CMC Judgement Day

by El Manana

Rating: mature
Tags: Tragedy, Slice of Life, Dark
Length: 5235

What happens when the CMC are pushed to their limit?

When the CMC get to their breaking point things will end in bloodshed.
*******WARNING CONTAINS CURSEING VIOLENCE AND SCHOOL SCHOOTINGS DO NOT READ IF THAT SOUNDS LIKE TO MUCH AND/OR YOU ARE EASILY INFLUENCED BY WHAT YOU READ, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK******

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-11-06 23:01:22 UTC

Boiling Blood

It was a chilly winter evening in Ponyville, the school foals Hearth Warming Eve break had ended only two days ago. "Alright class settle down," Cheerilee scolded the rowdy classroom, "We have a very important lesson today". As Cheerilee continued on and most foals simply tuned her out, three little blank flank fillies were thinking about what it is they were going to be doing after school. "No we already did that," thought Sweetie Belle silently trying to appear to be interested in what Cheerilee was teaching about. *RING* As the bell ringed and all the foals hurried out of the schoolhouse, most not even fully having their jackets on yet, three were talking out side in the school yard.

"Okay well we could be CMC fire eaters like the one time the carnival came to town," offered Scootaloo as a suggestion on a way to get their cutie marks.

"Umm well, that is always an option," said Apple Bloom trying to turn down the idea indirectly.

"We could always try to-" she was cut off when two rich looking fillies walked up to them.

"Well well well what are the cutie mark losers up to now?" mockingly asked Diamond Tiara while Silver Spoon snickered.

"Hey you don't need to be so mean all the time you know!" shouted Scootaloo in obvious frustration.

"Oh yea? And what exactly do you plan to do about it blank flank?" shot Diamond Tiara in a snotty remark. Scootaloo just stood there feeling anger building up looking at the duo with nothing but rage in her eyes, she just couldn't get it, why? Why did she along with her two friends always have to be the subject of bullying? They've done nothing but still day after day the same exact thing, mockery, humiliation, being looked at as losers and lost costs. Scootaloo got a flash of violent thoughts, disturbing thoughts that flashed through her head. She didn't want to think like that. It made her shiver and she tried to quickly get those thoughts out of her head.

She turned and began to trot down the dirt road followed by her two friends, her only friends.

"Yea just walk away loser!" Diamond Tiara shouted down the road at them earning a brohoof from her friend/sidekick.

Scootaloo only had one though  on her mind, how did such ideas enter her head? She's not crazy right?

"Well anyways what should we do know?" Apple Bloom asked trying to break the tension in the air.

Sweetie Belle looked up to the sky thinking about what all they could try. Scootaloo thought about hunting maybe, getting her hooves on a rifle or maybe a shotgun.

"Well we could try hunting maybe," Scootaloo spoke up bringing the other two out of their deep thought.

"Hmm well me and Apple Jack usually hunt critters around the farm, we kind of keep it secret because Fluttershy would probably put a slug in her chest hehe," the thought of Fluttershy taking a shotgun up to the farm and blasting Apple Jack,(or anyone for that matter) was impossible, but she saw it so clear, Apple Jacks chest torn to pieces and her limp body falling to the ground then Fluttershy turning the gun on herself after she realized what she did.

Apple Bloom quickly shook such a thought from her head as it was quite scary for her.

"Well I'm not sure Rarity would let me do that," Sweetie Belle Said kicking up some dirt.

"We don't have to tell her," Apple Bloom said with a grin growing across her face.

"Yea I mean this is for our cutie marks it's kind of important," Scootaloo kicked a rock up ahead while thinking about what her parents would say themselves.

"Well yea I guess that's right, we could just do it tonight," Sweetie Belle put a hoof up to her chin thinking about how good of an idea this was.

She thought of Rarity just mocking her much like her classmates, her peers, everyone it seemed, she thought about going up to her room and just sitting alone in her room. Walking over to the window, opening it up and looking down. Quite the fall, she wouldn't have a chance of living, But if she was going to kill herself why not take others with her?

She was snapped out of these thoughts as Apple Bloom spoke.

"We could just spend the night and then sneak out and go to the far end of the farm and shoot at rats and mice and rabbits and stuff" Scootaloo nodded liking the idea.

