I'm Addicted to the Madness

"I'm sure gonna miss that 'Bad Seed'." Sweetie Belle sighed to Apple Bloom, Applejack, and Scootaloo.

"'Bad seed?'" asked Applejack, her brow furrowed, "I thought y'all were friends now." The Crusaders waved to Babs Seed as she looked out the window of the train departing Ponyville.

"No..." Sweetie Belle started, "See, first we called her 'Bad Seed' as in actually a bad seed, but now she's bad as in good! Get it?"

"Yeah... No." Applejack answered. The fillies all laughed as Babs' train left the station, "Anyway, I'm gonna head back to the farm. Ya comin, Apple Bloom?"

"I think I wanna go see Pinkie Pie first," Apple Bloom said to her big sister, "I'll catch ya later."

"Alrighty!" Applejack nodded, "See ya girls!"

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo waved goodbye to the earth mare, but as soon as Applejack was out of earshot, a much less kind voice spoke up.

"You know, somehow we knew Babs would turn out as lame as you babies," sneered Diamond Tiara, and the Crusaders looked over to see her and Silver Spoon trying to wipe mud off of themselves.

"Yeah." Silver Spoon agreed, "Just another weak little Blank Flank."

"Weak?" Scootaloo scoffed, "I'm sorry, but who are the ones covered in mud?"

"Babs stood up to you!" Apple Bloom growled, "She stood up to you, and y'all backed away from her like a couple of scared chickens!"

"Doesn't matter." Diamond answered, turning up her nose, "She's a Blank Flank, and just like you three, she's a little cry baby."

"I find it funny that you waited to say all of this until after Applejack left." said Sweetie Belle angrily.

"Oh, why? Because you don't have your mommy looking out for you? Oh wait, Apple Bloom, isn't your mommy and daddy dead?" said Diamond Tiara, strutting closer to Apple Bloom and shaking her fur, splattering her with mud. Apple Bloom flinched, gritting her teeth, "What happened? Did they drown because you cried too much?"

"Y'all best shut your mouth!" Apple Bloom hissed. She never even knew her parents, for they died when she was just a baby.

"Or what? You'll tell on me? 'Oh, Applejack! It was horrible! Diamond Tiara went and gone done made fun of ma and pa, consarnit'!" Silver Spoon howled with laughter at Diamond's mockery of Apple Bloom's accent.

The little yellow filly's cheeks turned pink with rage, and she gritted her teeth, "I said, y'all best shut your mouth!" She shouted, "I'm not warnin ya again!"

"Apple Bloom, just ignore them," Scootaloo spoke up, who was terrified at the amount of anger her friend was displaying.

"Oh no, Diamond!" cried Silver Spoon dramatically, "I think you made her all mad! Better watch out, or she'll cry so much that she drowns us like she did her parents!"

"Stop it!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle, but before she could console Apple Bloom, the yellow filly turned on her heel and galloped back into town.

Her tears streamed behind her as she burst into Sugarcube Corner, and, ignoring Mr. and Mrs. Cake's greetings, tore up the stairs to Pinkie Pie's room. Pinkie Pie was repairing a party favor when she was tackled to the floor by the distraught foal.

"Apple Bloom?" Pinkie gasped in alarm, putting an arm around her sobbing friend, "What's wrong?"

Apple Bloom did not answer, just continued to cry. Pinkie Pie backed away from her and started making silly faces, stretching and puffing her cheeks to get Apple Bloom to smile, but the filly continued to glare. Apple Bloom sniffled and turned away, heading over to a cabinet and opening it.

She took down a glass jar filled with little scraps of paper and smashed it on the floor. "Apple...!"

"I don't care 'bout the rules," Apple Bloom grumbled, sifting through the paper and looking at all the names and numbers, "She's had this comin for a long time, I tell you what..."

"But Apple Bloom..." Pinkie spoke quickly, "I already picked two ponies for us! We can't do a third! Two is pushing it already!"

Apple Bloom rounded on her mentor, her sunset colored eyes blazing with rage, "Y'all gonna have to make an exception." She finally found the paper she was looking for and held it up. It was Diamond Tiara's number.

