The Things Ponies Do For Their Cutie Marks

Chapter 1

Apple Bloom was losing her mind. All three of them were bored and fed up. They'd tried everything, everything, to get their Cutie Marks. But still, their flanks were blank. They sat in their clubhouse, a tense atmosphere all around.

"Grr!" Growled an agitated Apple Bloom. "We've tried everything in Equestria, but nothing." She glanced at the other two. "Any ideas?"

"Errr..." Sweetie Belle stuttered, trying to think. "Erm...I-I mean, have we tried...oh, wait...never mind."

Scootaloo sat there, staring blankly, as if in a trance.

"Any ideas, Scoot?" Apple Bloom enquired.

No answer.

"Scoot?" She asked again.

No answer.

"SCOOT!" Apple Bloom snapped.

Scootaloo jumped, shocked, before turning to glance at Apple Bloom.

"Huh, what now?" The small orange pegasus said quickly, eyes daring around.

"Any ideas on what we can do to get our Cutie Marks?" Apple Bloom said, frustration in her voice.

"Err.." Scootaloo began, but was cut off.

"That's what Sweetie said!"

"Oh, s-sorry, Apple Bloom..."

"Whatever!"

"Errm... lemme think..."Scootaloo said, taken aback by her friend's outburst.

"Have we tried skydiving?"

"Yes."

"Swimming?"

"Yes!" Apple Bloom's impatience showed in her voice.

"Riding a door down a hill and jumping over sharks whilst carrying three boxes of chocolate cake?"

         "YES!" The yellow earth pony was fuming. "Even something as stupid as that!"

The other two glanced at each other as if to say, 'What's up with her?' But neither of them knew the answer. They concluded that she was just in a bad mood, but it was still out of character for her. Was it just a bad day, or something more concerning?

Chapter 2

The next day at school, Apple Bloom was still in a sour move. However, she seemed to be out of character. She had a disturbing smile and had removed the bow from her hair. She looked like she was plotting something.

"OK, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo said in a 'cut-the-crap' kind of voice. "What is up with you?"

"Yeah," Sweetie Belle chimed in. "You've been acting really strange recently. It's not like you."

"Oh, don't worry," Apple Bloom replied with an evil smile. "I'm perfectly fine." The other two weren't convinced.

"Girls! No talking." Cherilee said, with a glare. She cleared her throat. "As I was saying class, this..."

"Hmph" Apple Bloom grunted under her breath. "What does she know?"

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle exchanged worried and surprised looks.

"What was that, Apple Bloom?" Inquired Sweetie Belle.

"I said-" Apple Bloom began.

"Girls! Quiet, please." Cherilee told them.

"Sorry, Miss Cherilee." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said in unison, whilst their 'friend' rolled her eyes.

After class, apple Bloom told her friends she wanted to chat with Miss Cherilee. "Go on, I'll catch y'all up," she had told them. "I won't be long." Sweetie and Scootaloo exchanged glances. There was something unsettling about the way she'd said that last part, and they'd both picked up on that. Reluctantly, they left their yellow pal to 'chat' with Miss Cherilee.

When nopony else was around, Apple Bloom closed the school doors, and approached her teacher's desk.

"Why, hello there, Apple Bloom," Cherilee chimed, smiling. "How can I help you?"

Apple Bloom smiled an evil smile and whipped out a knife. Cherilee's smile turned into a look of terror.

"W-what are y-you doing with th-th-that?" She stuttered. "No...what-what are you-d-d-doing? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Chapter 3

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle trotted along to their friend's clubhouse. Apple Bloom never did catch them up on the way home the previous night. They opened the door to find nothing but darkness. Suddenly the door closed with a slam.

"A-Apple Bloom? Y-you h-h-here?" A nervous Sweetie Bell stuttered. She gave a scream that got cut off. Scootaloo turned around to find her friend on the floor, unconscious. She couldn't recall what happened next. A silver object hit her, and everything went dark.

When she awoke, Sweetie Belle found herself tied to a chair. She saw Scootaloo a few feet to her right, also tied to a chair.

"Sweetie!" Cried Scootaloo, panic and fear showing on her face and in her voice. "What's happening?"

"I don't know, Scoot." Was Sweetie Belle's reply, the panic and fear reflected on her face and in her voice.

"I do," came a voice from the shadows. "You're still in the clubhouse. And you'll never leave."

"A-Apple Bloom?" Asked Scootaloo, her voice trembling. "I-Is that...you?"

"Eeyup" The yellow earthpony trotted into view. "It's me!"

"What is this? Th-this isn't funny!"

"It's not supposed to be."

"Then...then what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing," Apple Bloom was wearing an evil grin. "Just getting my Cutie Mark."

"F-for what exactly?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"For murder," Apple Bloom replied casually.

"WHAT?!" Came the shout from the other two in unison.

"I said, in murder!"

The ponies tied to chairs instantly felt their hearts sinking.

"Is this what you did to Miss Cherilee?" Sweetie Belle said, panic quivering in her voice.

"Oh, Sweetie," Apple Bloom said, in a mocking voice. "Your problem always was that you didn't listen." Suddenly, she whipped out a bloody knife (the blood most likely belonged to Cherilee) and sent it through Sweetie's chest. Scootaloo screamed. Sweetie Belle tried to, but it just came out as a loud, muffled gasp.

"What have you done?!" Cried Scootallo, in floods of tears. "You-you choose a cutie mark over the lives-" she paused to sniff. "-over the lives of your f-f-friends?"

Apple Bloom ignored her and stabbed their unicorn friend in the chest again.

"You-you m-monster!"

Sweetie Belle's vision was blurred. Every sound was distorted, then there was no sound but her heartbeat rising by the second. She felt her life leaving her, everything was fading away.

Meanwhile, from Scootaloo's point of view, she saw her dying friend's eyes roll back, then close, and heard her last breath. She knew then one thing: Sweetie Belle was gone.

With blood on her face and hooves, Apple Bloom turned to Scootaloo, smiling evilly. Looking into her murderer-to-be's eyes, she couldn't see their normal sparkle. Her ex-friend was dead behind the eyes.

"What're y'all staring at?" Apple Bloom snapped. "Oh well, doesn't matter." She then shoved the knife straight through the orange pegasus' heart. Scootaloo let out a choked gasp, and was gone instantly after.

Apple Bloom stood there, holding the knife, still through her old friend's heart, panting heavily. After a few minutes passed, she removed the knife and let it fall to the floor with a clunk. Silence filled the air. It was deafening. There was blood over the lifeless bodies of the former Cutie Mark Crusaders, over the floor, on the walls and over Apple Bloom.

She looked at her side, and sure enough, a cutie mark had appeared. It was a silver knife with red blood along the edge of the blade, a red tear drop shape about half a centimetre away. Her eyes changed colour for a brief second, flashing red before returning to their normal shade of amber. An evil grin crept across her face.

"Ah-hahahahahahaha!" She let out an evil laugh. "Right," she said in a grim tone. "Who's next?"

                                                                                 THE END?