"Yea that sounds like a good idea to me," and at that the three friends went their separate ways and began to make up lies about what all they'd be doing at the farm for the night.

*About 12:30 am*

"I managed to get one shotgun girls," Apple Bloom trotted in to their club house with a shotgun slung over her back and a bag with multiple shells.

"Oh yea!" Scootaloo said with obvious excitement in her voice.

"Well lets hurry up, if we get caught we're dead," Sweetie Belle began to trot to the club house door followed by the other two fillies.

They made it down to the far end of the field where mostly old dead trees and rodent nest where located.

"Well I'll go first," Apple bloom said cocking the gun and then stuck it into a rabbit den and squeezed the trigger.

Blood splattered out of the den and got on her hooves, she enjoyed the feeling of the warm liquid on her hooves, it felt empowering. a large grin, a tormented grin grew across her face. She never would have guessed that taking life would be so fun. 'What if I could kill other things?' she thought to herself handing the gun over to Scootaloo. Without saying anything she pumped the gun and trotted ever to a small den. She couldn't see what was inside but by the smell it was a family of skunks. She put about a quarter of the barrel in the den before shooting and having a horrible stench follow along with torn pieces of flesh smacking against her leg.

"Your turn," Scootaloo said tossing the gun to Sweetie Belle.

She cocked the gun then saw a shadowy figure move a few yards away. It seemed to be a petty thief. No one would even notice if a common criminal died right?

"So that's whos been stealin apples," whispered Apple Bloom remembering Apple Jack talking to Big Mac about apples going missing.

"He must be going in," Scootaloo pointed out as he started to walk into the orchard.

"Don't worry girls," Sweetie Belle coldly said raising the gun up and getting the pony in sight.

She squeezed the trigger and almost instantly the thief's hind leg blow off  but he was still alive. The three saw him trying to get up but it was in vein. They walked over to see who it was. No one they've ever seen before so no real bother. The three all looked at each other and nodded. They began to stomp on they bleeding pony until his skull began to crack. After a short time they managed to bust his skull open having his brain exposed to their fierce blows turning it to mush.

"Heh that's fun," Scootaloo began whipping the blood of her hooves.

The other two just stood their, they just killed somepony, mercilessly. It was disturbing yet so fulfilling. They began to head back after taking a quick dip in a river that flowed behind the dead trees.

*Next day*

In their club house was  Opalescence,(Rarity's pet cat).

"Well let's do this quick," Scootaloo said as she snapped on a glove.

Then in all at the same time they shouted, "Cutie Mark Crusaders animal killers!"

Sweetie grabbed Opal's tail and gave it a hard yank, the cat cried out and might have ran of if it wasn't tied up. Sweetie gave it another hard yank, then she did it again, and again.

"Here let me show you how to do it." Scootaloo pushed aside Sweetie Belle and gripped Opal's tail in her teath and gave a strong tug. The cats tail gave a loud rip and the gave a horrid scream. The three began to laugh. Apple Bloom then put her mouth over one of her ears and bit down, the ear came of without much trouble. She bit of the other and spit both of them onto the ground. The cat was trying to get away, squirming around wildly. Sweetie pulled a cork screw from her saddle bag in the corner of the room. The other two  began to laugh knowing what she was going to do. Sweetie put the tip of the cork screw in the cats vulva and began to twist. The cat began bleeding profusely and its thrashing caused Sweetie be began to screw into the cats vaginal walls. After a few more twists the cat went limp.

"That was quick," Apple Bloom stated as the other two nodded.

They all took the body out to the abandoned part of the orchard where the body was still there with a few teeth marks from the wild animals.

"Well lets do this," Scootaloo grabbed a leg in her mouth.

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom took a different leg and began to pull the cat apart. The cats legs gave way and the three went tumbling back as the legs ripped off. They just walked away after wards without looking back on what they just did. Tomorrow was Monday, this would be interesting as hate and brutality was rising in the three filly's. Something that was going down was obviously their sanity.

*Monday*

The three didn't feel any fear walking in the court as they usually would, they felt invincible.

"Well look it's the dyke the incestrial redneck and the stuck up bitch," Tara said inform of Silver Spoon who was now laughing.

