Chapters Prologue
I call upon the spirts
To bring forth to me
The five elements
Of complete disharmony
I release them on a world
That's natural and pure
Watch as my plague unfolds
To which there is no cure
Hatred, curiousity, vengance,
Insanity, and lust
For these are the five elements
That make the world go bust
Rainbow Dash was napping on a cloud when a telegram pegasus woke her from her slumber. Dash took the telegram and began to read.
'Your presence is requested immediately at Cloudsdale Memorial Hospital.'
Rainbow Dash had no idea what was going on as she bolted from her cloud towards Cloudsdale. She arrived minutes later and entered the hospital.
She was immediately approached by a nurse who asked, "Are you Rainbow Dash?"
"Yeah.", the blue pegasus answered.
"Follow me please." Rainbow Dash followed the mare nurse through a series of doors and she explained why she was summoned.
"Is my father alright?" Rainbow asked the nurse.
"I'm afraid not." the nurse answered. Rainbow Dash fought back her tears as she heard this.
They came to a stop in front of a door in the ICU.
"This is his room. I'm afraid he hasn't much time left."
Rainbow Dash entered the room and saw her father lying in a bed hooked up to several machines. Her father motioned for her to come closer and she did so.
Her father then whispered into her ear, "Now you're in charge of the factory Dashie.", and with that he passed away.
Rainbow Dask couldn't believe what she had just heard.
'I'm in charge of the Rainbow Factory?' she asked herself.
This was one of the only things she wanted as much as joining the Wonderbolts, and now she was in charge. She knew what went on inside the factory, but it had been explained to her as a filly that the sacrifices made were necessary. She wanted to tell all her friends, but realized that she never could since no one really knew, nor would they understand the henious acts that happened inside the factory, except for Fluttershy of course since she was from Cloudsdale as well.
Rainbow realized the she hadn't started her weather responsiblities in Ponyville and she flew off to start. Being the forepony of the factory meant having special privileges such as being able to leave the factory, getting to select the ponies that were going to be used, and last but not least the pay that came with it. This meant that she could keep her job and her friends in Ponyville. Rainbow Dash arrived in Ponyville and completed her task of cloud control for the day and decided to visit her long time friend Fluttershy. She took off towards Fluttershy's cottage that was just outside of the Everfree Forest.
As she approached she saw Fluttershy tending to her animals. She landed on Fluttershy's right side startling the creamy yellow pegasus with pink hair. Fluttershy was on the ground hiding her face behind her mane as Dash said,
"Oh come on Fluttershy, you need to stop being afraid of everything that moves!"
Fluttershy moved her mane out of the way of her sight and looked up to see Rainbow Dash. She stood up and said quietly,
"Oh s.. sorry Rainbow Dash. I wasn't expecting any visitors today." Fluttershy looked into Dash's eyes and Dash could swear Fluttershy was looking at her soul.
"Is there something wrong Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy timidly asked.
Rainbow Dash just looked away and said, "No, of course not. Nothing is wr..."
She was cut short as Fluttershy bound her in an affectionate hug. Rainbow Dash tried to break free, but this feeling that she was feeling was some how familiar. She then began to think about all the times her father had held her like this. Rainbow Dash could feel the tears forming in her eyes as she remembered just how much her father loved her. It was then that the dams broke.
Rainbow Dash let it all out there on Fluttershy's caring shoulder. She told her everything, including the Rainbow Factory. Fluttershy listened to her wailing friend until Rainbow's tears were finished. She looked caringly into Dash's eyes and said,
"Rainbow I know this must hurt, but you have to be strong. No, you have to be more than strong. You have to be Rainbow Dash! The awesomest, strongest, and fastest pony in all of Equestria."
Rainbow Dash lifted her eyes to meet Fluttershy's gaze, and Fluttershy noted a hint of cherry red in Dash's cheeks. Dash knew Fluttershy was right, and almost instantly became herself again being refreshed from Fluttershy's pep talk. Fluttershy invited Dash inside to talk more unaware of the dark events that were about to happen in Ponyville.
Chapter 1- The Experiment Of Hatred
Chapter 1- The Experiment of Hatred
Twilight Sparkle was busily working away going over some spead sheets and her calculations when she heard a knock on the door.
"I hope that's Scootaloo." she muttered to herself as she started off for the door.
When she opened the door Scootaloo was looking quizically at somepony behind her.
"Oh Scootaloo! Thank you for coming on such short notice."
Scootaloo brought her attention back to Twilight and said, "Well as soon as I heard one of Rainbow Dash's friends needed help I jus' couldn't say no." Twilight ushered the little light brilliant bamboge filly inside the library.
Scootaloo came inside and asked, "So what is it that you need me for?"
Twilight looked at Scootaloo and said, "Well, I need some help with an experiment."
Scootaloo thought back to the last experiment Twilight performed and cringed.
Almost as if reading her mind Twilight stated, "I promise, this time there will be no explosions."
Scootaloo then asked, "So what is this experiment of yours anyways, and why do you need me for it?"
"Well I need somepony who is small for this experiment." Twilight stated matter-of-factly. She motioned for Scootaloo to follow her through a doorway and into the hall.
She led Scootaloo all the way to her lab and turned and said to her, "Now Scootaloo I'm going to need you to step inside the glass room."
Scootallo looked at the glass room to her left. It was at least eight times her height and six times her length. She looked back at Twilight with dought in her eyes and asked, "Why don't you get Spike to do this?"
Twilight looked at the filly and said, "Normally I would but he's helping Pinkie Pie at the moment."
"Well why do you need me to do it Twilight?" the little filly asked.
"I told you already that I need somepony small for this experiment. I want see what happens when a pony gets put under a lot of stress. That's all, I swear as Celestra as my witness."
Scootaloo finally agreed, and Twilight outfitted her with wires, "So I can moniter your heart rate and brain activity.", she explained. Scootaloo walked over to the door and stopped. She looked back at Twilight and hesitantly stepped into the room.
Twilight pressed a button at her control consule and the door closed. Twilight looked at her moniters and noticed that Scootaloo's heartrate had already gone up a bit. She pressed another button on her consule which activated the intercom system for the room.
She spoke into the microphone at her consule and asked, "Are you okay Scootaloo?"
"I guess so." was her responce.
Twilight pressed another button and the glass room began to lift of the ground. Scootaloo's heart rate and brain activity climbed even higher. Her stress levels were rising pretty quickly.
"Ha ha, very funny Twilight. The experiment's over could you please let out?" Scootaloo said with a hint of fear in her voice.
"Oh no Scoots! This is just the beginning. Now that I have a control level of your stress I have to start mixxing in other elements." Twilight said with a slight sparkle in her eye.
Twilight walked over to a different control table and surveyed the button layout searching for the right one. She quickly found the sought after button and pressed it. Then she grabbed a lever and pushed it forward.
'What is she going to do to me?' Scootaloo quietly pondered to herself.
She noticed that she had started to sweat and came to the conclusoin that Twilight had raised the temperature of the room.
'This isn't so bad.' Scootaloo said to herself, which began to calm her down.
