Twilight looked around at the bowing villagers, trying to figure out an escape plan. “So I was right. You all really were playing a game.”

“Yes indeed. The game of the hunted leading the hunter.” Applejack rose from her bow and the villagers obediently followed suit. “You came here to find Sweetie Belle, but you never once considered that it was us who had found you. One of our own brought you to our attention, and then we put together this little ruse to bring you here. Since you’ve arrived, we’ve controlled your every thought and action. To put it as simply as possible, we convinced you that Sweetie Belle was being held hostage and prepared for sacrifice because our crops failed last year.”

Twilight snorted. “That part wasn’t a ruse. I saw the photograph. And the orchard.”

Applejack nodded. “Eeyup, they failed alright. Disastrously so... pretty much for the first time since my grandpappy first came here.” She frowned. “The blossom came like normal, but the fruit withered and died on the branch. Then the trees started dyin’ as well. We knew that we’d offended the gods, and that somethin’ had to be done before things got even worse.”

“A sacrifice?”

Applejack’s smile was without humor. “It’s worked for us in the past. Remember our little issue with the timberwolves?”

Twilight stared at her in mounting horror. “You killed one of your own?”

Applejack shook her head. “Not back then. Ya see, farm animals are fine in most cases, as we learned back then, but their acceptability is… limited. A little foal can be even better, but not nearly as effective as the right kind of mare.”

Twilight gulped. “What… what do you mean the ‘right kind of mare?’”

There was a sparkle in Applejack’s eyes. “Turns out that it’s you. You, Twilight Sparkle, are just the kind of mare we need, as our informant in Canterlot told us. You, uniquely among all others, were the one we needed.”

“A mare who would come here of her own free will.” Rainbow Dash grinned.

“A mare that has come here with the power of the Princess, by representing her laws.” Cheerilee offered.

“A mare who would come here as a virgin.” Pinkie Pie snickered.

“A mare who has come here as a Fool.” Rarity returned to the pit’s edge. She winked down at the purple unicorn. “You are the Fool, Twilight Sparkle, for you have come to the place of slaughter wearing a crown of silver, and who but a fool would do that?”

Twilight looked around at her captors. Never before had she felt so small, so powerless. In desperation, she reached inside for the one thing that had always given her strength in the past; her faith. “I am a believer in the True Faith, and, as a believer, I hope for resurrection.” She watched the impassive faces for any change. “And, even if you kill me now, it is I who will live again. No matter what you do to me, you can never change the fact that I believe in the Reward Eternal, as promised to us by Princess Celestia.” When the faces above her didn’t change in the slightest, she quickly reiterated her point, more for her own benefit than theirs. “I believe in the Reward Eternal as promised to us by Princess Celestia!"

“That’s good.” Applejack’s smile was gentle, like a mother lecturing her foal. “For your steadfast and unwavering belief in Celestia, we shall bestow upon you a rare gift these days; a martyr's death. You will not only have the Reward Eternal that you so desperately seek, but you will sit with the Most Faithful, just as you’ve always desired.” The smile fell away like a dried corn-husk. She nodded at Rarity who obediently lit her horn.

Twilight felt magic encase her body and lift her from the pit. She could do nothing as Rarity set her on the ground and Cheerilee tied a rope around her neck. Rarity’s magic released her just as it floated over a gown of white silk. The white unicorn and fuchsia earth pony sang softly as they pulled the gown over Twilight’s head in a manner that was almost reverent.

Applejack gave her a once over and nodded her approval. “Come then. It is time to keep your appointment with the Wicker Mare.”

At once, Twilight understood exactly what they meant to do to her. She started to panic, tugging on the rope around her neck. “Wait! Will all of you just wait and listen to me for a minute?” She looked around at the blank faces of those she had lived around for the past few days. “You are about to commit murder. Can’t you see that?” She waved her hooves frantically to no avail. “There are no old gods! There is no goddess of the field, no god of the sun. There never was! There is only Celestia and Her Loving Light. Can’t you understand?” She thought back to her conversation with Applejack as she grasped desperately for salvation. “Your crops didn’t fail because the gods were displeased with you. They failed because your strains failed. Fruit is not meant to be grown so close to the Everfree Forest! It's against nature! Don't you see that killing me is not going to bring back your apples?” Still, they only stared at her. She turned to the only pony that could help her now. “Applejack, you know it won't work. You just have to show them the orchard I saw. Please tell them. Please tell them it won't work.”

Applejack’s face was stone, the face of a true believer. “I know it will.”