"Hey you better watch yourself bitch!" Scootaloo shouted tuning the heads of a few ponys out playing around.

"And what do you think you're going to do?" Diamond Tiara shot back staring down the filly.

Suddenly after a whiloe of staring Diamond Tiara smacked Scootaloo across the face. She just stood their with all her dark thoughts of mass murder flowing vividly through out her mind, a large grin formed across her face as she pictured pulling back the skin on Diamond Tiaras face then ripping out her eyes and swallowing then whole. Maybe it would be more fun to put some white hot bolts and nuts in her mouth then sow her mouth shut, make her swallow them, maybe inject corrosive acid into her veins and watch her scream in agony.

"Hey earth to dumbass you there?" now Silver Spoon was straight out laughing and a small crowed had gathered.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the crowed chanted as blood began to run out of Scootaloo's nose. Suddenly Diamond Tiara struck Scootaloo with a full blow to her jaw. The crowed went wild. Apple Bloom began to say something but Silver Spoon bucked her straight in the mouth. The crowd started to join in, the CMC were getting beaten up by fellow class mates and foals they did not know. After a little while the crowd disbanded and left, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon disappeared with the crowed as well.

There left from the beating were three bruised, shivering, blood soaked fillies. All thought the same exact think, "did that really just happen?" The trio did nothing to anyone but where the victims non the less. Sweetie Belle quietly sobbing started home followed by the rest of the CMC. They just trotted quietly home not saying a word, suddenly Scootaloo broke the silence, "I'm going to fucking kill all of them," she growled.

"CMC mass murderers," chimed in Apple Bloom staring at the ground picturing the ultimate downfall of all her classmates.

"Why don't we, we could kill all of those fuckers!" Scootaloo now blinded by fury.

"I don't know, nopony likes any of us it would be better to just end it all..." said Sweetie Belle with tears running down her face.

"No, we kill them they deserve it every single last one of them!" shouted Scootaloo whipping blood from her face.

" Well my sis has some shotguns be could just take those," offered Apple Bloom as an idea.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, normal time normal place got that everypony?" Scootaloo said standing infront of the group. Both nodded the three went their separate ways.

*Tomorrow*

The three ponies where at their tree house all cleaned up telling their siblings it was just the result of a failed attempt at getting their cutie marks.

"Alright girls we've had it with this crap, there's only one thing we can do," Scootaloo standing in the center of the room announced.

"Well what exactly do you suppose we do?" asked Apple Bloom rubbing her swollen throbbing eye.

"We put some holes in all of them!" exclaimed Scootaloo posing as if she was holding a shotgun.

"I just, I just don't know I just can't believe they beat us up," whimpered Sweetie Belle from a corner of the room where she had been laying down.

"Well we can't just let them get away with that," Scootaloo calmly responded approaching Apple Bloom.

"How many guns are on the farm?" asked Scootaloo making up a plan already.

"Only two we have a 870 and a Lupara, we need one more dammit!" Apple Bloom had forgotten that there were only two guns on the farm.

"Actually Rarity has a Glock 17 I think I remember she got a gun for protection," Sweetie Belle was now trying desperately trying to remember where Rarity had put the gun.

"Well it's official we gun them down, hopefully we'll get our cutie marks for mass murder because it'll be the last thing we do," chuckled Scootaloo nervously. The plan was being born and would soon be set into action. The other foals had no idea of the monsters they've made, but they would be finding out sooner then they would ever imagine. Soon the quiet little community of Ponyville will be shaken and struck with a disaster that nopony could have been prepared for.

The next few days of school seemed to go by rather quick, the CMC were unusually quite and met after school every day to further plan what would be known as the CMC Judgement Day. It would also be remembered as the worst school shooting Equestria ever had with the current highest number of kills from a school shooting is 16 ponies,( 2 teachers and 14 students). At the end of the soon horrific slaughter many will wonder "why?" well it's simple, revenge.

The Planning

It was officially Saturday and the trio were all bundled up in their winter coats. They all wanted to swiftly carry out their plan, but their was only one problem, they did not yet have a plan formulated. After the three took stock of weapons without actually taking them yet, they sat down at their tree house/H.Q. Apple Bloom unrolled a piece of paper and sloppily drawn with crayon was a lay out of their school. "Okay well I think we kill Cheerilee fist because she'd be the only one to actually pose a threat at this point," said Scootaloo with the other two shaking their heads in agreement.