Twilight was looking at the data and saw this and decided that this was problematic to her research. She decided that she had to turn up the heat even more so she could get a better responce from her test subject. Scootaloo felt the temperature begin to rise again, but this time the temperature just kept rising. The heat was getting to much for her to bear.
"Twilight please stop! Please!" Scootaloo cried out from her glass cell.
Twilight was busily jotting down her findings and found them satisfactory, so she moved to the next phase of the temperature test. She grabbed the lever and pulled it towards herself.
Scootaloo felt the heat begin to disapate and briefly considered the fact that she almost became a ponycake.
She said to Twilight, "Let me out Twilight! I don't want to do this anymore!"
"Why not Scoots? I thought you wanted to be like Rainbow Dash. She wouldn't quit just because of a little heat." Twilight said.
"Your machine singed my fur, tail, and mane Twilight it's to dangerous! I want out!"
Twilight looked at Scootaloo and said, "But Scoots what if your special something is being a test subject?" Twilight asked as she arched her brow.
Scootaloo never thought about getting a cutie mark for beiing a test subject, so she agreed to continue reluctently. Twilight pressed a different button and moved the lever again.
Scootaloo saw this and shouted, "Please Twilight! Don't make it hot again!", but this time instead of it getting hot the room began to cool off.
Scootaloo thought, 'This is kinda nice. I don't mind the cold.' Twilight began to jot down her findings again and decided to bump it up a notch.
The glass room began to get icy on the outside as condinsation on the walls began to freeze. Scootaloo began to shiver inside the room. She had never exposed herself to such an extreme cold before with nothing on her fur to keep her warm. She began to notice ice forming on her face were sweat from the heat had once been.
"Twi... Twilight? Its g...getting t..to c..cold in here." Scootaloo said.
She heard Twilight's voice come over the intercom "Well that's good cause you're going to stay in there for awhile Scootaloo."
'What did she just say? Stay in here for awhile?' "Twilight let me out!" Scootaloo shouted as thoughts of her being a popsicle ran through her mind.
She waited and listened for a response which never came. She began to panic. She bucked at the wall to no avail. She was starting to get tired she let out a long ear shattering scream hoping that maybe somepony outside would hear and come to her rescue. Her teeth were chattering and ice was on her coat.
She had just about given up hope, but then she heard Twilight say, "Okay that concludes this portion of the experiment! On to Phase 3!"
The room began to warm up and the ice started melting away. Scootaloo was still weak but she was able to stand up and peer out a small area where the ice had completely melted off the wall. She saw Twilight standing by her consule with a clipboard excitedly writing something down.
"Twilight let me out of here now! No cutie mark is worth this!"
Twilight looked up at her subject and cooly replied, "No." Scootaloo felt a twinge of fear shoot down her spine. Twilight then continued, "You are going to stay here and help me complete this experiment even if it kills you."
Scootaloo began to cry at this point.
'She's gone insane! I have to get out of here before she does kill me, but what can I do? I can't break the glass, it's to strong.'
Scootaloo saw that almost all the ice was gone now, but she was still shivering from the memmory of the bitter cold she had faced just minutes ago. To her surprise the room began to lower down to the floor.
'Oh my Celestia! She was kidding with me! She's letting me go!' Scootaloo thought happily.
When the room got to the floor of the lab Scootaloo rushed to door expecting Twilight to open it, but instead she saw Twilight staring at a monitor.
"Let me out Twilight! Please! Why are you doing this to me?", she shouted when she realised just how wrong she was. Twilight said nothing to the frazzled little filly.
Twilight walked over to her second consule again and held her hoof above another button. Scootaloo nearly broke down into tears when she saw the look on Twilight's face. It was a look of pure evil. Scootaloo now realised that Twilight didn't care if she died. Scootaloo walked over to the furthest corner of the room and sat down and began to cry. Softly at first but soon it evolved into great gushes of tears that caught Twilight's attention.
Twilight walked over to the glass and placed her hoove on it.
She then asked, "What's wrong Scoots?"
"What's wrong? What's wrong?! You're going to kill me in here, and you have the nerve to ask me 'What's wrong'?"
Twilight flashed a warm smile at Scootaloo and said, "But it'll be for the good of science Scoots. Your demise will bring untold knowledge to all of the ponies of the present and future." Twilight began to walk away when she heard a little angry voice come from the intercom's speaker,
"Why me? Why not any other filly? Why did you pick me?"
"I followed you 'home'," Twilight said with air quotations, "one night. You live in a log near Fluttershy's cottage. You have no parents, no home, and friends that I could tell anything to and have them believe me."
Scootaloo felt like a knife had been stuck in her heart, for it was all true. Her dinner was usually food she got from the animals or somepony that would give it to her, like Fluttershy.
"You may be right, but I'm still a living, breathing pony." Scootaloo said through the pain she was feeling.
Then she thought of something else, "Rainbow Dash will notice that her number one fan isn't around anymore!"
Twilight looked at her and said, "You know she thinks you're a pest right? Trust me, she wouldn't care."
'A pest?' Scootaloo thought to herself.
Twilight walked back over to the second consule and pressed another button. Water began to come into the room through vents at the top. Slowly but surely the water rose. After about ten minutes Scootaloo had to start swimming in order to keep her head above the water's surface. Her tiny legs thrashed about in the water, fighting hard to keep her up. Her legs were burning worse than anything she had ever felt before. She came to the realization that there was no point in really fighting it anymore. Twilight was going to kill her no matter what. So she let herself sink to the bottom and waited for the inevitable.
Scootaloo came to lying on the floor of her glass prison cell.
"I can't have you quiting just yet. I have one more test to perform." Twilight said with an air of finality.
She walked over to her first consule and just as she was going to press the button, "Why do you hate me? What have I've I done to you Twilight? Please just let me go. Please!"
Twilight looked upon the the small and broken filly and said, "Did you ever listen to me? NO! I told you all you had to do to get your cutie mark was just follow your heart and do what comes natural to you, but no, you had to ignore me!" Twilight said as her eyes twitched, "You and all of your little friends had to ignore me! First I'll get rid of you, then I'll get rid of them!" Twilight then pressed the button.
Scootaloo got up when she realized nothing was happening. She looked around and saw nothing but the lab from her glass room. She heard something above her and looked up. Almost out of nowhere a giant spider appeared and tangled her in its web. It then came down to her after it used its web to immobilize her against the wall. Scootaloo began to thrash and panic. The spider crawled on top of her and laid its eggs on her. Suddenly the eggs began to hatch and the little spiders began to tear at her flesh. She was able to free her arms and she began to fight the spiders off but it dawned on her that she was getting weaker and weaker by the minute. She decided to lay down and let the spiders finish her off for there was no was no way she could win this fight.
Twilight pressed the button, releasing a powerful hallucinogen into the glass room. She watched as Scootaloo looked up and began to cower from nothing.
'Good,' Twilight thought, 'its working.'