Twilight advanced on her. “Well, then don't you understand that if these crops fail this year, and they will fail next year, that next year… next year, you're going to have to have another blood sacrifice?” Twilight saw the slightest flicker of doubt in Applejack’s eyes and she pressed. “And next year, Applejack, no one less than the spiritual leader of Ponyville will do.” Twilight pointed a hoof at the earth pony as though marking her with a brand. “If the crops fail next year, Applejack, your people will have to kill you during the Summer Sun Celebration.” She paused. “Or your daughter.”

At the mention of Apple Bloom, Applejack’s eyes hardened. “They will not fail.”

Twilight felt the walls closing in. “But… but don't you see I'll be missed? They'll come looking for me. My brother…”

“Your brother is dead.”

It felt as if the air had been knocked from Twilight for a second time. “Wh…what?”

“You are our offering to Belenus, Twilight.” Applejack sneered. “He was our offering to Epona.”

“He gave me his seed, and then he gave us his flesh.” Pinkie Pie chimed in, rubbing her stomach.

Twilight couldn’t focus. This had to be a dream. This couldn’t be real. “That… that isn’t…”

“I ate his heart myself.” Applejack added, licking her lips as though remembering a favorite meal.

The look on Applejack’s face combined with the thought of what had befallen her brother caused something in Twilight to break. “You… bitch!” she screamed, lunging at the farmer. Her hoof swung out and connected with Applejack’s face, staggering the earth pony. The attack was only stopped by a hardy tug on the rope by Macintosh that pulled Twilight away from the other mare.

Applejack recovered quickly. She reached up a hoof to wipe her lip and observed the blood that came away. “You’ll be with him soon enough, Twilight. And in the unlikely event somepony does come seeking you, there will be no traces of you either.” She nodded to her brother. “Bring her.”

Twilight tried to resist at first, but the tight rope about her throat soon forced her to join in this new, and final, procession. She observed as they walked steadily towards the edge of the trees, back to the sunshine of the day. As they approached the final boundary, she turned desperately towards Rarity. “Rarity, please just think about what you're doing! You know this isn’t right. No religion is worth killing anypony!”

“Is that so?” Rarity responded without even looking at her. “Then please, enlighten me; just what is all that business in Saddle Arabia about?” When Twilight didn’t immediately answer, Rarity simply pressed on. “I told you that you could never understand the true meaning of sacrifice, Twilight. While our beliefs may be different, while our gods may wear different faces, in the end they all demand the same thing.” She finally looked at the unicorn, her gaze steadfast and unwavering. “In the end, it always comes down to blood.”

Twilight’s response was lost as the procession finally passed the final boundary of trees. Twilight blinked away the sudden blast of sunlight. She beheld what they were heading towards, and her final resolves finally broke. “Oh, Celestia, no!”

In the center of the field had been erected an enormous structure of wicker and rope. It stood over twenty five feet tall and was shaped in the rough image of a mare on all four legs. Each leg was hollow and filled with all manner of livestock, from chickens to pigs and even a pair of young calves. They lowed and cried in confusion and terror at their situation. The wicker mare’s chest was hollow, but an open door waited to be closed on the unfortunate occupant who would take the place of her heart. A ramp led down from the cavity to the ground where straw and wood were piled high in preparation of what was to come.

Mr. Cake stood at the base of the ramp, a torch held in his grinning teeth.

Twilight’s hooves locked and would carry her no further. She pulled desperately at the rope, unmindful of the friction burn. The great stallion’s strength still carried her forth. All the while, she kept screaming. “Celestia! Oh, Celestia, no! Princess Celestia! No, no, dear Princess Celestia, please! No! No!”

Applejack checked the position of the sun in the sky and nodded at her brother once again.

At her signal, the great red stallion hoisted the squirming mare onto his back and marched on towards the ramp. Despite Twilight’s struggles, he climbed the ramp easily and tossed her into the heart of the wicker mare.

Twilight felt the rope go limp and rushed back the way she came, but the door, woven so solidly that it was as hard as wood, had already been sealed and tied up. Desperately, Twilight bit at the cords holding the door in place, gnawing at them like her very life depended on it.

Applejack waited until Mac had pulled away the ramp and taken his own torch from the waiting pile. After ensuring Rarity and Cheerilee were already in place with their torches, she turned her attention to the shining sun. She removed her hat and tossed it to the wind, then lifted herself up on her hind legs and spread her hooves wide in a gesture of offering. “Oh, Belenus! Oh mighty god of the Sun! We know we have displeased thee and humbly entreat that you accept our sacrifice! Accept it, and make our blossoms fruit once more, if that is your will.”

