're actually here to meet Babs and Apple Bloom." Scootaloo replied.
"Just in time!" a voice with rough, northern accent hollered.
A dark-orange pony with a magenta mane ran up from behind Applejack.
"Babs!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle yelled in unison.
"Long time no see, Cutie Mark Crusaders! Where's my cuz'?" Babs greeted them.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out..." Applejack muttered. The earth pony took charge. "You three, have fun. I'll go grab your fourth member."
Before anypony could reply, she was off. Applejack zoomed through the streets, hurrying to Sugarcube Corner.
Apple Bloom always listens to me... and she loves Babs. Why wouldn't she show? But, Pinkie is one of my best friends. I'm sure she wouldn't let anything happen to my family. Then again, Pinkie is sorta irresponsible, Applejack thought.
Finally, she arrived at the bakery. She pushed the door open, the lights were turned off and the room had a depressed feeling to it.
"Hello? Pinkie? Apple Bloom?" Applejack called.
Suddenly, she heard a high-pitched scream. It sounded like a little filly!
"Apple Bloom!" Applejack yelled, now very worried.
The orange pony ripped through the bakery, knocking down bags of flour and such. She traced the scream to a door with a sign that read "No Entry." Just as Applejack was about to fling it open, the screams stopped and the door opened. There was Pinkie, her hair straight and eyes derped. She had that demented smirk on her face.
"Oh, thank goodness you're here, Pinkie!" Applejack sighed. "I need Apple Bloom to come home right away!"
"Aw... but we're having sooo much fun!" Pinkie bounced.
"But, she needs to come home now!" Applejack said urgently, trying to push past Pinkie.
The pink pony grabbed Applejack's hoof, restraining her from getting inside.
"Won't you have fun with us?" Pinkie smirked.
"Applejack..." a weak, country voice croaked.
Applejack got a good look at the owner of the voice. It was Apple Bloom, who was weakly trudging towards her. She was cut up all over her body, half her face was skinned off, and her intestines were hanging out from the bottom of her. Suddenly, the young filly's front hooves gave out, causing her to lose support. Her hind legs gave out as well.
"Run..." she muttered lifelessly.
"Apple Bloom!" Applejack cried.
"RUN!" Apple Bloom used her last bit of life to warn her sister.
Her visible heart stopped beating, and her eyes closed.
"APPLE BLOOM!" Applejack yelled furiously, bucking into Pinkie.
The pink pony fell down the steps, hitting her head as she fell. Blood leaked from the murderer's head and mouth. She wasn't dead yet, Applejack had little time to warn everypony. She rushed out of the building, tears stinging her eyes. Applejack screamed warnings at the top of her lungs,
"PINKIE PIE IS A KILLER! QUICK! GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE SHE KILLS YOU ALL!"
She didn't get far before slamming her head into a street light. The earth pony heard a high-pitched voice calling her name before blacking out.
***
Applejack awoke, only to see a demonic grin plastered on Pinkie's face, blood dripping from the wound that Applejack had made earlier. She saw here little sister, dead on her side in the middle of the room, which enraged her. She tried to strike, but found her hooves held down.
"Not this time..." Pinkie spoke between gritted teeth.
Applejack growled, ready to face her best friend.
"Now everypony knows you're a murderer." she hissed.
"True, true. But, everypony also sees me as the town clown. They won't believe you." Pinkie smirked.
For a second, Applejack's confidence faded. But, then, something hit her.
"I get it, you're a good actress. But, is your Element of Harmony the Element of Honesty?" Applejack retorted.
For the first time ever, Pinkie's smile faded. Suddenly, the "No Entry" door flew open. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo rushed down the steps.
"Aw... two little fillies? Your numbers haven't come up yet, but I suppose I can make an acception." Pinkie chuckled.
"Make that THREE little fillies!" that same voice with the rough accent yelled.
Babs joined the other two Crusaders.
"The more the merrier, as I like to say!" Pinkie grinned.
Big Mac joined the fillies, followed by Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy.
"All of my best friends in one place! This is perfect! You ponies can join in on the fun!" Pinkie offered.
"Pinkie! You've got to snap out of it! You murdered your best friend and a filly! Not including the others you've mercilessly killed!" Twilight confronted. Suddenly, her voice turned lower, almost into a plea. "Please, Pinkie... you've got to stop killing everypony. Just hand yourself over and nopony gets hurt."
Pinkie looked at her hooves.
Is making cupcakes really THAT wrong? Should I just give myself over peacefully?, she pondered.
She looked up at her concerned friends, and smiled. Her friends returned the gesture.
"I'm glad you're all happy..." Pinkie muttered. The pink pony abruptly grabbed an ax and threw it directly at Twilight. "Because you're all going to die that way!"
Twilight's horn lit up, so did the ax. It spun around and flew directly back at Pinkie. With a scream, the weapon hit her directly in the head, cutting her cranium in half. Blood splattered out of the cut, Pinkie fell to the ground. Fluttershy started sobbing at the sight, the fillies were traumatized. Big Mac unstrapped Applejack from the surgical table.
"Big Mac!" she cried, and hugged her brother. "Apple Bloom's gone!"
"Eeyup..." Big Mac agreed mournfully, noticing his sibling's motionless body.
Twilight's ears drooped, knowing that she'd killed her best friend. Rainbow Dash was gone as well. The Princess would know that she murdered her friend, what would she say?
***
"This is terrible!" Princess Celestia gasped when she arrived at scene.
Twilight nervously walked up to her.
"P-princess?" she stammered.
"Yes, my most faithful student?" Princess Celestia replied.
"P-pinkie... was killing ponies to make cupcakes. And... and... I was the one who finished her." Twilight explained, full of guilt.
Princess Celestia thought for a second. She didn't scowl or smile. She looked at her student gravely, and then said,
"Twilight, Pinkie Pie was out to destroy the lives of ponies. You made a hard decision, you had to choose between killing your friend or let her live, just to murder more ponies. You did right."
"B-but... I can't help but feeling guilty."
"I understand, and it'll stick with you. I mourn for you and everypony that lost their friends in Pinkie's plot. Don't worry, though, you saved Ponyville."
Meanwhile, Applejack and Big Mac carried the body of poor Apple Bloom to Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetie Belle, Babs, and Scootaloo followed sadly. What would the family think? A simple reunion would turn into a funeral.
"Yee-haw! Ya'll are back!" a family member yelled when they got back.
Applejack faced her family mournfully, and then started to speak,
"I got some bad news, ya'll. Apple Bloom is... gone."
The family noticed Apple Bloom's corpse, they all started to sob. She was the youngest in the family, how could it happen? Applejack took a shovel from the barn and scooped up the filly's body. She went into the orchard, and found the smallest apple tree. She buried Apple Bloom's remains right at the foot of the tree. When Applejack finished, she cried. The remaining members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders joined her, and then the rest of the Apple Family. Nopony ate, nopony celebrated being reunited, nothing. They just stood their and mourned. Eventually, it started to rain and thunder. The Pegasi were upset too, they'd got wind that Rainbow Dash had died at the hands of Pinkie. All of Ponyville was quiet and depressed, for they'd lost some of their best members. The only hope that Ponyville had was the fact that Pinkie was dead, and everypony was safe... until the next battle.