She watched as the little filly ran to one side of the glass room and watched as her invisible foe decended upon her. Twilight feverishly wrote her findings down on her clipboard. She resumed watching her test subject as she shreiked and began to tear her own flesh off as if she were fighting her foe off of her. Scootaloo gave one last scream and fell to the floor as the blood pooled around her. Twilight wrote somemore things on her clipboard and began to walk out of the lab. As she turned to look at Scootaloo one final time she hear the heart monitor go to a single high pitched tone.
"Bye Scootaloo, thanks for all the help." Twilight said ominously. Then she turned and exited the lab.
Chapter 2- Curiosity Killed The Fillies
Chapter 2- Curiosity Killed the Fillies
The next day...
Applebloom and Sweetie Bell were inside their treehouse planning a search party to look for their missing friend. They didn't know why no ponyelse seemed to care as mush as them about her. They decide to start searching at Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetie Bell asked,
"What do you think Scootaloo would be doing out here?"
"Ah don't know. Maybe she was in the Everfree Forest and got lost, but she found her way back here to the farm." Applebloom answered.
"Maybe. If we don't find her here we could go ask Zecora if she's seen her." Sweetie chipped in.
"Hey yeah! That's a good idea Sweetie!" Applebloom cheerfully exclaimed.
The two fillies began their search in the extreme left of the farm and began to slowly sweep across the apple tree orchard calling there lost friend's name in hopes that she would hear them. Suddenly Appleblossom stopped and said,
"Sweetie we have to go around this area."
"Why Appleblossom?" Sweetie Bell questioned.
"Big MacIntosh has always said to stay away from this area. Said it was sacred to 'im or somethin'"
Sweetie Bell looked at her friend and asked, "And what if Scootaloo is in there?"
Appleblossom pondered this for a little while before saying, "Let's be quick about this. Ah don't like disobeyin Big Mac." So then the two ventured into the area.
The two little fillies went about calling out for their friend when Applebloom said,
"SHH! Listen!"
The two fillies trained their ears trying desperately to pin point the source of the sounds.
Applebloom was the first to spot her and said to Sweetie Bell, "Hide! Here comes somepony!" The fiillies took refuge inside a bush together and watched the hooded figure.
The pony suddenly stopped and began to look around, carefully surveying the area. It was carrying a burlap sack that was bulging and seemed the be alive.
'Oh no!', thought Applebloom, 'He knows we're here!' Surprisingly though, the figure began walking again.
"Hey!", Sweetie whispered to her shivering friend, "Let's follow him."
"But what 'bout Scootaloo?" Applebloom questioned.
"I hate to say this, but what if that's her in the bag? We have to make sure." Sweetie Bell reasoned. Applebloom gave an unsure nod, and with that the fillies began following the mysterious pony. After awhile the pony entered a large clearing and came to a stop and sat down. The fillies watched as more hooded figures appeared out of the other side of the clearing. They were chanting something that the fillies didn't understand.
"What's going on Applebloom?" Sweetie Bell asked her friend.
"Ah don't know, but whatever it is, it can't be good."
The pony they followed stood up and moved to the center of the clearing as the other hooded figures surrounded it. A small twinge of fear ran through Applebloom as she watched the circle close in on the pony they followed. The circle of hooded ponies began to dance around the one they followed and continued to chant the words that the fillies couldn't understand, and the circle grew smaller and smaller with each passing moment.
Suddenly one of the figures broke ranks and entered the circle,
"Did you bring the sacrifice?", the figure questioned with a booming voice.
The pony they followed motioned towars the sack. The other pony peered into the bag and inserted it's face. After a moment that seemed like an enternity to the fillies the figure removed it's face from the bag, and in it's darken hood was a chicken that was being held by one of its legs. Applebloom and Sweetie Bell exchanged confused glances with one another before returning their gaze to the weird spectacle taking place before them.
The hooded figure placed the chicken in a cage that was brought forth by one of the others, and exclaimed, "Brothers! The time is upon us to welcome our new overseer into our family! Here in the most sacred of places for our Order of The Sky Creators we shall commission her! Now on with the ceremony!"
The bewildered fillies watched as the pony they followed raised her right hoof and repeated the strange words the the others were speaking. After she was finished the hooded figure with her in the center of the circle walked over to her and placed its hoof on her shoulder.
"Brothers! The ceremony is almost complete! Our new initiate has conquered the first task of reciting the sacred words! Now she has to perform the sacred dance!" the hooded figure exclaimed.
The pony the fillies had followed began dancing in the center of the circle, perfectly imatating the dance the figures were doing on the boundary of the circle. The hooded figure exclaimed after she finished the dance, "Now you must raise your right hoof once more and recite the Sacred Oath of the Eternal Sky!"
The strange pony did as she was told. After she was finished with the oath the hooded figure gave her one final instruction, "Now lower your hood and show to the others the face that they shall now worship, and make the sacifice!" The second figure backed away and began to bow as the pony began to lower her hood. The fillies were surprised when they saw a familiar face appear from the dark hood.
"Rainbow Dash!" Sweetie Bell cried out in utter shock.
Applebloom knew there were in trouble when every pony in the circle turned towards them.
"RUN!" Applebloom shouted out.
The two fillies began to run towards the direction they had just come from hoping to escape their persuers. Applebloom looked over to her friend and saw that they were side by side in this race to safety. As she looked forward again she heard her friend's terrified shreik. She looked back over but Sweetie wasn't there. She looked up and saw Sweetie Bell being taken away by one of the hooded figures. Applebloom continued to run, hoping to get help, but she felt the ground leave her feet as she realized she had been caught.
She tried to squirm away but the pegasus had to tight of a grip on her. She then bit the pegasus only to hear her say, "If you bite me again I swear by Celestia I'll drop you."
Applebloom admitted defeat and allowed the strange pegasus to carry her back to where the circle was. She was dropped off in front of Rainbow Dash, who lookked very angrily upon to two fillies.
"What should we do with them boss?" one of the hooded figures asked.
Rainbow Dash thought for a moment and said, "Take them to the factory."
All the pegasi took off with Rainbow Dash leading the way. Up they flew until they could see Cloudsdale, but they flew right past it and to another cloud that had a rather large building on it.
They all landed and Rainbow Dash said to the fillies, "You have nothing to fear about falling this cloud was specially made so all ponies could walk on it."
The fillies were dropped each one emitted a scream as they fell until they hit the ground.
Sweetie Bell looked up to rainbow Dash and asked, "Rainbow Dash, what is this place?"
Rainbow Dash looked down at Sweetie Bell and Applebloom and said with a hint of pride, "This is the Rainbow Factory."
The two fillies looked at each other and then back at Rainbow Dash.
"Take them inside." Rainbow Dash said.
Two pegasi began to push the fillies into the facility.
Applebloom wondered at what they would see, 'Ah bet this place is beautiful inside!'
The doors opened, but it was dark inside and the fillies couldn't see anything. No color, no rainbows, not even other pegasi working inside the factory.
As the two fillies went inside Applebloom looked back and could swear she saw Rainbow Dash mouth the words 'Use them'.
The doors closed and the fillies disappeared.
