The Wheel Rolled to the Eye!

"The eye. Now this is a fun one." The Smiling Stallion said.

The Stallion was going to explain when suddenly door slammed open and Robipony walked into the room. Sky Blazer looked annoyed at the newcomer while the Smiling Stallion's grin widened.

"Hey, guess what!" Robipony said, as he entered; however, before the other two could reply, he answered his own question, "I was able to finish my work, so now I can watch the event!"

"That's great!" The Smiling Stallion said, as he walked over to the newcomer, "I was just about to explain to Sky Blazer how the current event works."

Robipony took a seat on another chair that watched the array of televisions. "Then explain away. Don't let my arrival interrupt you."

After clearing his throat the Smiling Stallion spoke, "When the wheel rolls the eye, an interesting event occurs. If all the participants have a Cutie Mark, then one of them is picked to bear the 'Nightmare Mark'. If, however, one of them lacks a Cutie Mark, then the one without one will be selected to bear the mark. Those around the mark-bearer will suffer from various phenomena such as: unexplainable injuries, hallucinations, paranoia, and other strange maladies. As the 'Nightmare Mark' continues to grow, the more drastic the effects of the mark will become."

Sky Blazer raised her hoof, "What if there is more than one pony who doesn't have a Cutie Mark?"

"Well, then one of them will be picked randomly to bear the mark." The Smiling Stallion replied.

Looking for Treasure

"Hey, did any of you read that plaque?" Scootaloo spoke.

"No, why?" Sweetie Bell asked.

"Well, it mentioned something about treasure on it." Scootaloo said.

"So?" Apple Bloom asked.

"So, if we find that treasure we could be rich!" Scootaloo replied.

"Oh, and perhaps, if we find it, maybe we will find our Cutie Marks, too." Sweetie Belle ventured.

"Yeah! That's a great idea!" Apple Bloom spoke.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS: TREASURE HUNTERS!" The three fillies yelled simultaneously.

The three fillies ran around the house looking for clues as to the location of the treasure. However, when this proved to be unsuccessful, they decided to take a look outside.

As they were about to go outside, Fluttershy came in. She advised them not to go into the shed since there were potentially dangerous objects in there.

While they were outside, they looked around the backyard for any clues. However, after not finding anything they decided to look for a shovel, for they would need it if they did discover where the treasure was.

"Where do you think we could find a shovel?" Scootaloo asked.

"How about in that shed?" Apple Bloom suggested.

"Are you sure it is safe in there?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"It should be fine as long as we don't knock anything over." Scootaloo answered.

With that, the three fillies walked into the shed and started looking around.

"Maybe there is a secret compartment in the floor." Apple Bloom said as she started tapping her hoof against the ground. Scouring the floor proved to be a fruitless endeavor.

"There could also be poisonous spiders in here." Sweetie Belle said, while eyeing some of the cobwebs.

"Oh don't be such a chicken." Apple Bloom spoke.

"Perhaps something in here serves as a secret lever." With that said, the fillies began tapping anything that faintly looked like it could be used as a lever.

Despite not finding anything the Cutie Mark Crusaders were having a fun time, until Scootaloo suddenly was overcome with a feeling of illness.

"Ugh!" Scootaloo held her belly.

"Scootaloo? Are you okay?" Apple Bloom asked.

"No I'm not." Scootaloo replied.

"Maybe you should go lie down." Sweetie Belle suggested.

"Yeah, I think I will." Scootaloo said as she staggered out of the shed back into the house.

Once she was in her room, Scootaloo curled up underneath her bed sheets. She felt terrible, like as if there was something stabbing her insides.

The pain was so bad that Scootaloo dry heaved a few times. After a few minutes the pain lessened enough for the poor filly was able to fall asleep.

The Fire in His Eye!

Scootaloo found herself walking in some strange dark void. What was going on? How did she get here?

Then the laughing started. Something else was in here with her and it was enjoying itself.

"Who... who's there?" Scootaloo asked. Was the laughter coming from another direction?

"Hello!" A voice said as a bright blue light illuminated the darkness, startling Scootaloo.

As Scootaloo's eyes adjusted to the bright light, she saw its source was a rather bizarre creature. It resembled a glowing blue die; however, the number of sides it had would change. Sometimes it would have as many as twelve sides and at other times only four. On each side it had one eye with black, smokey tentacles sprouting from the angles where the die's sides met.

"It is a pleasure to meet you." The blue dice creature spoke, "I am Jim Gates, and I am here to let you know about the opportunity you have been given."

"Jim Gates?" Scootaloo gave Jim a strange look, "That doesn't sound like any pony name I have heard."

"Whether my name is a pony name or not isn't the point," Jim replied, "The point is that..."

"Is it a pony name?" Scootaloo interrupted.

"No, it isn't," Jim spoke, "Now, if you would listen to me, I have a very important opportunity for you."

"Opportunity?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yes," Jim replied, looking at the little filly with a single yellow eye, "your wish is about to come true."

"What wish?"

"Why, to have a Cutie Mark, of course."

"REALLY? You are going to give me a Cutie Mark?" Scootaloo asked excitedly.

"Isn't that what I just said, little pony?" Jim replied; as he did, plumes of black smoke began to swirl around the orange filly.

"So... that is it? You are just going to give me a Cutie Mark?" Scootaloo asked, "What is the catch?"

"Don't worry, my little pony," Jim answered, "The price for your Cutie Mark has already been paid."

The black smoke crawled closer to Scootaloo. Other than the creepy smoke, Scootaloo was really excited by this development. No longer would she be made fun of by the other fillies at school.

"GREAT!" Scootaloo said, "So what kind of Cutie Mark will it be?"

"Oh, you will just have to wait and see." Jim answered with a hint of malice in his voice.

With that, the world went dark around Scootaloo and she saw no more.

What a Surprise!

Scootaloo woke up from the strange dream. She couldn't really remember what had happened, just that she had talked to some strange floating shape and that there was lots of smoke.

Despite having that bizarre dream, Scootaloo felt well rested. In fact, she had forgotten that she had been feeling ill earlier.

The little filly jumped out of bed and went looking for her friends. Scootaloo found them in the recreation room.

Her friends turned to smile at her but suddenly stopped and started staring at her.

"Uh... what's wrong?" Scootaloo asked, "Why are you guys looking at me funny?"

Sweetie Belle was the first to speak, "Didn't you notice?"

"Notice what?"

"That you have a Cutie Mark now." Sweetie Belle said, pointing at Scootaloo's flank.

Scootaloo looked down at her flank in confusion and was shocked to see that there was indeed a Cutie Mark there.

"So it really did happen." Scootaloo said aloud as memories of her dream returned to her.

"What?"