"What should we do about our parents and siblings and stuff?" questioned Sweetie Belle.

"Nothin, they ain't got nothin to do with what's 'bout to go down," Apple Bloom cut off Scootaloo before she could say otherwise, bot that she would have anyways.

"Okay so I'm saying we make all of them get in a big group then we circle around them and start shooting, any objections girls?" asked Scootaloo.

"We should probably line them up so it will be more effective and they have to watch as we gun them down," Apple Bloom chucked.

"Well it might not be as effective but yea I like that idea!" Sweetie Belle blurted as though she was no longer as down as she had been four days ago.

"Fine we can do that, I don't get why I didn't think of it first," Scootaloo huffed feeling disappointed, as she was going to be the ringleader in the massacre.

"Hey wont our folks be takin a bunch of stuff after?" questioned Apple Bloom looking out for her family and their ways of life, "I mean ponies might not buy any more apples and stuff".

"No we'd be the only ponies to blame, we are after all sneaking the guns it's not like they are just like "Here take these with no questions asked,"" answered Scootaloo in a reassuring manner. But the truth is their siblings would be viewed as many as bad guardians for not catching the signs of their troubling behavior earlier, or at all for that matter.

"So umm what will we do after we're done with shooting?" Sweetie Belle asked the obvious question that the other two completely forgot about.

"Well we could umm....." trailed off Scootaloo not really knowing exactly what they should do.

"We could fight with the cops," offered Apple Bloom only to have the two to shake their heads in response.

"We have our targets and nopony else needs to be hurt," Scootaloo mumbled as she was thinking of the upcoming massacre.

"I guess the only real option we have is to kill ourselves," Sweetie Belle coughed up her idea she's had since the beating.

"Well I don't see any other way out of it," Apple Bloom almost whimpered knowing that she along with her friends wouldn't be coming out alive.

"Well girls you take some you lose some you know," Scootaloo said trying to lighted the heavy atmosphere.

The three swallowed hard then turned to the poorly drawn map laying on the table. The three took in everything they could make out of the map. Not that they really needed it but they couldn't risk any error.

*Sunday*

It was early in the morning the thee had their guns and were out deep in the apple orchard so that no one would hear the practice rounds.

"Okay well there's the dead tree," Apple Bloom pointed to an old twisted dark tree while having the 870 tucked under her.

Scootaloo nodded then pulled up the Lupara(sawed-off shotgun) and blasted off two 12 gauge buckshots into the tree, blowing off two large chunks from the decaying tree. As she was dumping the shells and putting two more in Sweetie took the glock and started putting rounds into the tree imagining her classmates on the receiving end of the gun fire. The 17 bullets where soon in the tree. Apple Bloom took her 12 gauge and shot a few slugs in the tree, at this point the tree was toppling over soon to fall. Scootaloo shot two more buckshots then the tree collapsed almost landing on Sweetie Belle.

"Sorry, my bad," Scootaloo apologized.

The three hurried to put the guns back except Sweetie Belle who was going to store the glock in the tree house, Rarity only carries it when she goes on a business trip and seeing as she has none scheduled and never actually check to see if the gun it in her night stand the three were safe from that. After returning the guns with out actually getting caught they went straight to planning the operation. They settled on the name Operation: Judgement Day.

"Okay so here's what we'll do, first we'll go in and Sweetie Belle will shoot Cheerilee because she has the most bullets, second we'll tell everyone to get up against the wall, anyone who doesn't Sweetie will shoot them, third we will make sure that Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara will be kept separate because they will be last, fourth we will gun down the students left to right, fifth we will scold the last two and then shoot Silver Spoon leaving Diamond Tiara left, sixth we will kill Diamond Tiara, last we will kill ourselves after saying our good byes, any objections girls?" Scootaloo asked after summing up the whole plan.

"Nope sounds good to me, you Sweetie Belle?"

"I like it," she said with a dark gleam in her eyes

"Well girls looks like our time is coming up soon when should we do it?" asked Scootaloo pondering on when the best time would be.

"Well maybe in about a month, just so we can have plenty of time to plan I you know?" Apple Bloom suggested.