The search for the missing fillies brought up nothing. Big Mac, determined to find his sister, left Ponyville and Rainbow used that to her advantage. She began to spread rumors that it was Big Mac, and the griefstruck town started to believe it as the truth. Big Mac was hunted down by distraught ponies and executed for the heinous crime. The ponies of Ponyville thought that justice had been served, but not all things are as they seem.
Chapter 4- Insanity Is A Game Meant For Two
Chapter 4- Insanity Is A Game Built For Two
Twilight was in the Ponyville library studying one her many spell books when Pinkie Pie burst through the door.
"HUGS!!!" she squelled as she wrapped Twilight up in an almost rib crushing embrace.
"Pinkie, can't, breath!" Twilight managed to choke out.
"Oh, sorry! I was just so happy to see you!"
Twilight gave her friend a half-hearted smile and said, "I'm happy to see you too Pinkie Pie, but I have a lot of studying to do so could you please keep this visit short?"
Pinkie Pie smiled back at Twilight and exclaimed, "Twilight, the girls wants to meet us at Sugarcube Corner right now, and they want to par-tay!"
Twilight's expression changed from half-hearted to the most sincere upon hearing this and said, "Well what are we waiting for? We shouldn't keep her waiting!"
Twilight and Pinkie left the library and began walking towards Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie was hopping beside Twilight as they approached their destination.
The two friends entered the little yet quaint bakery and Pinkie excitedly said, "Twilight! Wait here! I need you to taste the cupcakes I made for Rainbow Dash!"
Pinkie rushed into the kitchen and return to Twilight in a flash with a tray of cupcakes with rainbow icing. Twilight looked at the cupcakes and said, "The icing looks great! I think Dash will just love it!"
"Go ahead! Try one!" Pinkie said.
Twilight looked at Pinkie and said, "I'm sorry Pinkie but I've already eaten and feeling pretty stuffed."
Pinkie now had an uncharateristic frown with a small tear forming in her eye and a pouty and trembling lower lip.
Twilight gave Pinkie an unsure smile and said, "Well I guess just one cupcake couldn't hurt."
Pinkie gave an excited squeal and brought the tray closer to Twilight's face with a gigantic beaming smile. Twilight surveyed the cupcakes searching for the smallest one. Twilight found the cupcake she was searching for and picked it up, popped it in her mouth, and began to slowly chew.
Twilight swallowed the pastry and said to Pinkie, "Oh my Celestia, Pinkie these cupcakes are delicious!"
Pinkie's smile grew even wider as she said, "Just think of the fun we're going to have!"
Twilight began to feel light headed. She sat down and started rubbing her head. The room began to spin and fade away into darkness. Twilight groaned and fell to the hard, unforgiving floor. Pinkie waited a minute to make sure the cupcake had done it's job. She went over to the middle of the room and moved the rug revealing a trap door. She gleefully pulled it open and looked back at Twilight.
'Now,' she thought to herself, 'the real fun can begin!'
Twilight groaned as she opened her eyes. Her head was trobbing like crazy. She attempted to rub her head and she realized that she coundn't move her hooves. They were strapped down to the table she was laying on. She couldn't really see either for it was to dark. Her eys began to frantically dart around in the darkness looking for any shred of light. After awhile her eyes began to adjust to the darkness and she noticed a dark figure standing in front of her.
"H...Hello is anypony here?"
Suddenly she heard hoofsteps coming from her left. Fear had fully gripped Twilight's mind when the blinding light came on overhead. Then she heard a familiar giggle.
"Pinkie Pie is that you?"
"Oh Twilight you're awake! Goodie now we can play!"
Twilight's head was still throbbing and the light wasn't helping. She decided to use her magic to dim the light some, but when she tried nothing happened.
"Pinkie you have to help me out of here. My magic isn't working!"
"Of course it isn't silly filly! I cut off your horn while you were asleep!" Pinkie said as she gave Twilight an abnormally large smile.
Twilight's jaw dropped when she heard what her friend had just stated.
She started to play laugh and said, "Very funny Pinkie now help me get out of here!"
"Oh its no joke Twilight! We're going to have some real fun playing one last game together!"
Twilight's mind was now in full panic as she frantically tried again and again to use her magic to no avail. Twilight heard a click and all the lights in the room came on, and she saw what the figure standing in front of her was. It was a mannequin.
Pinkie walked over to Twinlight and placed her hoof on her shoulder.
Then Pinkie Pie said, "We want you to play."
Twilight thought to herself, 'We?'
Pinkie laughed and said, "Twilight, I was getting lonely here by myself since the Cakes moved to Canterlot, so I decided that I want all friends to stay here with me!"
She paused a moment and then she said as her eyes began to cross, "Forever!"
It was then that Twilight began to realize that her friend Pinkie was completely insane. Twilight began to look around the room she was traped in, and the things she saw made her shutter. 'Life is a Party' was writen on the wall in what appeared to be blood, she saw a tapestry of tanned pony skins on the wall, she saw multiple skulls brightly painted some of them were even wearing hats made from skin, and she looked at the mannequin pony and saw it wore a dress made of skin and cutie marks with a necklace of unicorn horns strung around its neck. On this necklace she saw something that made her heart sink, she saw her own horn.
Twilight instictivly began to sob uncontrollably. Pinkie hopped over to Twilight and said to her,
"Aw. I know what will drive away this case of the frownies."
She presented a small red cube to Twilight and said, "Open your mouth Twilight! This will make you feel better!"
Twilight no longer trusted her once friend Pinkie and tightly closed her mouth. Pinkie looked at Twilight obviously upset by her insuboardination. She walked into a doorway to Twilight's left and returned with a tray on wheels that was covered with a cloak. She removed the cloak and picked up a scapel from her vast array of freshly sharpen tools.
Pinkie walked back over to Twilight and asked, "Now Twilight are you going to open your mouth, or do I have to cut your lips off?"
Twilight hesitantly opened her mouth, and Pinkie inserted the red cube.
"Eat it silly.", Pinkie said with sparkles in her eyes.
Twilight closed her mouth and the strong coppery taste of blood and raw flesh filled her mouth. She immediatly spit it out and cried out, "Pinkie what was that?"
Pinkie covered her mouth with her hoof and giggled.
Then she said, "That was a piece of the secret ingredient I got from Twist! You should recognize the flavor it's not like you haven't eaten my cupcakes before! Hee hee hee."
Twilight's mind broke down as Pinkie said that. Her mind kept telling her 'Its ok you didn't eat a piece of a pony. You didn't eat a piece of a pony!'
Pinkie looked into Twilight's eyes and said with a hint of finallity, "It's time to play Twilight! Don't worry I'm going to stuff you and keep you forever and ever here with us!"
"Pinkie," Twilight frightenly asked, "who's this we and us you keep talking about?"
Pinkie kept looking at Twilight when suddenly her hair changed on its own. It was no longer fluffy and fun. It was straight and covered half of Pinkie's face.
"This is us and we!" Pinkie said in a voice that was hardly reconisible as Pinkie's.
Twilight felt tears rolling down her face as she began to realize that there was no way out of this situation.