"Oh nothing." Scootaloo spoke, "So what do you both think?"

"It's great!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Yeah... great." Apple Bloom said, with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"How did you get it?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Scootaloo paused. She wasn't sure the two of them would believe her if she told them that a strange creature had given her the Cutie Mark in her dream. They would probably say she was crazy or worse: weird. After all, who ever heard of a pony finding their Cutie Mark in a dream?

"I don't really know." Scootaloo answered, "I wasn't feeling well, so I went to sleep, and I didn't even know I had it until I saw you guys just now."

Apple Bloom suspiciously cocked an eyebrow. Scootaloo squirmed a little. After all, it wasn't a complete lie.

"Well, at least now you have your Cutie Mark." Sweetie Belle said, "And if you found yours, then Apple Bloom and I are sure to find ours soon."

"But what is it for?" Scootaloo asked, looking back at her Cutie Mark. The Cutie Mark was the image of six balls of blue flame standing in a circular formation.

"I don't know," Sweetie Bell said, "maybe we should ask Twilight. She may have a good idea what it is for."

Scootaloo looked back at the cutie mark. Something about it seemed off.

"I suppose that would be a good idea."

Doubting the motives of Rabbits

The six older mares sat around the dining room table, discussing their plans for this upcoming Nightmare Night.

Fluttershy told the others she probably wouldn't participate in the holiday as she had some bad memories associated with it. Most of Fluttershy's friends were polite enough not to invade her privacy with the exception being Pinkie Pie, who kept trying to ask Fluttershy what had happened. However, Pinkie did stop when Rarity intentionally changed the topic to the creation of Nightmare Night treats.

Rainbow Dash talked about her plans to prank all the ponies in Ponyville.

"You aren't planning on hurting anypony, are you, sugarcube?" Applejack said disapprovingly.

"Of course not." Rainbow Dash answered, "I am just going to have some fun."

Rainbow Dash let out a menacing laugh, which made Fluttershy cringe.

"So, Pinkie dear, what do you plan to dress up as for Nightmare Night?" Rarity asked.

Pinkie smiled, "I'm going to be a rooster!"

"Don't you mean a chicken?" Twilight asked.

"No, a rooster." Pinkie replied while squinting her eyes at the other confused mares.

"Pinkie, you do know that a rooster is a male chicken right?" Applejack inquired.

It was a few seconds later that the realization hit Pinkie. "Oh, right! Yeah, I was just... kidding with you all! Of course, I know a rooster is a male chicken. You're so silly!"

"Sure you knew." Rarity mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing dear." Rarity replied nervously.

It was then that the Cutie Mark Crusaders entered the room.

"Why, hello, girls," Applejack spoke, "How are... why, Scootaloo, it looks like you found your Cutie Mark!"

All eyes were on Scootaloo.

"Uh... yeah." Scootaloo said, putting a hoof behind her head nervously.

Rainbow Dash flew over and examined Scootaloo's Cutie Mark, "That is a pretty cool Cutie Mark kid!"

"You really think so?"

The fact that Rainbow Dash had thought that her Cutie Mark was cool, made Scootaloo very happy.

Fluttershy was feeling proud of Scootaloo's fortune of finding her Cutie Mark, when suddenly she lost her balance and fell backwards onto the floor.

"Oh dear."

"Hey, Fluttershy are you okay?"

Fluttershy looked around to try to find her friends. However none of them were around. Instead, large rabbits looked down at her, their red, menacing eyes dwarfed by their large smiles. Large blue horns stretched from their furry heads, and their claws were a purplish black.

A purple bunny stepped forward, "What a cute little pony."

"Yes, she does look nice." A blue bunny spoke.

"Let's eat her!" The pink bunny said, its grin widening.

What?

"Yes, she does look delicious, doesn't she?" An orange bunny said as it hopped over to them.

No.

"How should we cook her?" The purple bunny asked.

"We could grind her up for some sort of frosting to put on a pastry." The pink bunny suggested.

"Why not put her in the oven?" The orange bunny suggested.

No!

"That isn't a bad idea." The purple bunny said.

"Let's do it!" The blue bunny spoke up.

"Yes, indeed." said the white bunny.

NO!!!

Fluttershy jumped off the floor. Her panicked eyes darting back and forth between the other ponies.

"What's wrong Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.

Panicking, Fluttershy ran out of the room, crying as she went.

"Fluttershy, wait!" Rainbow Dash called out.

"Where do ya think she is going?" Applejack said.

"I don't know, but somepony should go after her!" Rainbow Dash said.

"I'll do it, dear." Rarity said as she left the room.

"I'm kind of tired," Pinkie yawned, "but maybe later I will try to make us all some cupcakes!"

Upon hearing this Rainbow Dash's ears drooped; however, if anypony noticed, they didn't mention it. Nor did any of the ponies realize when Rainbow Dash started distancing herself from Pinkie Pie.

Cats Are Devilishly Clever

Fluttershy ran out the back door as fast as she could into the forest. Leaves and Twigs snapped and crackled under hoof as she ran. She had to run, to escape from those horrifying creatures. Where had those rabbits come from, and why did they want to eat her?

When she was certain that no one was following her, Fluttershy stopped to catch her breath.

"Why, hello there, little pony."

Hearing the voice, Fluttershy looked up to see a large cat sitting in a tree branch above her. It had striped gray fur with its ears folded forward. The cat watched Fluttershy with two large eyes, one that was bright yellow while the other was white and clearly blind. A large grin full of sharp, yellow teeth stretched across its face.

"Um... Hello." Fluttershy said nervously.

"It seems you have been running away from something." the cat said. "Is something the matter?"

"There were these bunnies and they... they wanted to... eat me! And worse, as it happened, all my friends suddenly disappeared, too!" Fluttershy sobbed.

"I see."

The cat stretched his back before jumping into a shadow, seconds later he emerged out of a shadow in the trunk of the tree, which elicited a squeak from Fluttershy.

"I think I know the solution to your problem." The gray cat said while licking his paw.

"You do?"

There was something strange about the cat's eyes. They seemed to be pulsing rhythmically.

"Indeed. You see, those rabbits are responsible for the disappearance of your friends. As long as those twisted bunnies are alive, your friends will remain trapped."

"If that is true, then what can I do?" Fluttershy asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" The smiling cat answered, "In order to save your friends, you must kill the rabbits!"

"K-kill? But... How would this bring them back, anyway?"

"It is kind of complicated," The smiling cat replied, "Let's just say these creatures who have disguised themselves as rabbits have locked away your friends, and unless they are all defeated, there is no way you would be able to get the key. Once all those creatures are dead, you will understand what I am talking about."

"Okay, but how would I do that?"

The cats smile widened. "Don't worry. I will give you something to make the task easier."