"Hey, isn't that one of your bullies?" asked Pinkie Pie, feeling a tad frightened of her apprentice.

"She went too far this time," Apple Bloom explained lowly, "I don't care 'bout your rules, Miss. Pinkie Pie. We're doin this. I'm doin this. Y'all got a problem with that?"

"But I already have two..."

"THEN WE'LL DO THREE!!"

Pinkie flinched, but she smiled weakly, "Okay..." She agreed, "We'll do three. I mean... How hard could it be?"

"We can focus all our attention on Diamond Tiara until we're done with her," said Apple Bloom.

Just then, Mrs. Cake called upstairs, "Pinkie Pie. We're leaving now! You sure you'll be fine on your own?"

"Absopositibly!" Pinkie chirped. When they heard the door close, the party pony giggled, "I gave them tickets to see a show in Canterlot! That way we'd definitely have no problems with our play date!"

"Y'all okay to get Diamond Tiara with the other two?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Oh, no prob, Bob! Just close the shop up and then go to the basement to get ready. I'll be back in a jiffy!" Pinkie Pie bounced happily out of her bedroom, and Apple Bloom grinned wide, following after at a calm walk.

The filly had only been baking with Pinkie Pie for about two years. She had stumbled on the hobby by accident, but instead of disposing of Apple Bloom, Pinkie Pie had decided to show her what she did. Apple Bloom was fascinated with the art, and she never really knew why. However, in her entire time of baking, she only assisted Pinkie. This was going to be different.

Apple Bloom put up the closed sign on the door to the bakery and shut off the main lights. Then she opened the door to their secret basement, went inside, and closed it again. She turned on the lights, looking around at their handy work. There were entrails and bones decorating the place, and on the table were three painted skulls, all foals, wearing party hats made from their own hides. Next to them was what looked like a large pile of fabric piled on the surface. Apple Bloom went to inspect it and discovered that Pinkie Pie was in the process of sewing a bunch of hide together into a banner. She wondered what it was going to say.

Staring at the foal heads, Apple Bloom's lips curled into a nasty smile. She imagined a fourth skull sitting their with a toothy grin and a pink party hat. She always hated odd numbers. She gently pat one of the skulls with her hoof.

"Y'all gonna have a brand new friend soon." She told the heads. "She's kinda rude, but I'm sure y'all will straighten her out right." After that, she started preparing all of their tools and equipment, humming merrily as she brainstormed what she was going to do to her guest.

"Okay, explain it again, Pinkie." said an Earth Pony mare once she entered Sugarcube corner with the party pony, a Unicorn mare, and an Earth Pony filly. She had light brown hide and a bit darker brown mane and tail, and her Cutie Mark was a little brown bean pod.

"Yeah, I still don't get it," The Unicorn agreed. Her hide was an odd bluish silver, but her mane and tail were pure white. Her Cutie Mark was a cluster of multicolored sparkles, "Why do you need us to help you make cupcakes?"

"I'm experimenting with new flavors!" Pinkie explained happily, digging in the fridge. She reached to the very back where no pony would think to look, "I need some taste testers!"

"Why us?" The filly asked, who was none other than Diamond Tiara. "I've got way more important things to do than eat sweets."

"Cocoa Bean." Pinkie spoke up, addressing the brown pony, "You are Ponyville's chocolate expert! You know more about chocolate than even the Cakes! I need you to test my new Super Duper Ultra Deluxe Fudge-O-Matic cupcake! And Glitter..." She turned to the Unicorn. "You're always about how much pizzazz something has! I need you to try my Tangy Tangelo Turnover Surprise cupcake!" Glitter and Cocoa Bean exchanged looks, but then they smiled and nodded, "And Diamond Tiara, I know you're too good for sweets and stuff, so I figured you could help me taste test some tea! I mean, you are so super duper classy, right? And so mature for your age!" Diamond Tiara grinned and held her head up high.

"Yes, I am," she smiled in a dignified tone, "I would be happy to help you taste test some tea."