She began to scream at the top of her lungs, "Somepony, please help! Please!"
Pinkie looked into Twilight's eyes and said, "Oh come on Twilight! If no pony heard the rest of them scream," she said as she motioned to the walls, "why do you think they'd hear you?"
Pinkie moved over to Twilight's right flank and placed the scalpel about an inch above Twilight's cutie mark. Twilight felt the blade touch her skin and she instictively flinched.
Pinkie looked at Twilight and said, "Twilight you have to stay still or I might mess up!"
Twilight began to plead with Pinkie, "Please *sob* Pinkie *sob* let me go, please! I thought you were my friend?"
Pinkie looked into Twilight's eyes and she began to have a little hope, but it was destroyed when Pinkie said, "Oh but Twilight, we are friends. That's why I'm going to make you into a puppet and keep you forever!"
"Let me go Pinkie I won't tell anypony I swear. Just please let me go! I'll, I'll get help for you just please, let me go!"
"But Twilight," Pinkie gleefully explained, " I already have help!" Pinkie's hair became puffy and fun again.
Pinkie began to gleefully dance around the table. Upon hearing this Twilight's hope slowly began to vanish until, "You can't kill me, Pinkie Pie! Spike and the Princess will notice that I'm missing!"
The pink mare looked her friend in the eyes and said with a chortle, "Oh Twilight, look over at the mannequin pony's feet!", Twilight didn't want to look, but she couldn't help it.
As soon as she looked at the mannequin she realized she missed something earlier. There on the mannequin's feet were boots that were made with purple and green reptilian skin.
Pinkie then said, "Don't you worry about the Princess either I had Spike send her a letter saying you were going to study with a different mentor."
Twilight's tears began flowing again as she choked out, "You're... you're a monster! A monster!"
Twilight broke down into uncontrollable tears, but not for herself and her fate, but rather for Spike her number one helper.
'I should have noticed how insane Pinkie was sooner.' Twilight thought to herself.
Pinkie Pie couldn't believe what she had just heard. Here she had taken time away from her busy schedule to spend some time with one of her friends only so she could be called a monster.She was sharing her deepest and best kept secret with her and she was name calling.
A tear formed in Pinkie's eye, "Take that back! Take it back right now!" she demanded.
Twilight Sparkle looked Pinkie Pie in the eye and tearfully yet firmly said, "No."
Pinkie's hair became straight again and she placed her scalpel back over Twilight's cutie mark. She began to make her insision and cut the whole way around Twilight's cutie mark. Pinkie then gingerly removed the cutie mark seperating it from Twilight's muscle. She walked over to Twilight's other flank and repeated the process.
The searing pain shot through Twilight like a lightening bolt. She couldn't help but bounce around and attempt to buck a couple of times. This caused Pinkie to accidentally cut Twilight's left thigh sending even more pain shooting through Twilight. Twilight was bordering on passing out when she felt something pricking her chest. She slowly opened her eyes to see Pinkie standing with a needle.
"What was that?!" Twilight panically inquired.
"That was adrenalin. You see Twilight I hate it when my guests fall asleep during the game, so I gave you some so you would stay awake." Pinkie stated matter of factly, "Don't fall asleep again Twilight."
Twilight began to cry again for now she knew there was no escaping this horrible situation.
Pinkie then started dancing and singing, "Giggle at the ghostie, Guffaw at the grossy, Crack up at the creepy, Whoop it up with the weepy, Chortle at the cooky, Snortle at the spooky."
Pinkie then picked another needle. Twilight's pupils began to grow from the fear and adrenalin coursing through her body.
"P...Pinkie Pie wh...whats in that?" Twilight fearfully asked.
Pinkie Pie looked back at Twilight and said, "Oh, this? Its just some pain medicine so you won't feel anything below your neck."
When Twilight heard this she knew it would soon be all over. She began to openly pray for a miracle as Pinkie injected her with the needle.After awhile Twilight couldn't feel anything below her neck as Pinkie had said. Pinkie walked over to her tray and came back with with a large mallet. She hoisted it up in the air, and brought it down hard on Twilight's sternum shattering it.
Although she couldn't feel the pain of the blow she still felt it as the force from the mallet forced the air out of her lungs.
Pinkie dropped her mallet onto the ground and said excitedly, "Now the real fun can begin!"
Pinkie picked up her scalpel again and made three horizontal cuts. The first was just above Twilight's pelvis, the second was just below the rib cage, and the third was just above Twilight's shattered sternum. Then Pinkie made her fourth and final cut straight down Twilight's ribcage starting at the third cut and ending at the first cut. Pinkie walked over to her tray and grabbed her rib cage vice. She trotted back to Twilight and pulled her rib cage open with her vice.
Upon seeing this Twilight passed out from the shear terror of what was happening to her. Pinkie noticed this and became furious. She went back to her tray and retrieved another adrenalin shot. She walked back over to her spliced friend and injected the needle directly into Twilight's heart. Twilight came to miliseconds later and saw Pinkie Pie standing over her
face with an ice cream scooper.
"What did I tell you about falling asleep Twilight?"
Twilight answered, "Not... to... do it?"
Pinkie glared into Twilight's eyes and said, "You know Twilight your eyes sparkle like rubies in the sun."
Twilight began to brace herself for what she knew was going to happen.
"I think I'll take them!"
Pinkie plunged the scooper into Twilight's left eye socket and forcefully removed the screaming mare's eye and then she repeated the process on the other eye.
Pinkie jumped off the table and said to the still screaming mare, "You don't want watch me have fun? So now I've made it so you can't see anything. Happy?"
Twilight's screams slowly dissippated as she began to realize that she would soon be dead.
'I wonder what things on the other side are like, and will Scootaloo be waiting for me?' Twilight asked herself.
Pinkie began to remove Twilight's organs one by one while humming sweetly to herself. She began to spout off the some terrible jokes as she "played her favorite game".
"You know it's hurtful that no pony laughs at these jokes. They're pure comedy gold!" Pinkie said to the now silent Twilight.
The only organs left inside Twilight by this time was her lungs and heart.
Pinkie tapped Twilight's left cheek and bubbly asked, "Are you still awake?"
Twilight was suffering from major blood loss but was able to weakly respond to her tormentor, "Yes, Pinkie I'm still awake."
"Good!" Pinkie squeeked.
Then Twilight continued, "Pinkie I've always loved you as a friend, and I deeply treasured your friendship, but Pinkie, you're no longer my friend."
"Twilight of course I'm still your friend. Thats why I'm going to stuff you and make you into a puppet, so we can be together forever!" Pinkie exclaimed with a hint of insanity in her voice.
Before Twilight could resond to this Pinkie removed her lungs. Pinkie watched as Twilight began to slowly fade away for the last time, but before she could Pinkie grabbed her friend's weakly beating heart and pulled it out. Pinkie noticed that Twilight's heart was abnormally larger than that of a normal unicorn pony.
She looked at her now dead friend and said, "I've to tell you Twilight that you always had a lot of heart."