Almost out of thin air, a present appeared in the cat's large paw. It was a box covered in pink wrapping paper and tied shut with a green ribbon.

"Use this to kill the rabbits."

Fluttershy opened the present and examined its contents, "I'm not sure how this would help."

The cat walked into the shadow of the tree, and Fluttershy was startled when she saw the cat's body with the exception of its eyes and broad grin, disappear. Once more, the eyes seemed to throb in a rhythmic fashion.

"Don't worry, little pony. Once you put it on, you will know how to use it."

A Peculiar Mark

"Hey, Twilight?" Scootaloo asked.

"What do you need, Scootaloo?" Twilight replied.

"Well... I was wondering if you might know what my Cutie Mark is for."

Twilight examined Scootaloo's Cutie Mark with squinted eyes, "I am not quite sure. I would say it could be a magical Cutie Mark, but you're a Pegasus so that is unlikely. Do you have any idea how you earned your Cutie Mark?"

Scootaloo wasn't sure how to respond. Would Twilight believe that she had been given the Cutie Mark by a strange creature in a dream?

"I'm not sure." Scootaloo answered, "I woke up after feeling sick and discovered it."

"Well, then perhaps you should try to retrace your steps." Twilight spoke, "Perhaps you could discover what it was that helped you find your Cutie Mark."

"I guess that couldn't hurt." Scootaloo said before going out to the backyard.

Thinking back, Scootaloo had been hanging around the shed with her friends when she had the stomach ache that caused her to go to bed. Perhaps there was something out back in the shed that could enlighten her.

Despite her efforts, all Scootaloo couldn't find anything that could be a clue as to how she found her Cutie Mark. That could have explained why Jim had paid her a visit in her dreams. Scootaloo did manage to find an old note in the grass next to the shed; however, she put it back after finding the note difficult to read and went off to look for other clues.

Dreams of Thrones

After what had happened with Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie had decided to go to her room and take a nap, and as she slept, she dreamed.

In her dream Pinkie Pie found herself standing on a frozen lake. In front of her was a tree branch stretching out of the ice. The bark of the branch was bleached a light gray due to many years of sun exposure. The branch and the twigs sprouting from it were shaped in a manner that it could be used as a seat.

Sitting on the throne was a pink Pegasus with most of her body hidden behind her wings. It was as if she were using her wings as a curtain. Curious as to who this pony was, Pinkie Pie cheerfully trotted up to her.

"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie," Pinkie introduced herself, "what is your name?"

The Pegasus pulled back her wings, and in response Pinkie's jaw dropped.

"Wha... what?"

Before Pinkie wasn't a Pegasus but an Alicorn. A bloodstained horn stretched out from the Alicorn's head. The Alicorn looked down at her with menacing blue eyes. While the Alicorn's presence was shocking, it was her appearance that unnerved Pinkie. For the Alicorn had the exact same Cutie Mark as she.

Suddenly, more details became apparent to the party pony. The Alicorn's mane was straight and covered one of her blue eyes. In her hooves the Alicorn held a butcher's cleaver.

Other details became apparent to Pinkie as she realized the branches the Alicorn was sitting on weren't wooden at all but rather a large bone. Looking around the lake, Pinkie saw lots of bones sticking out of the ice, including the bones of what appeared to be a giant alligator. In the distance Pinkie could see the silhouettes of other ponies who looked back at her with glowing yellow eyes. Kitchen knives stuck out of the side of their heads.

"This... this isn't a fun dream." Pinkie spoke, "Not fun at all."

As the pink Alicorn smiled wickedly at Pinkie Pie, a loud crunching sound could be heard. Pinkie looked down to see the ice below her give way, and she fell into the water. As she sank, Pinkie noticed something about the water around her. It was warm and it was bright red.

HELP ME! SOMEPONY HELP ME!

"Why would we want to do that?" A voice came from Pinkie's right.

Turning in the water, Pinkie came face-to-face with the skeleton of a Pegasus, who looked back at her with glowing yellow eyes.

"Indeed, why should we want to help you, darling?" Another voice spoke. Pinkie turned to see that it belonged to the skeleton of a unicorn.

"After all, you are the one responsible for this," said another unicorn skeleton who had appeared behind the first.

Pinkie Pie continued to sink, but soon she realized that she was nearing the bottom of the lake. Intestines reached up toward the light like seaweeds.

"No one loves you, Pinkie... nobody..."

The party mare jumped out of bed, horrified by the dream she had just had. Pinkie was dripping with sweat. What had she just experienced? It didn't feel like an ordinary nightmare.

Perhaps it would be a good idea if she talked to somepony about it.

Am I Really a Pony?

Sweetie Belle just felt wrong. Earlier today, Sweetie Belle had started to notice things about herself that she hadn't noticed before. Her limbs seemed to move in more of a jerking motion.

There had also been a few times she had noticed that her voice sounded more like a recording and less like her actual voice. Sometimes she heard static and feedback.

Her sight also seemed to be acting up. At times she would see a long white line moving from the top of her vision to the bottom before disappearing again.

"What is wrong with me?"

Maybe she was just imagining it. Perhaps it was normal for ponies to wonder if they were robots sometimes.

GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!

Rarity awoke with a start to find herself in a strange room. This was confusing. Rarity remembered going out to look for Fluttershy when she had felt something heavy hit the back of her head and the world around her went black. The walls were painted white with paintings of old stallions and fashionable mares hanging from the walls. In the center of the room was a desk with a bookshelf to the left. To the right of the desk was a mirror that had clearly seen better days.

Behind the desk was a large window with two potted plants sitting on both of its sides. Rarity tried looking outside the window, but it was so bright that she couldn't see anything except for white nothingness.

Random papers appeared to be strewn over the desk, covering it almost like a blanket. The only places not covered with papers were where a radio and what appeared to be a clock sat.

That clock must have been broken, for the digital numbers on it were stuck at 1:00.

Behind her was a door. Turning around, Rarity tried to open the door only to find that it was locked.

"HEY, YOU THERE!"

Rarity was surprised by the sound of somepony speaking through the radio.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! NOW!"

"I am really sorry." Rarity spoke to the radio. "I didn't mean to trespass."

The room was silent for a few second before the voice spoke again.

"There is a mirror in the room... go over to it."

Rarity turned and looked at the mirror mounted on the wall. Slowly, she walked over to it.

"Man... you are one UGLY pony!" The pony on the other side of the radio said.

"Why, excuse me!" Rarity exclaimed. Insulted by the rude pony on the other side of the radio.

There was more silence before the voice spoke.

"Look, there is a key in this room. If you can get it, you can get out of this room, and I won't have to come in there and deal with you myself."

After the voice had finished speaking, the clock on the desk came to life, counting down.