"Fantasterific! I've gotta get the water boiling then!" Pinkie Pie set a container on the counter before turning to fill a teapot with water and setting it on the stove. Glitter used her magic to open the container, seeing two cupcakes, one chocolate, and one that was colored orange.

"Should we go ahead and eat these, Pinkie?" asked Glitter.

"Oh, not yet!" sang the Pink Pony, "I want to wait until the tea is done so I can gauge all of your reactions at once! Go ahead and sit at a table, I'll be there lickity split!" The three guests all nodded, leaving the kitchen and going into the main area of the shop to sit at a table. Glitter took out a sparkly brush from her saddle bag and started carefully running it through her lovely mane. Diamond Tiara watched, jealous at how her snow white hair seemed to shimmer as if it had glitter in it. She had always been envious of Unicorns, feeling like she should've been one. It wasn't fair.

After some time, a loud whistle sounded from the kitchen, and a short while later, Pinkie Pie bounded in with a tray of tea and the two cupcakes. She set it in the middle of the table, then quickly poured tea from the teapot into a cup and handed it to Diamond Tiara.

"Drink up! Before it gets cold!" she chirped, and then handed Glitter and Cocoa Bean their cupcakes. "Bon appétit!"

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie," Cocoa smiled kindly, and she took a bite from her cupcake. Her eyes widened in surprise, "Wow! That's fantastic!"

Glitter bit into hers, and her expression matched Cocoa's, "That's really tangy!" She exclaimed, "I feel like I just bit into a tangelo!"

Diamond began to sip her tea, trying to look as elegant as she could to show her host that she was indeed mature and classy, "Not bad," she drawled, hiding how impressed she was, though the taste made her want to smile. "What flavor is it?"

"Sleepy Time!" Pinkie Pie giggled, and just as she said that, Cocoa Bean and Glitter both dropped their cupcakes, their heads dropping to the table top. Diamond's vision blurred as she tried to figure out why her fellow guests had passed out, but Pinkie Pie tipped her cup gently, forcing her to drink more of her tea.

It didn't take long for the cup to slip from Diamond's hooves, and it crashed to the floor as she too fell unconscious.

Diamond Tiara woke up to the sound of screaming. It took her a moment to recognize the sound for what it was, for she was still groggy. She had to blink a few times to get her vision to clear, and when it did, she saw Cocoa Bean and Glitter tied to chairs right in front of her. Both were sobbing hysterically, but Glitter was the one screaming, for her horn appeared to have been broken off, blood dripping from the break and down her head. Diamond began to struggle, but noticed that she was bound to a wooden table big enough for one adult pony.

"What's going on?" She yelled at the mares in front of her, but before either of them could say anything, Pinkie Pie hopped into view.

"Oh, sorry Diamond Tiara, they're a little tied up!" She laughed, and suddenly slapped pieces of duct tape over the ponies' mouths so that they couldn't speak.

"Yes, this party is all for you, princess," Said a second voice, this one with a Southern drawl.

Diamond Tiara looked around to see Apple Bloom looking up at her, grinning in a way she had never seen before.

"What...!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed, but then something else caught her eye.

Right behind Apple Bloom was a table with three foal heads sitting in the middle, almost as if they were meant for decoration. Then her eyes flitted around the rest of the room, taking in all of the hideous flare; intestine streamers, furniture made from bones and hide, and even balloons that appeared to be organs filled with helium. On the floor was a large banner lain out, but it was blank. Looking more closely, Diamond realize that it was made out of many different pony hides stitched together to form one enormous piece.

The party pony turned back to the terrified filly and waved at her. She herself was a terrifying sight, wearing a dress made from Cutie Marks, three pairs of Pegasus wings on her back, and necklace of Unicorn horns around her neck. Apple Bloom wasn't wearing anything special, just her usual pink bow. However, the yellow filly remedied that by taking Diamond's crown from her head and placing it on her own.

"Why ya wear this thing anyhow?" She sneered, "You ain't a princess. You ain't more special than the rest of us. What ya tryin to pull? Makin everypony think you're hot stuff when all ya got is nothin."