Pinkie started snickering to herself as she began to clean up all the blood that was now on the floor. She was going to miss Twilight a little but that's why she was going to stuff her. So she could always have her friend nearby, so she wouldn't be lonely ever again. After she cleaned the floor, table, and tools she went and got everything she would need for the new game she was going to play. One that she liked almost as much as the last one.
A game she liked to call "Making a Friend".
Chapter 5- Is It Love Or Lust
Chapter 5- Is It Love Or Lust
Chapter 5- Is It Love Or Lust
Rainbow Dash was visiting with her friend Fluttershy. She noticed that Fluttershy acted differently with her now then she did when they first met. She was more anxious to hear about her day, she was slowly becoming shier around her, and she wanted to do nothing but tend to her every need. Rainbow Dash just decided that it was because of how awesome she was and brushed it off. Dash was telling her about how she just finished her daily cloud round up when she noticed the clock.
"Oh my Celestia! I have to get going. I have to meet Pinkie in 5 minutes!" Rainbow Dash said.
Fluttershy looked at her and said meek as ever, "If you have to go, then you should go."
Rainbow Dash geot up and flew out the door in a flash.
'I have to tell her eventually.' Fluttershy thought to herself.
'I'm going to tell her now!' Fluttershy said to herself mentally.
She petted her pet Angel Bunny and walked out the door following the rainbow Dash left.
Rainbow was flying at almost Sonic Rainboom speed so she could get to Sugarcube Coner in time. She saw on the town's clock tower that she was already late, but she hoped Pinkie wouldn't care. She landed in front of the little bakery and walked inside. Pinkie Pie was behind the counter, but in an instant she was tackling Dash to the ground with a hug. Rainbow tried to force her off, but soon realized that it wasn't going to happen.
Pinkie finally pulled away from her and said excitedly, "You Came! You Came!"
"Yes Pinkie I came over like I promised sorry I'm a little late."
Pinkie looked at her friend and said, "That's okay silly. You're here now and that's all that matters!"
Rainbow Dash looked around the shop and asked, "So what do you need me for Pinkie?"
"I need your help setting up a party for Twilight!" Pinkie said with boundless glee.
Dash looked at her friend with a puzzled look.
"Uh, Pinkie? I'm not good at setting up parties. That's your talent."
"Oh silly Dashie I just need you to help set up the streamers." Pinke said.
"Well in that case, I'm game!" Dash said with some gusto.
"Oh goodie! Here you can have this cupcake!"
Dash observed the pastry and decided that it looked really delicious, so she ate it. Dash felt her head begin to spin.
"Pinkie wh..what w..was in that cu...cupcake?" Dash asked.
"Just a little somthing to help you sleep Dashie!"
That was the last thing Dash heard. Soon after the darkness surrounded her, and she hit the floor.
When she reopened her eyes she was still surrounded by darkness. She tried to move but ultimately she couldn't. Suddenly a blinding light came on above her and she could see that she was bound to a table by leather straps.
She heard something moving to her left and she called out, "Hey! Pinkie what gives? Why am I straped to this table?"
The rest of the lights came on, and Rainbow Dash looked around in horror.
The things she saw made the Rainbow Factory seem like a regional fair. The skins, the skulls, the blood on the walls. She just couldn't look away from it all, and standing in front of her was Twilight.
"Hey! Twilight! Help me out of here!"
She watched as her friend didn't move at all. It was then that she saw the needle work and the fact that Twilight's horn wasn't the right size. Her eyes were dull and lifeless, and she wasn't breathing Dash saw upon closer inspection.
"Oh my Celestia! No! NOOO!" Dash screached.
'Calm down Rainbow Dash, calm down.' she thought to herself. 'I'm sure there is a reasonable explantion for this.' she said trying to comfort herself.
Then Pinkie entered her vision from her left side.
"Pinkie! What happened here?" Dash asked her pink friend.
Pinkie looked around with an enormous smile, "I decorated this place! Isn't it neat?", the pink mare bragged as one of her eyes twitched.
"P...Pinkie this all a joke right?", Dashed asked with a hint of fear in her voice.
"Oh no, Dashie. I would never lie about this! Twilight here helped me play some games that I hope you'll play too!"
Dash stared at her insane friend and asked in a trembling voice, "But Pinkie, I thought you wanted me to help decorate?"
"You will silly filly, right after we play some games!"
Dash didn't like the tone of voice that Pinkie Pie was using. She began to thrash about screaming at the top of her lungs, praying to Celestia that somepony would come along and help her. She couldn't believe that Pinkie Pie of all ponies was capable of such senseless murder, but the proof was staring her grimly in the face.
'I have to ecsape from here! I must! The Rainbow Factory needs a Rainbow forepony!' Dash thought to herself.
Pinkie smiled at her friend, "You know Dash, I can't wait any longer! I'm going to start the game right now! Hee hee!" Pinkie vociferated.
Dash felt a twinge of fear shoot down her spine as her friend gleefully said this. Dash began to panic. She began to think about all the things she would never get to do like, get accepted into the Wonderbolts, see her office again, or see Fluttershy again. Dash prayed that the fate she was about to experience would never be used on her friend.
'Fluttershy I'm going to miss you.' Dash glumily thought to herself.
'Why am I focussing so much on Fluttershy?' she asked herself.
At this point in time as she began to realise her true feelings for Fluttershy,where as Pinkie was busily selecting which one of her toys was she going to use. She decided on using a scalpel for Dash's cutie marks .
'They have to go first.'
Pinkie Pie excitedly thought to herself.
She walked over to Dash with the scalpel in her mouth and said, "Dashie, don't move to much or I might hurt you somewhere else."
Pinkie Pie began humming sweetly to herself as she placed the scalpel an inch above Dash's cutie mark and made a perfect cricle around Dash's cutie mark. Dash cringed from the pain shooting though her. Pinkie grabbed her craving knife from the cart and returned to Rainbow Dash. She used it to seperate Dash's cutie mark from her flesh. Pinkie then hopped over to the other side of Dash and repeated the process. With Dash's cutie marks in hoof she walked back over to her cart and contemplated on what to do next. Pinkie Pie decided to remove her wings next, and from this task she grabbed a knife.
Pinkie hopped back over to Dash and grabbed Dash's right wing and pulled it in such a way that Dash thought Pinkie might dislocate it first. Pinkie pulled the wing straight and pinned it down with her hoof. With the knife in her mouth now she sunk the knife into Dash's wing at the base of it. The pain shot through Dash like electricity surging in her veins. She immediately started to frantically flap her wings trying desperately to get them away from Pinkie. Pinkie just held the wing in place and lifted the knife up in the air. She sent the knife down with such force that it went right through the bone and firmly planted Dash's wing to the table. Pinkie Pie walked over to her tray and came back with a meat clever.She looked at Rainbow Dash and smiled as she heaved the incredibly large cleaver in the air.
Dash stared wide eyed as she watched the cleaver come down. The cleaver struck where Pinkie had previously attacked Dash's wing with the knife. The snapping of the bone drove Dash crazy. The pain was the most excruciating pain she had ever felt. Rainbow Dash began to cry as she watched her wing fall to the ground.