0:59

With haste Rarity began to look around the room for the key. She checked the desk drawers, but all she found were some papers, and oddly enough, a tinderbox.

0:44

The white unicorn looked all over the bookshelf but found nothing. She even checked the book shelves to see if, perhaps, one of the books was a switch, like in some of those mystery novels she had read. Nothing.

0:32

Glancing around, her eye caught something shimmering on the bottom of one of the potted plants.

Rarity rushed over to the planter and picked up the gleaming object with her magic. It was a key ring with six keys attached to it.

"Wait which key is it?" Rarity asked.

"That isn't my concern, lady!"

0:21

Using her magic, Rarity began trying all the keys on the door.

0:15

"Oh come on!"

0:12

Rarity was about to try the last key when she accidentally dropped them.

"No. No. No. NO. NO!" Rarity panicked as she scrambled for the keys.

0:09

Picking up the keys, Rarity cycled through them again until she found the final key.

0:06

Pushing the key into the lock, Rarity turned it until she heard the satisfying click of the door being unlocked.

0:03

Hastily, Rarity opened the door and hurried to the other side.

0:01

Rarity slammed the door shut behind her and was surprised when she found herself outside of the woodshed.

"Wait a minute! How did I get out here?"

She couldn't explain it. Rarity had gone off to find Fluttershy when everything had gone black. The room she had woke up in looked like it should have belonged inside the house.

However, there was no way that room and the shed could have been connected. Rarity confirmed this when she opened the shed door, only to see the shed’s dust-covered interior. It was then that Rarity noticed that the key she had used had disappeared.

Puzzled, Rarity decided it might be a good idea to tell one of her friends what she had just experienced, so Rarity went back inside.

Rock, Paper, Insanity

Pinkie Pie was going to kill her; she just knew it. Rainbow Dash paced in a circle in her room. Ever since Pinkie talked about making some cupcakes, Rainbow Dash somehow knew of Pinkie's ill intentions. Once Scootaloo showed up with her new Cutie Mark and she saw the look on Pinkie's face, Rainbow Dash clearly discerned that the pink pony was up to something. That twisted smile was all she needed to know the pink mare's true nature.

The pink party pony was going to kill her, gut her, and make her an ingredient in some cupcakes, muffins or... something. Then, once she was out of the way, the others would follow.

Apple Bloom was also in on it. She didn't know how, but Rainbow Dash was certain that the young filly was a cohort of Pinkie's. An apprentice, perhaps. The little filly would do anything if she thought it would help her find her Cutie Mark.

But it didn't matter. Rainbow Dash wasn't going to let them kill her. She would do whatever she had to in order to survive. Determined to have a means to protect herself, Rainbow Dash made her way to the kitchen to find a knife that she could use in self-defense.

Rainbow Dash looked through the knife drawer until she found a decent knife that she could use with ease. After setting the knife on the counter, Rainbow Dash accidentally hit a pan knocking it into the kitchen sink making a loud clang. The sound was loud enough that it drew Pinkie Pie's attention.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash," Pinkie Pie yelled, "what are you doing?"

Caught off guard by the pink pony's sudden appearance, Rainbow Dash adjusted, preparing herself to fight. While Pinkie did notice her friend jump she didn't notice Rainbow Dash's defensive stance or the knife sitting on the counter.

"Dashie, what are you doing?" Pinkie Pie asked. While Pinkie's voice sounded unusually sad, Rainbow Dash was too paranoid to notice.

"Na...na...nothing." Rainbow Dash replied nervously.

Pinkie Pie slowly approached Rainbow Dash with a plaintive look on her face, "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Su... Sure." Rainbow Dash stuttered.

As the pink mare stepped closer to the Pegasus, Rainbow Dash seemed to retract. Pinkie didn't notice this as she was trying to think of a way to word her fears. Nor did she notice that Dash's hoof was sitting next to a kitchen knife on the counter.

"I... I had this dream."

Pinkie shuddered and lunged forward. She was scared and she just wanted a hug from her friend for comfort. This motion startled Rainbow Dash, and before she knew it, she had picked up the blade and stabbed it into Pinkie Pie's chest.

"Wha...Why?"

Her friend gave her a sad confused look before she fell to the floor, the knife going deeper upon impact and blood dripped from the corners of her mouth.

Confusion riddled Rainbow Dash's head. Had Pinkie attempted to attack her, or was she just trying to do something else? Rainbow Dash looked down and saw that her hooves were shaking.

"What have I done?"

Suddenly, there was an outburst as somepony walked into the kitchen and beheld the grizzly sight. Rainbow Dash looked up and saw that it was Rarity.

"No... No, this isn't what it looks like!" Rainbow Dash protested, "I thought she was trying to attack me!"

Before she could even realize, the kitchen was crowded as Rainbow Dash's friends came into the room and saw what had happened.

"Rainbow Dash, why did you do this?" Twilight asked.

Before Rainbow Dash could defend her actions, the rest of the group had already established that she had murdered Pinkie Pie and that it would be in their best interest to lock her up in the basement until the authorities arrived.

"No, guys! I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" Rainbow Dash protested as Applejack and Twilight took her down to the basement and had her chained to some pipes on the wall.

"Please, don't do this to me, guys!" Rainbow Dash called out as her friends ascended the steps out of the basement.

Dreaming of Gears

Sweetie Belle found herself staring up at a white light on the ceiling. The sound of machinery could be heard around the room. For some reason, Sweetie Belle was unable to move.

"What do you think of her?" An unfamiliar male voice asked, "Does she fit your qualifications?"

"She's perfect!" A female voice answered. While it sounded familiar, Sweetie couldn't place who it belonged to.

Sweetie Belle tried to move her head so she could see the ponies who were talking; however, she was unable to. Who were these ponies?

"Remind me why you wanted this unit to be constructed?" the male voice asked.

"Why, to have somepony to do the chores around my shop, of course," the female voice answered, "and if she believes that she is my sister, then it will make things much easier."

Suddenly, Sweetie Belle realized who the female voice belonged to, it was her sister Rarity's voice.

"Oh, it looks like she is recording," the male voice spoke.

Rarity's face came into view, eclipsing the ceiling light. She looked down at Sweetie Belle with a cautious look on her face.

"Will that be a problem?" Rarity asked.

"No," the male voice replied, "I'll just clean it from her memory banks, and she won't remember a thing."

"Good. Now, last I checked one thousand bits was the agreed-upon price, correct?" Rarity spoke.

"Yes, it is," the male voice answered, "Just make sure that, if anyone finds out, that you don't tell them about me or this place. I don't want to have to worry about the Equestrian police finding me. Just claim you had no knowledge of this matter, okay."

"Certainly, dear." Rarity replied, "Whatever you say."

