An Act of Betrayal

Pinkie Pie ran blindly through the dark house, her fur bristling with fear. She could feel her heart racing against her chest, pounding so hard that it roared like dragons in her flopping ears, which were pinned to the back of her skull. Her hoof slipped in a dark, crimson, wet puddle that was pungent with the scent of blood, which clogged her flaring nostrils and suffocated her. She coughed and spluttered, slipping to the ground. A dark, black figure silhouetted gold stood before her, Its eyes burning in the dark.

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     "I just need to blindfold you!" Applebloom pleaded, her eyes glittering desperately and her yellow hackles lifting in panic that her fellow crusaders wouldn't agree to join her on her mission.

     "I-" Scootaloo began, stuttering as she probed her mind for some sort of answer. She glanced over at Sweetie Belle, who tilted her head sweetly and blinked, tipping it towards Scootaloo swiftly. This was all the youthful Pegasus needed to see.

     "Fine. If it makes you happy, Applebloom, then we'll go!" Scootaloo threw her forehooves around Applebloom's neck, and Sweetie Belle stumbled over to them, throwing herself into the hug as well. "Yes! We will do whatever to make you happy, Applebloom!" Sweetie Belle agreed warmly, pulling back. Scootaloo echoed her move and pulled back as well, her eyes narrowed slightly.

     "Okay, y'all!" Applebloom snatched the two white blindfolds in her small jaws, grateful when Sweetie Belle whisked one to Scootaloo and tied it perfectly, leaving a bow where she tied it, at the back of Scootaloo's head, using her green magic.

     After Applebloom had tied a blindfold around Sweetie Belle's head, she called;"Oh, Ah almost forgot! Y'all just stay put, y'here?" Applebloom raced away, not waiting for a reply but acknowledging that her friends didn't suspect a thing but a fun, simple game that they could all get along in.

     Applebloom felt turbulence bounce in her stomach and stick to whatever organ in her belly it touched, or at least seemed to touch. As her little legs worked and she drew closer to the object she needed, it throbbed harder, causing sickness to jolt inside of her.

I-I can't do it! She thought inwardly, starting to quiver as she scooped up a metal bat with her right forehoof, heaving it into her mouth. The weight immediately forced her head down, and she dropped it, staggering back and shaking her head to clear it.

That's truly gonna hurt, A sickly voice whispered from the gloomy corner of Applebloom's head. She suppressed a shudder.

     Not knowing what to do, Applebloom nudged the metal bat over to her waiting friends. They were exchanging nervous whispers, awfully close, at least for the pale, young mare that was ready to get her vengeance. Anger started to bubble up inside of her chest until it rolled up her throat, coming out as a low, throaty growl that would be most likely expected from a dog. Huffily, she stamped up to the two fillies, giving Scootaloo a sharp, hard whack on the head. Applebloom could see scarlet beads watering down Scootaloo's face and she heard a startled gargle, blood trickling out of the pegagus' gaping mouth, until she slumped to the ground.

     Before Sweetie Belle could pull her blindfold up, Applebloom leaped on top of her and whacked her three times in the head, blood arcing onto Applebloom's pale golden face as she watched in satisfaction.

     A pink shape slipped stealthily from the bushes, keeping low, and threw a grainy brown sack over Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, of whom were soaked in their own blood.

     Applebloom lifted her hoof at the purple-and-white maned earth-pony, and they clapped hooves in a complacent brohoof.

     "Are they ready?" Diamond Tiara whispered, her tone foreshadowed a massive amount. Her tiara shone in the glowing golden sun, which beamed down on ponyville and bored into the ponies' fur, glinting in their cheerful eyes, which had bubbles of light dotted in them. But not Applebloom and Diamond Tiara's.

     "Yes." Applebloom replied complacently. "Are Twilight and the girls ready?"

     Diamond Tiara nodded. "They were too easy, but I feel they're gonna try to escape!" She exclaimed anxiously.

     "Nonsense!" Applebloom retorted.

     "Oh, fine." Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes quickly and arrogantly. Applebloom just barely was able to ignore it.

     "Okay. Ya need to bring them to the house." Applebloom instructed seriously.

     "But are you sure it's safe?"

     "It's old and nopony goes there! ever!" Applebloom snapped.

     "Yes, but, the house could collapse on us-"

     "On them, not us. We'll be ready. Plus, we'll be in the basement mostly."

     "Okay. . ." Diamond Tiara agreed reluctantly, scuffing a hoof on the ground before looking up and trotting over to the bushes, dragging the bodies along with her using her jaws. She had a wheel barrel she could bring them to the house with, just lurking behind those lush green bushes.

     Applebloom smirked as she raced into the clubhouse, pushing a blue chest with golden rims, which was resting on black, gray-centered wheels, out of the small house in the trees. She rolled it nonchalantly onto the dirt paths of ponyville, veering into the more barren roads, which were eerily silent and no ponies were playing outside. She strolled over to the house after about a half hour of slinking in the shadows and abandoned roads of the not-so-used part of ponyville.

     Diamond Tiara was somehow already there.

     Confusion latched onto Applebloom like an irritable tick. She flicked an ear, bemused, before scampering up to her sidekick.

     "H-Whah are ya here? Where are the bodies?" Her accent was heavy from the concern building up like blocks inside of her. She felt her heart start to beat a bit faster and her yellow fur was just starting to rise.

      Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "I used Scootaloo's scooter. Also, the girls were starting to come out of unconsciousness, so I needed to run."

      "The crusaders?"

     "No, Princess Twilight and her friends."

     "So, where are they? Did you get caught?"

     "Nah. Nopony saw me, I was as quick as a flash. And they're waiting in the basement."

     "Good." Applebloom's voice was dark, like a haunted, abandoned house just waiting to trap someone. "Let's get started." Applebloom trotted into the house.

      The house was ragged, the white beams stretching up and holding it up just barely. They had tears and even bite marks in them. Diamond Tiara's tail brushed one and it wobbled excessively; she flinched and darted in to the big blue house, foreboding creeping into her as she squeezed under the broken wooden door, all of its paint faded away, making it a crooked slab of wood hanging off of its top hinge. The bottom hinge would snap any moment and the door would collapse, but luckily it didn't.

     Diamond Tiara's icy blue eyes were locked on Applebloom's swaying red tail, which she could only just make out in the darkness. The small yellow earthpony led her to the basement, which had stony walls closing into it. Though it was very big, both pony's felt apprehension that the walls would close in on them. They were just too determined to get the job done to say anything about it.

     "Are there any lights?" Applebloom asked briskly, examining the pitch-black room she was standing in. She began to walk forward but tripped on something hard and soft. . .

     Diamond Tiara yowled when Applebloom emitted a huge scream, until her lungs ached. She skittered against the wall, her fur bristling and standing on end in alarm.

     "It was just a body!" Diamond Tiara scoffed, kicking the sack, which had a fuzzy body inside it, with a hoof.

     "Oh." Applebloom was thankful that the lights were off, because heat was pulsing from her hide and her face had turned a brilliant red. "W-Well, let's get started. We've much to do." A smile formed on her cunning face.