"Yea that sounds good," Sweetie agreed.

"Well it's settled in exactly one month, so in Feb 9th," Scootaloo marked on the calendar they kept hung up of the wall of their tree house.

*Monday*

"Oh well look it's the cutie mark cock suckers," giggled Diamond Tiara to Silver Spoon.

"Ha yea right they spend so much time together they're obviously fillyfoolers!" Silver Spoon mocked to Diamond Tiara.

"Ha that makes sense," Diamond brohoofed Silver, "you fags".

"You know what," Scootaloo spoke up, "say what you want because you won't be taking anymore here shortly!" Scootaloo shouted the  walked away followed by the other two crusaders.

"What do you think she meant?" asked Silver.

"Who knows those dumbasses probably don't even know what they mean," responded Tiara fluffing her hair.

Little did they know that soon they'd be falling limp dead.

Judgement Day

"One day before our judgement day girls," Scootaloo said after marking off the current date.

"This month flew by, like super fast," Sweetie Belle acclaimed while cleaning out the barrel of the glock.

"Ha well I guess that tomorrow will be our last day together girls," Apple Bloom said choking back tears.

Were they really going to do this? Were they really going to kill  22 foals? Were they really going to kill Cheerilee? Equestria has seen its fair share of violence across the land but no matter how rough the area may be a school massacre is a shock, especially when the killers are  like the CMC, not meaning any harm to anyone; everyone can change however. Sweetie pulled a big duffle bag up on top of the table they had in their tree house.

"Well I've made some coats I hope you all like them!" beamed Sweetie Belle pulling trench coats out of the bag. The coats were quite poorly sown together, but she enjoyed making them and the other two were happy no doubt.

"Wow these are the best things you've ever made!" cheered Apple Bloom throwing on a coat pushing her sad feelings to the back of her mind.

"Yea these are super good!" acclaimed Scootaloo nodding to both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle putting on her coat.

"Well thanks girls," blushed Sweetie Belle.

They all know had their coats on and Sweetie Belle was putting an extra clip in each pocket of her coat. Apple Bloom opened a trap door in the tree house and took out eight slugs and stuffing four in each pocket, she them took ten buckshot's and handed them to Scootaloo.

"Thanks," Scootaloo said as she put the rounds in her coat pocket.

"Don't mention it," said Apple Bloom closing the trap door.

This was the last meeting they would ever have and nerves of everyone were on edge. This was going to be life changing not only for Ponyville, but for all of Equestria.

It was early Thursday morning and the CMC were out at the schoolyard before the teachers even arrived. All dressed in their trench coats with  their guns hidden underneath (Apple Bloom having to break hers down first) and their extra clips stored in the coats. They were going over their plans before they will have to go and commit the mass murder. They were thinking about what they'll do about the window, they couldn't have anyone getting away.

"We'll just line them up by the door and block off the door by pushing Cheerilees desk in from of it and closing the door, so if anyone tries making a run for it they won't be fast enough to get away, and Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara will be by the wall opposite to the window," Scootaloo had solved that problem.

The police station was a good bit away and seeing as Pollyville only had one police station they probably would take a while to get to the school. They quickly ran and hid behind a tree as Cheerilee arrived at the school, she unlocked the from door and went in. "Soon," they all thought as time was running down and soon the student would be arriving. They wouldn't be caught by their sibling they knew, Rarity would still be in bed and Sweetie Belle would have already left by the time she gets up anyways, and Apple Jack & Big Mac were already out working on the farm before Apple Bloom left, it was fool proof.

The school bell rang as the last of the foals were heading into their class. Soon the shooting would start, the three were extremely nervous about the whole thing, but there fading scars reminded them why they couldn't turn back. It's not like they haven't tried going to Cheerilee before it's just that she never did anything about the constant bullying that was going on. It was far to late anyways, soon the past wouldn't matter as everyone would be meeting the same fate.

"Live by the gun and die by the gun," Scootaloo said peering out from behind the tree they have been positioned in.

"Isn't this the first time any of us ever even held a gun?" questioned Apple Bloom to receive a glare from Scootaloo.

They decided it's time. they climbed down and walked to the front door.

"Well good luck girl," Sweetie Belle said as be opened the door.