Sweetie Belle felt a cold hoof touch the side of her neck and the world went completely dark. All that was left was nothingness.

Startled, Sweetie Belle awoke from the terrifying dream. Something in her chest was beating rapidly, but whether it was her heart or some sort of mechanical contraption, she wasn't sure.

Afraid of Shadows and Masks

Walking around the house, Rarity could have sworn something was stalking her. Every time she walked through the hallway, she could hear somepony else's hoofsteps behind her. At first, it hadn't bothered her, figuring it was one of the fillies or Spike playing with her.

Then, Rarity had seen "it" out of the corner of her eye. It was a pony wearing black robes and a mask, which resembled a grinning clown. At first, she had dismissed it as a figment of her imagination. That was until she had seen him leave her a note in her room. The note read: "You will scream for me!" and was written in green crayon.

Was it the pony from the intercom in that strange room? Was he coming to deal with her?

Afraid for her life, Rarity had begun searching the house for something she could use as a weapon for protection. Inside the closet Rarity found what she was looking for.

Inside an old, rusty metal box was a revolver. It was silver with a wooden handle. While the revolver was too heavy for Rarity to hold with her hooves, it wouldn't really matter, for she could just use her magic to hold the pistol.

As for ammunition for the revolver, the box only held a total of six bullets that would have to be loaded into the gun manually.

"We'll see who will be screaming!" Rarity said as she hid the firearm in her mane.

Rivalry among Friends

"You did it on purpose, didn't you?" Apple Bloom said in an accusatory tone.

"What?"

"Don't lie to me!" Apple Bloom spoke, "You got your Cutie Mark knowin' that I had been working so hard to get my own!"

Scootaloo wasn't sure what to say. She had never intended to hurt Apple Bloom's feelings or to make her jealous.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Scootaloo said, unsure of what else she could say.

"Don't worry," Apple Bloom said, "All you have to do is show me how you got your Cutie Mark and everything will be fine."

"But I don't know how I got it." Scootaloo replied, "It was just given to me."

"YOU LIAR!" Apple Bloom yelled.

Apple Bloom's face was red with rage, and her eyes seemed sharp and deadly.

"You're going to show me how you got your Cutie Mark, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom growled, "Whether you want to or not!"

Scootaloo jumped to the side as Apple Bloom lunged at her with hooves outstretched. Not wanting to make the situation worse, Scootaloo ran out of the room.

"COME BACK HERE!" Apple Bloom roared.

Tears leaked from Scootaloo's eyes as she ran down the hall. She hadn't wanted this to happen. She hadn't thought her friends would go nuts, that Rainbow Dash would kill Pinkie, or that Apple Bloom would be jealous of her. She had just wanted to be normal, to be cool. If she could take it all back, she would just so everything would be normal again.

As Scootaloo turned the corner, she bumped into something and fell to the ground.

"Careful, Sugarcube," a familiar country mare's voice spoke, "you might hurt somepony if you don't pay attention to where you're going."

Applejack chuckled as she helped Scootaloo up; however, she stopped laughing once she noticed the tears in the filly's eyes.

"Is something wrong, Scoots?"

Scootaloo looked up into the farm mare's eyes before hugging her leg as tears fell from her face to the floor.

"There there, child," Applejack tried to comfort the filly, "It's alright. Please, tell me what is troubling you."

While Applejack was certain she had a fairly good idea what was bothering Scootaloo she thought it would be best to let the filly tell her herself. This would hopefully release any pressure Scootaloo was feeling and allow her to calm down. Applejack figured it must have been sad for Scootaloo seeing her idol fall so low.

"Why... why does Apple Bloom hate me?"

'What?'

This puzzled Applejack; Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had been good friends for a while, so why would she ask such a question?

"Apple Bloom doesn't hate you." Applejack tried to reassure the filly.

"Yeah, she does," Scootaloo sobbed. "She hates me because I got my Cutie Mark before she did."

That made more sense to Applejack; she had watched her sister on multiple occasions trying to earn her Cutie Mark. It would make sense that Apple Bloom would be jealous if one of her friends found their Cutie Mark and she didn't.

"Don't worry, Scoots. She doesn't really hate you," Applejack spoke, "she is just jealous because she hasn't found her Cutie Mark yet is all. How about you go get something to eat, and I will talk to Apple Bloom."

After wiping her eyes, Scootaloo let go of Applejack and walked toward the kitchen. Once Scootaloo was out of sight, Applejack made her way toward the bedroom Apple Bloom was in. She needed to talk with her sister about this.

As Scootaloo walked to the kitchen she looked back at her Cutie Mark and noticed something. Had the six flaming orbs moved closer to each other?

Unexpected

"How strange," The Smiling Stallion spoke, "It seems the farm mare is immune to the effects of the Nightmare Mark."

"Is that an issue?" Robipony asked.

"No, it just makes things interesting." The Smiling Stallion replied, "Most of the ponies in the past who have experienced this round generally suffer from the effects of the mark. However, only a few have ever shown to be immune to the Nightmare Mark's effects. I think it would be wise to study this farm mare when this whole spectacle is done."

"You might also be interested in knowing that the dragon also seems to be immune to the Nightmare Mark." Sky Blazer remarked, "Seeing that he is a dragon, that shouldn't be unexpected, but still, I thought you should know."

"Relax," The Smiling Stallion spoke, "So we have two individuals who are immune to the effects of the Nightmare Mark. That shouldn't be an issue. The fact that the others are will generate enough fear and perhaps it will cause those unaffected to feel a little scared."

Sunflowers Aren't Supposed to Sing!

As Rainbow Dash sat chained to some pipes in the basement, her mind continued to slip into madness.

Her eyes had caught a section of the concrete wall where long ago a filly had painted some sunflower. Looking at the flowers, Rainbow Dash began to imagine that they were alive. As they swayed back and forth with the nonexistent wind, some played flutes and other musical instruments, while others crept toward her with their pasty roots and began to talk with her.

"Oh, poor Rainbow Dash, it seems your friends have abandoned you." A smiling sunflower spoke in a squeaky voice.

"Yeah, poor dear," another sunflower squeaked, "I can only imagine what they are planning to do to her."

"I heard it had something to do with making cupcakes." The first sunflower said.

Rainbow Dash's heart skipped a beat. Had her friends been conspirators in Pinkie Pie’s plot the whole time? Had they bound her with the intentions of killing... and eating her later?

"No, I am going to escape!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Really? How?" One of the sunflowers asked.

"Yeah, Dashie," a squeaky voice spoke from above, "How do you plan to escape?"

Dash looked up and saw Pinkie Pie sitting on the ceiling. She wore a large green top hat and was sipping some sort of brown beverage from a broken teacup. Despite hanging upside down the tea remained inside the cracked cup. If any other pony had been there, they would have told Rainbow Dash that what she was seeing was just a hallucination, but in Dash's mind it was real.

