P.O. Box Manehattan

21:15

April 24

I awoke from my nap feeling groggier and more tired than I was earlier. Wearily taking off the scarlet blanket that tangled me, I rose from my bed with my joints aching in protest and placed my hooves on the carpeted floor of my second story apartment room. I glanced out of the window to my left and noticed Luna’s moon casting its light along the streets of Manehattan aided by the lamp posts beneath. I took a look at the windup alarm clock on the nightstand next to my bed. It was 9:15 PM.

I walked out the door to my bedroom and into to my kitchen where the carpet transitioned into black and white checker tiles. The dishes were piling up in the sink, I really needed to wash them soon. Next to it was a letter typewritten on a white sheet of paper with an elegant design in the background.

Dear Quick Wit,

We appreciate your contribution to our cause and hope that you will spread our message of love and tolerance for the betterment of Equestria. This land needs ponies like you to keep its harmony intact and its residents united. May it forever prosper and may peace reign throughout.

- Balance of Harmony

“Can’t believe I actually listened to Stride and joined this group…” I muttered.

I noticed that there was an envelope with a golden seal beneath the letter. I tore it open and pulled out a pink sheet of paper with two silhouetted theater masks in the lower left corner. It was an invitation.

Hello!

We are hosting a costume party at 4281 Horseshoe Ave. from 8 PM to 12 PM and you’re invited! Food and entertainment will be provided. Please bring a costume to this event and remember to enjoy yourself!

I sighed and lit my horn. The letter becomes engulfed in a red aura and I levitated it into my saddlebags near the front door, placing it in the right side. I checked the contents inside of the bags. Yep, it was still there; not a speck of blood on it. With that done, I lifted the saddlebags onto my back and made sure that it was secure enough to not fall down even if I moved strenuously.

With my preparations ready, I twisted the door knob and opened my apartment room door. The wooden floor of the hallway greeted my sight as well as the locked doors of the other rooms, most of them were vacant. I walked towards the stairs across from me and went down to the first floor. I pushed open the entrance door leading to the streets outside.

Let’s just get this over with.

First Event: Party Animal

A unicorn stallion wearing saddlebags trotted up to a dilapidated two-story brick building. His coat a dark shade of red, his short unkempt mane a light shade of brown, and his cutie mark a brain with motion trails behind it. His amber eyes examined the building. Some bricks weren't properly arranged and most of the second floor windows were cracked with grime covering their surfaces.

From his saddlebags he took out a mask that resembled a roaring manticore, its face a hue of light brown and its artificial mane a dark shade of red. He donned the mask, his horn protruding out of a hole on top of it and his muzzle inside of its hollow mouth. Almost instantly, his coat and mane shifted to the color scheme of the mask while his cutie mark disappeared entirely. It looked as if a beast had replaced the pony that stood there.

Inside of the building, another unicorn sat next to the front door. It wore a deep black cloak with its hood casting a shadow over its features, its horn protruding out of the hole on top of the hood.

The stallion bucked the door open, surprising the pony sitting next to it, and discharged a stunning blast from his horn that collided with the pony’s face. With it incapacitated, he raised his hoof on top of its head and slammed it down with enough force to hear the sickening crack of its skull. Blood seeped through the broken cranium as its uncloaked face spilled out a mushy red and pink substance.

From the room to the right, two cloaked ponies ran out of the door to see what looked like a manticore standing over their dead comrade. One held a knife in its muzzle and charged at him but was blasted by another stunning spell which released its grasp on the knife. The other cloaked pony gaped at its incapacitated ally and didn't realize that the stallion was charging straight for it. Swiftly turning on his forehooves and twisting his torso, the stallion bucked the surprised pony in the face to send it into the state of unconsciousness. He levitated the fallen knife and rammed it into the two ponies’ throats causing blood to flow out of their new orifices like a fountain.

Not hearing or seeing any further activities, the stallion rushed up the run-down wooden stairs to the second floor to continue his spree while still levitating the knife in his magical grasp.

Near the flight of stairs’ wooden railing, a cloaked unicorn was waiting for the intruder to show his face and give him a good whack over the head with a pipe held in its magical grasp. As the stallion came up to the second floor, the cloaked pony ran towards him, but was halted when the stallion shot the knife, edge-first, into its eye socket. It tumbled down the stairs leaving a trail of blood in its wake while the stallion sidestepped out of its way and continued on.

Another cloaked pony waited for the intruder directly behind the door to the left of the stairs, brandishing a nail bat in its muzzle ready to drive it through the intruder’s skull. It heard hoofsteps and tensed, preparing to strike whoever murdered its allies. Unfortunately, it didn't get the chance as the door was bucked open and collided with its face, sending it sprawled across the floor. The stallion quickly straddled the incapacitated pony, grabbed its temples with its forehooves, and began bashing its head against the ground. Blood seeped out of the pony’s nose as its eyes rolled back with its mouth agape.

The stallion stood up and listened for any signs of activity. He looked around the area for any signs of life, but only silence and death dominated his senses.

Despite the bloodshed that was created, the stallion was surprisingly clean. Not a single speck of blood was found on him. He trotted down the stairs, each step creating a creak that broke the silence, and glanced at the mutilated corpses he made. Blood covered the wooden tiled floor as though a spillage had occurred. The ponies he murdered had their hoods removed during his attack, exposing their horrified faces, pale and drained of life. The pony who tumbled down the stairs wore a look of pure fear, blood pouring out of its perforated eye with the knife still jammed in it.

The stallion took off his mask, changing his coat and mane to their original color scheme, inserted it in his left saddlebag, and exited the building.

As I trotted along the sidewalk I spotted a wooden and metal bench, the usual spot. I climbed onto it and lay there, absorbing my surroundings. Yellow taxis would be pulled next to the sidewalk to drop passengers off and pick new ones up, buildings towered over one another as though they were competing to see which one was the tallest, a bird chirped on a tree branch in vain as the noise of the city drowned out its song.

I noticed a tan earth pony trotting towards me to my left. His yellow crew cut mane barely reached his forehead, his dull green eyes were focused on me, and his cutie mark was an iron horseshoe lying face down with a tuft of dust at the apex of the arc. It was Charging Stride, the one who persuaded me to join the Balance of Harmony in the first place.

“Mornin' Wit, how’re ya doin’?” He asked as he took the empty spot left of me on the bench.

“Fine” I replied.

“So, are ya enjoying the group so far?”

At his question, I glared at him.

“Oh, still not comfortable with it then…” He trailed off and began glancing around, seeming to want to take his mind off of something.

After a moment, I decided to ask him, “Stride, why did you drag me into this?”

He chuckled and replied, “Because I think it’s fun.”