"I've got money, you low life, poverty stricken farm animal!" Diamond spat, but to her surprise, Apple Bloom just chuckled.

"My family works hard and earns its keep in more than just money," Apple Bloom said bitter sweetly, "We bring apples to the whole town. We make cider for everypony. What do your parents do?"

"My father sells your stupid zap apple jam!" Shouted Diamond Tiara, "And my mother is a nurse! I'd say that's pretty helpful!"

"Oh, wait! Are ya tellin' me your dad is rich because of my family?" asked Apple Bloom in mock surprise, "Holy hay! That means y'all should be thankin' us for your fortune, huh? As for your mama, I've met her. She's nice! And your dad ain't too bad neither. What happened to you? They say the apple don't fall too far from the tree. Well, you fell a good distance away, didn't ya? Why you so mean, Diamond?" Apple Bloom pouted gently, "Go on, you can tell little ol' me. Remember, I don't got no parents, it's hard for me to understand how that kind of relationship works, seeing as how I'm so dull witted. Right?"

"I'm so sorry, Apple Bloom!" Diamond Tiara said quickly, realizing that this was an act of revenge, "I was so mean to you! I'll be so much nicer to you from now on! Just let me go! I won't even tell on you!"

"Apple Bloom, I have an idea!" Pinkie Pie spoke up, "Why don't we let Diamond Tiara tell you why she's such a meanie face, and then we'll let her go!"

"Great idea, Miss Pinkie Pie!" agreed Apple Bloom, "How 'bout it, Diamond Tiara? Give me your sob story, and then I'll let ya go." Diamond smiled weakly, and she nodded.

"Mom and dad are always so busy," She explained in a rush, "Dad travels a lot because of business, and mom works late at the hospital. Even when I was really young, mom was hardly there! I have a nanny, but I don't like her, she's mean to me! She tells me that I'm ugly and that I'm not special, but all I want is to be loved! Can't I have that?"

"I dunno, can you?" asked Apple Bloom pensively.

"I want attention!" Diamond Tiara continued. "You don't know what it's like, Apple Bloom! I am jealous of you with your loving sister, brother, cousins, and grandmother! They give you the love and attention I want from my parents! But no! All I get is Nanny Nutmeg telling me to make myself useful and clean the house! She threatens to take my tiara away!"

"Aw, you poor thing..." Apple Bloom cooed, wiping away an invisible tear. "Your life is terrible, I tell you what. Such trauma."

"I have the kind of life you could write a book about," said Diamond, "The neglected child who picks on everypony, but just wants to be loved. It's tragic!"

"Oh, so tragic!" exclaimed Apple Bloom, and Pinkie blew her nose into a tissue. "I can't think of anypony who has a worse life than you. How can your life possibly get any worse?"

"I know!" said Diamond Tiara with a grateful smile, "I'm glad you see it my way, Apple Bloom! Now... Can you let me go...?" Apple Bloom looked to her mentor, who gave her a wink.

"Your tragedy ain't over just yet, Diamond Tiara," Apple Bloom hissed wickedly, "Maybe we spice it up a little. Give the author of your biography something to really write 'bout."

"What... are you talking about?" Asked Diamond, her smile falling.

"Well, what could be more tragic than a foal that doesn't get attention from her wealthy parents?" said Apple Bloom as Pinkie Pie pushed a cart over to her. She lifted the towel that was covering it, revealing medical tools of many different kinds. Apple Bloom took a scalpel from the cart and calmly journeyed to Diamond Tiara's left side, "How 'bout a foal who lost her Cutie Mark?"

"WHAT?!" Diamond shrieked, struggling as she realized what Apple Bloom was doing.

Unfortunately for her, she was tied down too tightly, and her screams elevated when the scalpel pierced the flesh of her flank. Apple Bloom carved a circle around the tiara Cutie Mark, and then used the blade to pry the skin from the muscle. She then walked to her other flank, repeating the process.