Rainbow Dash had to think. There must be some way she could break free from her bonds. She began to look around the room, trying to see if there was anything she could use. She then noticed a hacksaw sitting on top of a cabinet next to her.

She started trying to hit the cabinet with her hoof; while the hacksaw was out of reach, if she could knock the cabinet over, the saw might land close enough for her to grab it.

The first kick made the cabinet wobble, but it continued to stand.

"Come on!"

Rainbow Dash kicked the cabinet again with more force this time, causing the cabinet to wobble more.

"Oh, is this a game? Can I play?" The tea drinking Pinkie asked.

With another satisfying kick, the cabinet fell over. Rainbow Dash had to move quickly to the side to avoid being crushed by the cabinet. The hacksaw landed at her hooves.

Using her hooves she was able to place the hacksaw handle in her mouth so she could cut through the chains that bound her to the pipe on the wall. With a satisfying click, the chains broke and fell free from her hooves.

"Good!" Rainbow Dash said as she rubbed her sore hooves, "Now I just need to take care of those traitors upstairs!"

Books Aren't Supposed to Have Wings

Books began to drop from the bookshelf, growing bat-like wings and took flight before they could hit the ground. The books began to develop red eyes and long, sharp fangs. Examining the bat book's titles, Twilight could tell they were mostly smut romance novels.

'Okay... who writes this kind of stuff?' Twilight thought.

As the books flew around the room, Twilight could make out a bizarre chattering sound. Suddenly, the bat books began to charge at her.

"Ahhh!" Twilight screamed as she dodged one of the books. She looked around to see that the bat-winged books had converged into a swarm and were preparing for another assault.

"Why is this happening?" Twilight called out as she evaded another onslaught from the books.

Twilight rushed to the door as the bat-winged books tried to attack her. However, as she tried to open the door she discovered that it was locked.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Twilight yelled as she dodged a bat-winged book with the title, 'Shipping for Stupid Ponies.'

Suddenly, a red beam appeared, disintegrating the bat book. Seconds later, a few more of the bat winged books disintegrated.

Twilight saw that it was another book that was flying around destroying the books that had been assaulting her. Due to its fast speed, Twilight couldn't make out any details aside from it being larger than the others and having a black cover.

It wasn't a minute later before the havoc had settled and the black bat book had successfully killed the other books, leaving it the only book left flying around the room. The book went over and touched the door knob before its wings disappeared and it fell to the floor.

Twilight walked over to the door and found that it was now unlocked. She then looked down and picked up the book that had saved her.

The book sported a leather cover with no title. Opening the book, to the page Twilight saw the title as well as the author's name.

The Rules of Horror Stories, by Brace Lovinghoof.

"Well, I guess I should read you." Twilight began looking through the pages. "After all, you did technically just save my life."

All Shadows Have a Source

"Alright, I am just being paranoid," Rarity reassured herself, "I just need to relax, and everything will be all right."

Rarity was about to enter her room when she saw the masked stallion standing in front of the door.

His mask was white with a big purple nose and black sunken eyes. Its grin was held up by large purple lips with large yellow teeth inside.

"Why, hello there, little pony!" The stalker laughed, "I look forward to popping your skull open, my little tart!"

After letting out a loud scream, Rarity turned around and rushed down the stairs. As she ran, she tripped on one of the steps and fell down the stairs.

"Ouch!"

Once she reached the bottom of the steps, Rarity tried to pick herself back up but couldn't due to her hip being broken. The revolver she had been carrying with her had fallen and skidded across the floor.

"Somepony help me!" Rarity called out.

Shortly after, Sweetie Belle walked down the hall toward Rarity.

"Sweetie Belle, I need your help!" Rarity spoke.

However, Sweetie Belle just stood there, looking down at her sister.

"Sweetie Belle? Why are you just standing there?"

"Why did you lie to me?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me sister that I am a robot?"

"Sweetie, dear, what are you saying?"

The little filly turned around and started walking away.

"Wha... Sweetie what are you doing?" Rarity called out. Sweetie Belle didn't turn around but continued to walk away.

As she watched, Rarity could hear the stalker coming down the stairs.

"Belle!"

Her sister continued walking away, moving in a robotic fashion.

"Oh, it looks like you're all alone, little tart!" spoke a menacing voice above Rarity.

Rarity tried to push through the pain and use her magic to grab the gun but wasn't fast enough as the blade of an axe came down and severed her head from her body. Blood poured out of her exposed neck tissue onto the floor, staining it red.

However, the masked killer wasn't actually a part of Rarity's imagination. He was real, and his next target was walking mechanically down the hallway.

Not All Books Should Be Read

Something about the book really intrigued Twilight. The rules of how a horror story was supposed to be told looked back up at her from the pages. The words seemed to be speaking to her in a soothing tone as she read them.

While there were some rather minor rules, the book labelled three major rules that all spooky stories must follow.

"The first major rule you must always build up the story with slow suspense."

As Twilight read, the rules she started writing them down in a notepad as a means to memorizing the text. Somehow, Twilight had this weird feeling that this knowledge would be useful.

"The second major rule is that, midway through the story, you must add tension and increase the stakes. The best way to do this is by killing the characters of your story off one by one."

How fascinating. It almost seemed as if the book was talking to her. Talking through her.

"Finally, the third major rule is that a good story should have a twist near the end. This twist can vary from the protagonist being the monster to the concept that the whole event is the protagonist's nightmare. To make it more horrifying, you could have the monster kill off all the characters, or in the case of the nightmare scenario, have the protagonist trapped in their nightmare for all eternity."

Whoever wrote the book knew how to pull the reader in. The documentation of how complex a true suspense story could be fascinated Twilight. That was when a thought popped into Twilight's head.

"What if these rules applied to real life, as well?"

Such a concept was intriguing, and it seemed to make sense considering what had been happening so far around the cabin. It could explain how Rainbow Dash had gone mad and how Fluttershy had disappeared. Perhaps they were all pieces in a twisted chess game based off a horror story.

"Maybe this is something I should investigate further."

A Grizzly Discovery

"Hello? Rarity?"

Spike had gone to look for Rarity, thinking he might be able to talk to her. As the little dragon walked down the hall, he thought he saw two strange shapes lying on the floor. As Spike stepped closer he realized that the two shapes were the bodies of Sweetie Belle and Rarity.

"What?"

Stepping closer, Spike could see that someone had decapitated Rarity. Her white coated mingled with her own sticky blood, which had by now congealed to the floor.

"No! How could this happen?"