Pinkie gingerly picked up the wing and said to Rainbow Dash, "Looks like you can't wing it anymore Rainbow Dash!"
Rainbow Dash was beginnig to break down. She had lost her wing and she knew that there was no way she could escape and have it reattached in time to same it. Her lifetime goal of being a Wonderbolt was brought to a smashing stop. She was releasing a stream of tears and watched as Pinkie rised the cleaver up over her other wing.
Rainbow moved her wing out of the way in time to save it from from being amputated by the cleaver. Pinkie gave her friend a fustrated look and went back to her cart. She returned with a another scalpel.
Dash screamed and thrashed her wing about pleading with the pink mare, "Please Pinkie, please stop! Why are you doing this?"
Pinkie looked Rainbow Dash in the eye, "You know Dashie, this game is so fun it should be illegal. Oh wait! It is! Hee hee!"
Pinkie giggled completely avoiding Rainbow Dash's question. She grabbed Rainbow Dash's one good wing and placed the scalpel on the base of it. She skillfully used the scalpel to cut the tendons in her wing. She released the wing and it fell to the table with a thunk. She retreived her cleaver and once again raised it over Rainbow Dash's wing. Dash tried to move it but found that it wouldn't budge. She tightly closed her tear filled eyes and waited for the pain.
The cleaver came down with such force that it broke the bone before it even entered the flesh. Pinkie Pie hacked away at the wing until it also fell to the floor. Once again Pinkie picked it up. She tossed it over on to Rainbow Dash's chest. Rainbow Dash remorsefully stared at her wing and began to cry again.
"I HATE YOU!" Dash screamed at the top of her lungs, "I HATE YOU! I HOPE ALL YOUR DREAMS ARE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU! Just as you have taken mine from me."
The last statement was almost as quiet as a whisper.
Pinkie's hair instantly lost its puffiness and became straight. Rainbow Dash had only seen this Pinkie a couple of time before in her life, and she knew that this Pinkie wouldn't be gentle.
"What did you say?" Pinkie asked with an evil grin on her face. "You hate me? Well I haven't time to spend on somepony such as you, so why don't we just end this game?" Pinkie said with a hint of disgust.
She grabbed a mallet and raised it above Rainbow's head. Rainbow closed her eyes and thought of Fluttershy. It was then that she realised that she loved her. Loved her more than life itself. The mallet began its decent towards her head.
Her last thought was, 'I wish I had told Fluttershy about how I feel.'
"I HATE YOU! I HOPE ALL YOUR DREAMS ARE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU!"
Fluttershy knew that was Rainbow Dash's voice. It sounded like it came from under her, but she didn't know how to get down there. She looked around for a door but didn't find one. She began pacing the room, and as she paced over the rug she heard a "THUNK" She wasted no time. She removed the rug and saw a trap door. She openned the door and heard a voice that she thought was Pinkie Pie's.
She slowly walked down the steps into a dimly light room and saw the most horrific sight of her life. Pinkie Pie was standing over Rainbow Dash with a mallet aimed at her head. The room seemed to freeze as she looked all over the room and saw other horrific sights, but the one that hurt her the most to see was Rainbow Dash.
She had blood coming from her back and her hind legs. It was obvious that she had been crying, and Pinkie Pie standing over her ready to deliver a final blow. Fluttershy didn't think.
She just did what her heart told her to do, and her heart said 'You have to save her!'
As she charged Pinkie at breakneck speed she watched the mallet slowly inch closer to Dash's head. Just as it was about to make contact with Dash, Fluttershy collided with Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie was sent flying across the room from the force of the blow. She looked up in a half daze and saw Fluttershy.
"Well look who it is.", Pinkie mused.
"Wh...what have you done!" Fluthershy demanded.
Pinkie was surprised, she honestly thought that Fluttershy would be to scared to stand up for herself mush less anyone else in a place like this.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE PINKIE!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY RAINBOW!?" Fluttershy screamed as she glared 'The Stare' directly at Pinkie.
"YOU WILL STAY THERE AND DO NOTHING!" Fluttershy continued.
Pinkie couldn't look away from 'The Stare', and her mind was powerless against it. She sat down and stared at the wall as Fluttershy fueled by anger and love grabbed the mallet and walked up behind Pinkie. She brought it back and aimed for Pinkie's head.Then she swung with all of her might.
Epilogue- Love Conquers All Odds
Epilogue- Love Conquers All Odds
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and saw a bright light.
'So this is what it's like to be dead?' she thought to herself.
She stared up at the light, but after a while she swore she could hear voices.
"Rainbow Dash," a sweet but crying voice called out to her, "please come back to me."
She looked around and realized that she wasn't dead. She was in a place she thought she would never be happy to see.
She was in the hospital. She continued to look around when a nurse's head popped through the door, "Oh my Celestia, she's awake!" the nurse almost shouted.
Her head disappeared from the doorway and almost instantly, Fluttershy came sprinting into the room.Dash could see that Fluttershy had been crying.
"Hey Fluttershy." Dash said weakly.
Flttershy began to cry again, but this time the tears were tears of joy.
Fluttershy grabbed Rainbow Dash's hoof and squeezed it.
Rainbow Dash decided it was time, "Fluttershy?"
"Y...yes Dash?" Fluttershy meekly responded.
"Fluttershy there's something I wanted to tell you but I don't know how to say it."
Fluttershy looked at her friend wondering if maybe, just maybe that Dash felt the same way about her that she did about Rainbow Dash.
Hope began to fill her heart as she anxiously said, "Just try your best Dash. You've always been good at that."
"I love you." Rainbow Dash blurted out quitely.
She immediately began thinking, 'Oh no! Did I say that out loud? What if she doesn't like me back? Well I guess I could blame it on the medication, but still why did I say that out...'
Dash's train of thought was stopped when Fluttershy leaned in and kissed her gentlely on the lips.
"I love you to Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow Dash melted when she heard those words. She looked at Fluttershy and asked her what had happened to Pinkie, but all she said was to not worry. That she had taken care of everything.
Rainbow looked at Fluttershy and asked, "You love me even through I'm no longer Rainbow Dash?"
Fluttershy looked at her love and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Rainbow Dash simply said, "I no longer have my wings. Pinkie took the second most precious thing away from me!" she said as she began to form tears in her eyes.
Fluttershy gave Dash a puzzled look and said, "But Rainbow, you still have your wings. The doctors said it was a miracle, but I guess that day was chalk full of them."
Dash looked around at her back irregardless of how much pain it shot through her body, and found that Fluttershy was right.
Two months later...
Rainbow Dash felt like the luckest pegasus alive today. She had beaten all the odds. Not only did she make a faster recovery than expected, but she was starting to fly again too. She had the most beautiful marefriend in all of Equestria, and she was able to rid herself of the Rainbow Factory by passing it off to one of her cousins as long as they stayed away from Ponyville with the collection process. It was quickly discovered that most of her friends were gone, and that pained her terribly so, but she had Fluttershy and Fluttershy had her. Maybe things will work out, or maybe they won't, but for now
they were happy. And thats all that really mattered.