"Maybe I should make somethin from your Cutie Mark just like Miss. Pinkie Pie done with her victims' marks," Apple Bloom pondered thoughtfully, "After all, you hold a very special place in my heart, Diamond Tiara. You're so sweet and thoughtful, and I just can't imagine life without ya." Then she cackled, stabbing Diamond's flank with the scalpel, making the pink filly cry out in pain, "Oh wait, yes I can. And it'll be as sweet as the cupcakes we're gonna make ya into." At this point, Cocoa Bean and Glitter both had their eyes shut tight, not wanting to see the blood.

"Uh oh!" Pinkie Pie gasped, quickly grabbing another scalpel. "No, you guys! You need to watch! Didn't you hear what Diamond Tiara said? She wants attention!" With difficulty, seeing as how the mares were struggling, Pinkie managed to slice off the eyelids of Cocoa Bean and Glitter, then moved their chairs closer to the scene with Diamond Tiara, making sure they could not look away, "Now be good, or I'll be forced to tie your heads in place!"

"Ain't that sweet, Diamond? Now ya got an audience! Ain't that what ya wanted?" Apple Bloom cooed to her hostage. Diamond was horrified at what Pinkie Pie had just done, and she met the eyes of her fellow victims. Their tears were flushing out the blood from their eyes, so she could tell they could see her. Then she looked back at Apple Bloom.

"Please let me go." She whimpered, "I won't pick on you anymore! I just wanted to be like you! Why can't you understand that?"

"Well, princess..." Apple Bloom answered, dramatizing her accent and crossing her eyes, "I guess I ain't so smart, I reckon. I just a poor lil' farm pony who done got no learnin'!" She fixed her gaze back on Diamond Tiara, looking furious, "You should feel special. Normally, we choose a pony's number at random, like we done with Cocoa Bean and Glitter, but I pulled yours out on purpose. You shouldn't have pushed me. Now you're gonna pay."

"Numbers?" Repeated Diamond Tiara as Apple Bloom turned to the cart. "You mean, you do this a lot?!"

"A lot! A lot!" Squeaked Pinkie Pie, bouncing around Cocoa Bean and Glitter, who continued to whimper. "And all three of you have eaten my special cupcakes! Now you know what makes them so super yummy!"

"You mean, the cupcakes at my cute-ceañera were made out of other ponies?!" shrieked Diamond Tiara, and Pinkie nodded enthusiastically.

"You betcha!" The party pony answered, "You loved them, you spoiled brat!" She giggled sickeningly, still bouncing around.

"I didn't help with those cause I had convinced myself that I wasn't comin," Apple Bloom spoke up, sifting through a box, "When I decided that I was gonna go anyway, it was too late. The cupcakes were already made." She yanked the scalpel out of Diamond's leg and set it down, then took out a nail gun she had just loaded, "Ready for some senseless pain?"

"PLEASE DON'T, APPLE BLOOM! I'M SORRY!! I'M SO SORRY!!" Diamond Tiara screamed, writhing against her binds, but it was no use; she was held down too tight. Apple Bloom carefully positioned the gun at her left knee cap and shot a nail right into it. The pink filly wailed again, sobbing hysterically, and Cocoa Bean and Glitter tried desperately to look away.

"Hey!" Pinkie spat, "What did I tell you?!"

She quickly took two wooden planks and wedged them behind their backs, then wrapped duct tape around their heads to attach them to the wood. Now they could not turn their heads. Apple Bloom shot a nail into Diamond's other knee cap, and then both of her elbows. Then she lifted the gun to her jaw where the right joint was.

"I always thought you talked too much," Apple Bloom hissed in her ear, "I'm gonna fix that." Without a second's hesitation, she shot a nail right into the joint. Diamond Tiara was hyperventilating, feeling weak from the pain. Apple Bloom punctured the other joint, and then stood back, admiring the blood oozing from the new wounds, "G'head, say somethin." Diamond Tiara tried to speak, but her words were garbled from the pain in her jaw, "Dang, y'all still talk too much. Guess we gotta resort to desperate measures."