After weeping for a while, Spike noticed something glimmering out of the corner of his eye. Looking up from Rarity's body he saw a revolver lying on the ground.

"Where did this come from?" Spike said aloud as he picked up the gun. Had Rarity tried to use this against her attacker?

After examining the firearm Spike decided he should try to find Applejack and give her the gun. If anypony knew where it came from or how to use it, it would probably be Applejack.

Spike ran back down the hall until he came to Applejack's room, knocking on the door three times before a groggy Applejack emerged.

"What do ya want, Spike?" Applejack asked while looking down at him through tired eyes.

"Rar... Rarity is dead!"

Hearing this brought Applejack to full attention.

"Wait, what happened?"

Spike took Applejack down the hallway and showed her the body of their dear friend. Applejack held a hoof to her mouth and tried to hold back tears as she looked down at her friend's body. As Applejack looked around, she noticed that there were some bloody footprints roughly Spike's size along the floor.

"Did ya tamper with the body?" Applejack asked. In response Spike showed her the gun he had found.

"Spike, where did ya find this?" Applejack asked as she examined the gun.

"I found it next to her body." Spike answered.

As Applejack searched Rarity's body, she discovered the box of ammunition for the revolver.

Suddenly, there was a loud scream resonating through the hallway. Applejack could have sworn it sounded like Apple Bloom.

"Spike, go find Twilight!"

"But Applejack..."

"Just do it!" Applejack yelled before running off in the direction of the screams.

Friends and Bullets Don't Mix

Rainbow Dash stood in front of Apple Bloom with the hacksaw in her mouth. Her eyes were open wide with mania.

"Hello there, Apple Bloom. Did you miss me?"

"Ra... Rainbow Dash! What are you doing?" Apple Bloom slowly backed up from the crazed mare.

"You thought you and Pinkie could turn the others against me and make me into a cupcake. Well, you're wrong! Nopony is going to eat me!"

Apple Bloom turned around and screamed as Rainbow Dash charged at her, brandishing the hacksaw with ferocious speed.

"Come back here, you little brat!"

Running as fast as she could, Apple Bloom was relieved when she saw her sister step out into the hallway.

"Sister! Help!" Apple Bloom yelled.

"So you're in on it too!" Rainbow Dash growled, "Guess I'll have to get rid of you, too!"

Putting herself between Rainbow Dash and her sister, Applejack pulled out the revolver Spike had given her and aimed it at her friend.

"Please, Rainbow Dash don't make me do this." Applejack said as a few tears left her eyes.

Rainbow Dash continued to rush forward, forcing Applejack to pull the trigger. The bullet flew through the air before it pierced the flesh of Rainbow Dash's neck. The Pegasus fell to the ground, and she started coughing as blood trickled out onto the floor and down her throat into her lungs.

Putting away the gun, Applejack walked over and looked down at her dying friend with a puzzled look on her face. Rainbow Dash's eyes moved around in a frantic and confused manner, as if she were waking up from a bad dream.

"Wha..."

"Why Rainbow Dash? Why did you force my hoof?"

The dying pony attempted to gurgle a response but was unsuccessful before she perished. After using a hoof to close Rainbow Dash's eyelids Applejack let out a deep sigh. She would have to find a blanket to cover up Rainbow Dash's body until a proper burial could be performed.

"Applejack!"

The Unmasking

"Twilight!"

The unicorn looked up from her reading to see Spike enter the room.

"Spike, what is it?"

The little dragon leaned forward trying to catch his breath.

"Applejack told me to come find you." Spike gasped, "That it was dangerous out there."

Twilight followed the tired dragon to the door when suddenly a clown appeared in the doorway wielding an axe and laughing maniacally. As the crazed clown swung the axe, Twilight managed to teleport out of the axe's reach. Spike, however, was not so lucky.

Spike's head was split in half by the axe's blade. Blood and gray matter dripped from the wound as the axe was yanked free from the young dragon's skull. Twilight glared at the assailant who had killed her assistant; this, however, didn't seem to bother the homicidal maniac who laughed in a sinister voice.

"Hi, I'm Poppin the clown! Are you ready to die?"

Twilight narrowly dodged the axe that the clown-faced killer swung.

"Stop moving, you little tart, and just let me kill you!"

Teleporting out of reach, Twilight laughed maniacally, "Why? It would ruin all the fun!"

The assailant swung the axe again, only for Twilight to teleport behind him.

"Oh come on!" Twilight giggled, "Surely you can do better than that?"

Roaring in frustration, the masked killer continued to swing his axe frantically at the teleporting unicorn. Twilight flashed in front of her bedroom door.

"Oh, now you're boring me!" Twilight spoke, "I guess I need to end this!"

Using her magic, Twilight tore the axe out of the killer's grasp before swinging the blade into his side. The killer crumpled to the floor and lay on his side.

"Too easy!" Twilight said walking up to the demented clown, "Now, let's see what is under that mask of yours!"

Twilight pulled the mask off the assailant to reveal the face of a yellow mare underneath. Fluttershy groggily opened her eyes and stared up at Twilight before breathing her last. The axe fell to the floor.

"I see," Twilight spoke as tears welled in her eyes, "Maybe I am the monster."

For a few minutes, Twilight wept over her friend's corpse. However, after a few minutes of weeping and pondering, her sobs changed to laughter. A large smile stretched across the unicorn's face, "Well, isn't that a twist!"

At this point, Twilight realized the truth. She would have to embrace being the monster and kill off the remainder of her friends in order for this story to end. Once the story was over, everything would reset and things could go back to the way things used to be.

It would be a tough and painful task, but Twilight was willing to do it if it would end this nightmare.

The Killer Unicorn Cometh...

"Applejack!"

The farm mare turned to see her sister coming down the corridor. In the adrenaline rush of having to shoot her friend Applejack had forgotten about her sister.

"Are ya okay, dear?" Applejack asked as she checked her younger sister for any injuries before pulling her into a long embrace.

"I'm fine." Apple Bloom protested in an annoyed manner.

Suddenly, Applejack felt something warm splash against the side of her face. Opening her eyes Applejack discovered that her little sister's head was gone replaced by a smoldering ruin.

What?

Applejack was caught by surprise as she heard laughter resonate throughout the room. She looked up to see Twilight standing there with a sad look on her face. The trace of dried tears could be seen on her checks.

"Twilight! Why did you do this?" Applejack asked as her sister's body slumped to the floor.

"Why, I'm the monster, of course." Twilight replied, "Why else would I have the sudden urge to go on a murder spree?"

"What are ya sayin'?"

"It is simple, really." Twilight spoke, "Since I am the monster, I will have to kill you, and once that happens the story will end. With the story completed, everything will go back to the way things were, and everypony will be alive again!"

Upon finishing her statement, Twilight's mannerism began to change from depression to tragic mania.