It was time for judgement to come, the angles of death were to be singing their song soon.

Apple Bloom opened up the door to Cheerilee's classroom and Sweetie walked in. She pulled up the gun and fired a single shot into Cheerilee's head. Her grey matter flew across the room. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were pushing the desk in front of the door and Sweetie closed it.

"Everyone line up!" Sweetie Belle shouted pointing to the wall as the other two finished moving Cheerilee's surprisingly heavy desk.

No one moved.

"I said line up!" this time Sweetie pulled up her gun and aimed it at her classmates, this time the students moved accept for one, whom Sweetie put a bullet in their chest. The other student began to cry and apologize.

"Shut the fuck up!" yelled Scootaloo, "you fuckers had your chance!"

"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, line up over their," Apple Bloom pointed to the wall were they where to be standing.

They went with no protest. They knew this was primarily their fault, and know the threat Scootaloo made a month ago was finally making sense. Apple Bloom held up her 870 and shot four slugs off, killing the first three and critically injuring another one. As she was reloading Scootaloo brought up her Lupara and killed the still living filly and another foal. As their bodies fell limp with chunks missing from them, all the other foals started crying and begging to be spared, even the ringleaders in the bullying, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Sweetie Belle began firing at the students lined and, then Apple Bloom joined in, then Scootaloo joined in. The foals began falling until their was just three left. Scootaloo loaded two more shells into her shotgun the finished off the three. The CMC now turned their attention to the two fillies cowering and sobbing loudly in the corner. They knew their time was running up.

"Well you don't seem all big and tough know do you?" mockingly asked Scootaloo making a pouting face and putting in two shells and closing her gun.

"P-p-please *sniffle* let us go!" cried Silver Spoon as she look at the three in terror. Is she really part of the reason they became such monsters she questioned.

"Hey Silver get up cunt," Apple Bloom said keeping her shotgun on Silver Spoon incase she tried to do anything.

"You seem to love to call me a blank flank don't you?" asked Apple Bloom.

But before Silver could respond Apple Bloom shouted, "at least I have a flank!"

She took her shotgun and shot a slug into Silver Spoon's flank, sending blood, muscle, tissue, and bone fragment to fly against the wall. Silver was now bleeding to death. Even if she got immediate medical attention she was going to die, she felt as her last remaining fragment of life was taken by Scootaloo stomping on her head several times, though she did not get the skull shattering result she hoped for. There Diamond Tiara looked up on the three fillies who took several lives and she too would have her life taken by them.

"You know this didn't have to happen," Scootaloo said aiming her shotgun at the cowering filly.

"We just wanted ponies to be nice to use that's all," Apple Bloom said with a hint of guilt in her voice as put in a shell and aimed her shotgun at the pony who's life was now flashing before her eyes.

"You and everyone else brought this on yourselves," Sweetie Belle grimly said as she popped in a new clip ad aimed it at Tiara.

The three then simultaneously fired off their guns quickly ending Diamond Tiara's life.

They did it, they killed everyone they had set target on, know they had only two jobs left to do: say their goodbyes then end their own lives.

"Well I just want to say that every  time we were together that I really felt happy, no matter how bad I felt," said Sweetie Belle now sobbing.

"I-I-I really, really like how we were and always will be friends," Apple Bloom said in between sobs, "I'm really sorry it all had to end like this".

"I just want you all to know that no matter what I'll always think of you two and I'm so sorry for dragging you two down with me," Scootaloo said as tears began to freely flow down her face.

"No you didn't bring us down," reassured Apple Bloom, "we were all in on it together, because we're the cutie mark crusaders, and we're closer then other friendships could imagine being,"

"Well girls I hear sirens I guess it's time," Scootaloo whimpered knowing that if they didn't kill themselves the cops would open fire immediately as they entered.

Sweetie put the glock up to her head and pulled the trigger, pieces of her skull flew from her head. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shared one last smile before Scootaloo put the Lupara in her mouth and pulled the trigger, taking the top part of her head off and the buckshot easily tore threw her skull. Apple Bloom put the shotgun under her chin and pulled the trigger ending her life. The CMC killed a total of 23 ponies not counting themselves, this would go down in Equestrian history as the deadliest school shooting ever.