This time, Apple Bloom grabbed a rather large hammer, and Diamond Tiara started trying to plead again. Apple Bloom ignored her as she took aim and struck Diamond's jaw as hard as she could, shattering the bone. Her victim continued to sob and yell as Apple Bloom set the hammer down, and then took out an enormous wrench, beginning to pry Diamond Tiara's jawbone off. She was having a lot of difficulty because it was still attached to the skin.

"Miss. Pinkie Pie, you mind slicin' her skin around her mouth for me?" The filly asked her mentor.

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie answered happily, taking a scalpel and carving into the skin around her mouth and jaw.

It took some extra effort, but she managed to sever the flesh enough for Apple Bloom to pull the bone away. Diamond Tiara's tongue lulled out of her mouth due to the lack of support.

"Here!" Pinkie Pie smiled, and she cut the tongue off completely, throwing it to the floor in front of the other two prisoners.

"Great!" Apple Bloom exclaimed happily, "Now you're much less annoyin." She stared at her bleeding foe for a moment, and then punched her across the face as hard as she could. A massive amount of blood splattered in different directions, and now Diamond Tiara was sporting a black eye, "Oh Celestia, I hate ya so much! I hate Silver Spoon too, but she's a lump of sugar compared to you!" Diamond Tiara continued to sob, feeling weak from pain all over her body.

"Wow! She's not even trying to stay alive!" giggled Pinkie Pie, who quickly pulled a syringe from the cart and injected it into Diamond's chest. Diamond Tiara gave a gurgling gasp that caused her to cough and splutter, as she had inhaled a good deal of her own blood.

"But your party's just started, Diamond!" Apple Bloom whispered, "I ain't done nothin to ya yet!" She took off the tiara she was wearing and stomped on it with her hoof, shattering it. Then she picked up a large shard of metal and jammed it into the eye that had been blackened. It punctured and burst, spilling out even more blood. Cocoa Bean and Glitter screamed into their duct tape, fighting with their restraints, but they still could not look away, "But life's a party to ya, ain't it? Ya have a blast pickin on other foals just because they don't have their Cutie Marks. How did ya even get yours, huh? Suddenly realized your name was 'Diamond Tiara'?"

"'Life's a party...'" Muttered Pinkie Pie to herself, rubbing her chin and looking over at the unfinished banner, "Eureka! Apple Bloom, you're a genius!"

"Why?" Asked the filly. Pinkie Pie took a large paint brush and shoved it briefly into Diamond's mouth, or what was left of it. Then she withdrew it and bounded over to the banner, beginning to paint. She had to keep coming back for more blood, but finally, she managed to write, 'LIFE'S A PARTY' across the stitched hides.

"Of course life is a party!" Pinkie said joyfully, "I'm surprised I didn't think of it sooner!"

"Hmm, ya proved useful after all." Apple Bloom sneered at Diamond Tiara, who was still crying, though she could only see from one eye. She wanted to continue to plead for forgiveness, beg Apple Bloom to save her life, but any sound she tried to make came out as a gurgle. The biggest thing she wanted to say ate away at her the more she thought about her best friend.

Without warning, Apple Bloom screamed with rage and started punching Diamond Tiara in the face multiple times, leaving bruises and cuts as her hooves collided with the skin. She broke off a few of her front teeth, and they clattered to the floor gently. Diamond Tiara was groaning, panting, and crying, stars clouding her already blurred vision.

After quite a vicious beating, Apple Bloom ceased, grabbed a skinning knife from the cart and grinning wide at Diamond Tiara. She pulled a lever next to the table to rotate it so that it was in a laying down position. Then she clambered onto the table and stood over her victim, aiming at her belly.

"I just got another great idea..." She murmured menacingly, "I'm-a gonna make an apron with your Cutie Mark on it. But to do that, I'm gonna need a bit more material." She placed the tool on Diamond's abdomen and slowly dragged it down, peeling away the top layers of flesh. Diamond Tiara groaned in agony, struggling once again at her restraints, "Gotta be careful not to ruin your beautiful fur. I'm gonna have ta use a lot of stain remover to get these blood stains out."

It took quite a bit of time and another adrenaline shot for Apple Bloom to successfully remove enough skin to make herself a small apron. She set the pieces aside to dry, and Diamond whimpered as the air stung her skinless front. Apple Bloom leaned down and blew some air on the raw muscle, making her victim flinch.