Even in a grim world
Such as this
A glimmer of hope
May still persist
I said the plague can't be cured
And this is true
But sometimes something can happen
That may make things anew
The elements of disharmony
Will continue to spread
And they won't stop
Until everything is dead
But one thing can halt them
Like a miracle from above
The thing of which I speak
Is of course... love
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Chapter 3- Those Who Seek Vengence Dig Two Graves
Chapter 3-Those Who Seek Vengence Dig Two Graves
Rarity was inside her Carousel Boutique designing a dress for the memorial of her younger sister Sweetie Bell that was being held in a few days.
'How could Big Mac do this?' she asked to herself.
The four days after her sister's disappearance along with Applebloom's were taking their toll on Rarity. She couldn't keep herself from crying for to long.
She started thinking things such as, 'I must make things right, a hoof for a hoof'
She knew these things weren't very ladylike, but for once she didn't care.
Applejack was in her room on her bed bawling her eyes out.
"How could he do this?" she questioned out loud.
She felt like just crawling inside a hole and never coming out. All her friends had tried to calm her. All except Rarity who wouldn't even look into her eyes anymore. She wouldn't even answer the door for her. Applejack didn't blame her though. Her brother had murdered her sister.
'She'll never look or speak to me again.', Applejack thought harshly.
Then suddenly there was a knock on the door.
Applejack got up out of her bed, tears still streaming down her face to answer the door. As she was walking down the stairs the knocks became quicker and harder.
"Ah'm comin'!" Applejack shouted, but when she finally opened the door there was no pony there.
Applejack poked her head outside and looked around the porch, but her search yeilded nothing. She began her assent back to her room pondering on what just happened.
'Maybe Ah'm hearing things.' Applejack reasoned with herself. "Come on! Get yerself together farmpony!" she nearly shouted to herself.
Applejack made it back to her room and went back to her bed. She sat at the hoof of the bed and placed her head on her knees. She was staring at a picture Applebloom made from her a few months ago. The picture was of Applebloom and Applejack in the Sisterhooves Social Competion. Applejack couldn't help but let the stream flow down her face. Then came the door knocks again.
"Okay, Ah know Ah'm not going crazy." She said to herself, but once again when she opened the door there was no pony there.
Applejack decided to investigate around the house.
'Maybe some insensitive jerk is out here, but ohh, when Ah get my hooves on'em!'
She walked all around the house but saw nothing. As she was heading back inside she heard something in the apple tree orchard. She picked up a lantern from the porch for it was now getting dark. She walked into the orchard in the direction she heard the sound from. As she walked she couldn't help but think of Appleblossom. In front of her she saw a figure of a pony. As she got closer it was apparent who she was looking at.
"Rarity?" Applejack asked in a shocked voice.
Rarity turned around and looked Applejack in the eyes. Applejack could see the redness in her eyes just like how Rarity could see the same with Applejack.
"Was that you knocking on mah door?"
"Yes I wanted to talk, but I just couldn't do it."
Applejack looked kindly upon her hurt friend and said, "Oh sugarcube, Ah know how yer feeling, and Ah think its good that we talk this out."
"May I come in and talk?" Rarity asked.
"Of course ya' can." Applejack said with a bit of hope thinking that now she could apologize for what her brother had done.
The two mares turned to head back to the house. As they walked Applejack tried to think of the words, but her mind just wasn't forming any thoughts at this time. She was tired and depressed, but she knew she had to apologize.
She looked down at the ground and saw that Rarity's hooves were muddy.
"Sugarcube? Why are yer hooves so muddy?"
Rarity looked down at her hooves and said glumily, "While on my way here I was walking through a mud puddle because I was lost in thought."
Applejack then tried to think of an apology and decided to just let it come from the heart. "Rarity, Ah'm s..."
Rarity cut in, "Don't! You! Dare! No apology came ever make me forgive what your family has taken from me!"
"Hey! Ah lost my sister and mah brother! You think Ah don't know how yer feeling? Ah have to live with the fact that mah brother killed my sister and mah friend's sister!" Applejack screamed back as she broke down into tears.
Rarity felt the rage inside her build up again, but this time her anger bubbled over the limit. She looked for her chance and charged Applejack with her head down, horn at the ready. She struck her target in the left rear flank. Applejack felt the collision and was sen to the ground.
She said to Rarity, "Oh it's on sister!"
She tried standing up but then she felt the searing pain in her back left leg. She looked over to Rarity whose horn had blood running down it into her purple mane. Applejack couldn't believe it. One of her friend's had hurt her badly, and she watched in horror as Rarity lowered her head to charge again.
Applejack tried to jump out of the way, but she couldn't with her injured leg. The best she could do was drop down howling from the pain. Rarity was moving to fast to stop. She tripped over Applejack's body and was sent on a nonstop flight head first into a tree trunk knocking her unconscious. Applejack regained control of her mind, and she was able to stand up and slowly make her way over to Rarity. She went to get some rope from the barn so she could tie her up and talk some sense into her friend. Even though she had attacked Applejack, she was willing to let it pass because she knew what she was going through. Applejack returned with the rope only to find that Rarity was no longer there at the tree trunk. Then everything went dark.
Applejack came to and realized she was upside down. She looked up and saw she was tied up, and hanging from a tree branch. She became terrified and frantically looked all about until her gaze rested on Rarity. She was standing behind Applejack staring at the orange mare.
"Rarity?! What in tarnation do you think yer doin'?!" Applejack shouted.
"A hoof for a hoof." Rarity said so quietly that she was quieter than Fluttershy.
"What did you say?!"
"I SAID A HOOF FOR A HOOF YOU ILLITERATE DISGRACE OF A PONY!" Rarity screamed at the top of her lungs.
Applejack didn't know what to think. She looked around again straining against the darkness, but her eyes fell upon hole in the ground.
"Uh... Sugarcube? W...what's the hole fer?"
Rarity just continued to glare at Applejack for a minute or two until she broke the silence by saying in an eerily cool voice, "Why it's for you my dear."
Applejack felt a lump in her throat that she just couldn't swallow.
She looked at friend and said, "Ha ha ha, you don't want to do this sugarcube. Now just let me go. I forgive you 'cause I know how you feel."
Rarity looked at Applejack with shear vengance in her eyes and said, "Save it Applejack! Nothing you can say will stop me now."
Rarity walked up to Applejack and positioned her horn in the center of Applejack's head, and said, "Now dear, don't you worry. This won't hurt a bit, and you'll get to see your sister again, as will I."
"Wait, wha..."
Applejack never got to finish her question as the unicorn's horn pierced her skull. Rarity cut her friend down and buried her in the hole in the ground. She looked over at the second hole that was placed directly next to Applejack's grave and got in it. She then used her magic one final time as she used it to cut the rope that was hoding up an anvil. Letting gravity do its work, she closed her eyes and waited. As the anvil fell it pulled out a peg that held the tailgate of a tilted cart closed, causing it to release the dirt inside after the anvil struck home, burying her and it. Her last thought was of her sister.