Righteous fury filled Twilight’s heart at the sound of Applejack’s words. She looked down at the villagers that were now encircling the structure, waiting patiently for what was to come. She hated them, these blasphemous heretics. They had filled her heart with doubts, had played with her like a foal’s toy, and now they intended to kill her. And for what? In a fruitless attempt to stave off the inevitable? Her rage bubbled over and she cried out to be heard over Applejack. “Hear ye the words of the Princess!” She screamed, imitating the voice of her father at one of his most passionate sermons. “Awake, ye heathens, and hold! It is She who hath lain waste your orchards as punishment for your blasphemies! It is She who hath made them bare in return for your lack of faith! The Night Eternal comes, and ye shall find no safe haven!” She pushed a foreleg through one of the door’s small holes and gestured wildly at the assembled ponies. “Ye shall be left in the brutal and unending cold, barred from Her Loving Light for all time! Ye shall waste away! Ye shall know no peace!” She glared at the back of Applejack’s head, willing the earth pony to turn and face her one last time. “Ye shall all die!”

Applejack did not look back. She settled back on all four hooves and took a single, short breath. “Reverence the sacrifice.”

As one, the four torch-wielding ponies stepped forward and touched the flames to the kindling at the base of the wicker mare. The hungry flames went to work immediately, spreading fast and rising even faster. The animals in the mare’s legs began to shriek in earnest as they felt the approaching heat of the inevitable.

Twilight smelled the smoke and fell back on her haunches. She watched as the villagers completed their circle around the wicker mare. As the drums again began to play, they all rose up on their hind legs, began to sway their hooves back and forth in a perfect dance, and then together… they began to sing;

“Summer is a-comin' in

Loudly sing cuckoo!

Grows the seed and blows the mead

And springs the wood anew!

Sing cuckoo!

Ewe bleats harshly after lamb

Cows after calves make moo!”

Twilight could feel the heat of the fire rising below her. She coughed as the smoke became thicker. She’d never imagined things ending this way. How could she? She’s always striven to be the best she could be, the most faithful of the flock. How could she of all ponies deserve such a horrifying fate? She began to weep, not just for herself, but for her brother. They should never have come to this place.

She supposed there was only one thing left to do.

“Dear Princess Celestia.” She sniffled, pausing to cough once more. “I humbly entreat You to the soul of this, thy servant, Twilight Sparkle... who…” Another cough. She wiped her muzzle and forced herself to continue. “Who will today depart from this world. I beg of thee; do not deliver me into the Nightmare’s hooves or put me out of mind forever.” She felt the flames licking her tail and forced herself to stand. She pushed her face against the door and gasped desperately for fresh air. “While I suffer now, let me not undergo the real pains of the Night Eternal, your Majesty, because I die unshriven and clean. Please establish me in that bliss which knows no ending, the Reward Eternal, where Your Most Faithful will dance and sing for You unto the very end of time.” The tears came again as she looked upon the sun, that ever-watchful and all-seeing eye of her beloved…

Despite the heat, a chill went through Twilight’s blood. Princess Celestia was supposed to be all-knowing and all-seeing. That’s what she’d been taught from birth. It was the greatest deterrent against sin in the True Faith, that She was always watching you. But if that was the case…

If that was the truth, then why wasn’t Princess Celestia rescuing her?

Twilight Sparkle felt her tail catch fire, but that was nothing compared to the pain that flooded her as she realized the truth. She reached desperately for the sun, screaming herself hoarse with the last of her air, begging the goddess to whom she’d devoted her life to come now, to prove her wrong, to reward her faith and chase away her doubts! “CELESTIA!” She screamed. “CELESTIA!” She screamed the name over and over again until the flames finally rose to claim her, and then she simply screamed.

Down below, the residents of Ponyville continued to dance and sing, wide smiles on their faces as the red and orange and yellow flared in the heart of the wicker mare, burning flesh and offering the sacrifice to their gods. They sang louder to be heard over the screams, and continued to sing even after the screams had faded away;

“Bullock stamps and deer champs

Now shrilly sing cuckoo!

Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

Wild bird are you!

Be never still, cuckoo!”

Applejack led her ponies in song and dance until sunset. And when the head of the wicker mare finally collapsed into the rest of the inferno, a single tear ran down her face.

She knew the gods had been pleased.

Author's Note