Applejack stared, dumbfounded at her giggling friend, "Twilight, you're crazy!"

Hearing Applejack's remark, Twilight stopped laughing and gave Applejack a death glare, her bloodshot eyes shooting arrows of anger at her friend.

"No, Applejack," Twilight growled, "I am perfectly sane!"

Upon finishing her response, Twilight charged at Applejack. In reply, Applejack pulled out the revolver and pulled the trigger, firing three shots at Twilight. Instinctively, Twilight used her magic to teleport out of the way of the bullets. Applejack attempted to fire a fourth shot; only this time the gun didn't fire.

"Shoot, it must have jammed!" Applejack growled, throwing the weapon at Twilight's face. Twilight teleported out of the way of the gun.

While Applejack was furious about her sister's death, she knew it would be unwise to stay and try to fight her friend. Even if her friend had gone nuts, she was still her friend. Furthermore, Twilight had an advantage right now. Applejack would have to take Twilight out of her comfort zone if she had a chance to stop her.

Running through the house, Applejack made her way to the back door with Twilight on her hooves. Applejack attempted to slam the door in Twilight's face as she ran, but all that did was cause Twilight to stop and blow the door off its hinges with her magic.

Applejack ran as Twilight chased her through the forest.

"Applejack," Twilight yelled, "You need to stop running! You know you need to die!"

"But why?" Applejack cried out as she continued to run away.

"Because you're a redneck character in this story," Twilight called out, "and since this story lacks a zebra character, you must take on the role to die!"

"I'm not a redneck!" Applejack retorted, "I'm an apple farmer!"

"It's close enough!"

"Pretty sure it ain't."

Applejack jumped over a root on the ground, avoiding the opportunity to trip. Twilight was not paying as much attention, so her hoof was caught by the root and she fell flat on her face.

"Hey, that isn't right!" Twilight protested, "I am the monster in this story, which means that you are supposed to trip over the root, not me!"

Despite Twilight's complaints, Applejack continued to run.

"Come back here!" Twilight yelled as she freed her hoof from the root.

Scootaloo ran out into the woods in the direction that the two mares had gone. Somehow, Scootaloo knew she was responsible for what was happening, and it was up to her to stop them before they killed each other.

Eventually, Scootaloo found the two ponies in the forest. Twilight was still firing bolts of magical energy at Applejack, who managed to dodge each blast.

"Twilight! Applejack! STOP!" Scootaloo yelled.

"Scootaloo! Get back into the house! Now!" Applejack yelled.

Suddenly, Twilight launched a bolt of energy at Scootaloo. The magical bolt cut through Scootaloo's left shoulder before coming out her right side. Smoke curled upward from the cauterized wounds as the filly toppled to the ground.

"Twilight!"

Enraged, Applejack lunged at Twilight, who attempted to fire an energy bolt at the farm mare. Ducking to the side, Applejack dodged the magical attack and delivered a swift kick to the side of Twilight's head, knocking her to the ground. Believing Twilight was dead, Applejack ran over to check on Scootaloo.

"Scootaloo wake up! Speak t' me!" Applejack yelled as she shook Scootaloo.

Coughing, Scootaloo's eyes opened. Thankfully, the energy bolt hadn't damaged any of Scootaloo's internal organs.

"Scootaloo are ya okay?" Applejack asked.

"I... hurt... really... badly." Scootaloo replied as she tried to hold in the pain.

"Don’t worry, girl, we’re going to take good care..."

Applejack was cut off as a loud shot resonated through the night. Blood gurgled from Applejack's lips as she felt the hole in her throat were the bullet had passed.

"Resource management is very important in a horror scenario." Twilight giggled as she walked toward Applejack and Scootaloo. "Also, more often than not, the monster needs to be killed twice before the story ends!"

'She must have removed what was jamming the gun with her magic somehow.' Applejack thought as her life flashed before her eyes and faded from existence. At least she would be with Apple Bloom now.

"Now there is only you." Twilight said aiming the gun at filly, "Good night, Scootaloo."

With a squeeze of the trigger, the gun fired and hit Scootaloo in the abdomen.

As Scootaloo lay dying on the ground, the world above her seemed to be spinning as if she were on a merry-go-round at a carnival. The sound of a saw buzzing could be heard in the distance as Scootaloo's life came to an end. On her hip was her Cutie Mark, which now resembled a blue serpentine eye enveloped in blue flame.

Not All Monsters Are Created Equal

Twilight stared down at the two corpses in front of her.

"So this is it." Twilight giggled, "This is what it feels like to become a monster! But soon, it won't matter as everything will reset."

She waited, but nothing happened.

"Come on." Twilight chuckled, "Any second now!"

As the mad unicorn laughed in the forest, she wasn't aware of the creature stepping closer to her. That is, until she heard the loud sound of a motor and the metal teeth of a saw blade cutting into the back of her spine.

Twilight let out a loud scream as she fell to the ground and realized she couldn't feel her hind legs anymore. Panicked, Twilight tried to pull herself across the ground on her two front legs away from the sound of saw blade. Despite her actions, the creature continued to follow Twilight at a steady pace.

Suddenly, Twilight had a realization. Once she was dead, everything would reset but not back in Ponyville. Twilight and her friends would be stuck here in this forsaken cabin in a continuous cycle of death and mayhem forever.

"No..."

As Twilight said her final word, the saw blade came down and cut through the unicorn's neck severing her head from her body.

A Note of Tarnished Tarts

Hello there, stallion, you came here for my treasure, yet you do not seek the aid of your companions. Instead, you do whatever you can to distance yourself from them. Foolish little stallion.

Now you stand wearing that costume as a mischievous joke to play upon your companions. It is such a shame you will never be able to pull it off. No, instead your flesh will become that of the suit you wear.

Your purple nose will light your way. Your face shall have a perpetual smile. Scare your companions all you want, my little clown, for that is all you will be doing from now on.

Bring joy and fear to those who came with you, for as long as seek out the treasure, all you will reap is pain and sorrow. My treasure shall forever flee you because you don’t have what it takes. For you are not a stallion, my friend. You are a clown.

But while you can’t find the treasure, that doesn’t mean the others have to find it, either. Why don’t you ruin their fun? You were already a jerk; why not continue to be a jerk?

Go ahead and stab your friends in the back. Stalk them around the house. It is yours now. This house is my gift to you, my little clown.

While you can't remove the mask yourself, you can be freed from this curse. Another can pull the mask from your face and end your suffering.

Author's Note

The author in this story named Brace Lovinghoof is actually a reference to two people. Bruce Campell, who played Ash in the Evil Dead series and H.P. Lovecraft, who wrote the Cthulhu mythos (which contains the Necronomicon).