"Yes, that hurts, don't it?" Apple Bloom giggled, "No pain, no gain!" She climbed off of the table and started setting up something new on her cart. Apple Bloom placed a jar of some clear green fluid on a portable hot plate, turning it on and waiting. Diamond Tiara gurgled at Apple Bloom desperately, trying to get her to realize that she wanted to tell her something.

"I think she's trying to speak!" Pinkie Pie said in amazement.

"Even with no jaw and tongue, ya still won't shut up!" Apple Bloom snarled, raising her hoof to punch her again, but Diamond Tiara met Apple Bloom's eyes with her remaining one, trying to make her see that she needed to know what she had to say. Apple Bloom saw this and furrowed her brow, "Miss. Pinkie Pie, may I have a paper and pencil?" Pinkie Pie nodded, quickly retrieving the needed items from a box filled with miscellaneous objects. She gave them to Apple Bloom, who undid the strap holding Diamond Tiara's right arm still. "Ya know how to write with your hoof, right?" Diamond nodded.

With difficulty, seeing as how she was weak, there was a nail in her elbow, and she wasn't used to holding a pencil in her hoof instead of her mouth, Diamond Tiara wrote a messy note on the paper that Apple Bloom held up for her. When she was done, she dropped the pencil, and her arm went limp, panting hard from using so much energy. Apple Bloom squinted at the chicken scratch, but slowly made out the words. She read them aloud.

"'Don't hurt Silver Spoon." She read. With a scoff, Apple Bloom crumpled up the paper and tossed it behind her, glaring down at the damaged filly, "Y'all serious? Ya expect me to just leave her alone? After everythin both of ya done to me? No, Silver Spoon has a number, and if she's good, she'll be picked at random. If not, I'll pull hers on purpose like I did with you." She pulled the lever again, rotating the table about forty five degrees. "I'm impressed though, I didn't think you had the ability to care 'bout somepony other than yourself. I'll make sure to let her know ya tried to save her." There was a gentle bubbling sound, and Apple Bloom turned to the hot plate. Whatever was in the jar had come to a steady boil.

"What's in there?" Pinkie inquired.

"Just some plain ol' olive oil," Apple Bloom replied, "It's good for the skin, or at least that's what Rarity told me once. Amazin how some things ya eat are good for your skin and hair."

"Isn't Rarity a genius?" Pinkie Pie giggled, "She's the one who gave me tips on how to manage my curly hair better! It used to be super straight, but the day I got my Cutie Mark, it poofed up! It was really messy though, I had no idea how to tame it!"

"See, Diamond Tiara?" Apple Bloom asked her captive, "Ya can be wealthy, pretty, and nice. Rarity is a prime example." She sighed melodramatically, "Too bad, so sad, a chance at kindness ya never had." She lowered the temperature on the hot plate to keep the oil from boiling over, and then she dipped in a small wooden spoon, scooping out a small bit of the substance.

Apple Bloom carefully brought the spoon close to Diamond Tiara and dripped the oil on the nail in one of her knee caps. When it touched the nail, the temperature of the metal increased, sending burning pain through Diamond Tiara's leg. She shrieked, though the sound was weak and raspy. Apple Bloom scooped up more oil and did the same to the other knee cap, as well as her elbows. She also dribbled oil along other parts of her skin, including her flank wounds, as well as her skinless belly. Boils and blisters appeared anywhere the hot liquid touched.

The filly stood back, rubbing her chin as she observed her work. She was growing bored, for Diamond Tiara was hardly struggling anymore. She figured she should've held back, but she hated Diamond so much, she was overwhelmed with violent urges. She sighed and turned off the hot plate, grabbing the jar with a cloth and splashing the remaining oil on her victim. Diamond Tiara flinched, but her sounds were almost nonexistent.

"Are you finishing up already?" Asked Pinkie Pie in disappointment.

"I'm not sure what else to do," Apple Bloom replied with a shrug. "I had a few other plans, but she's sure not as fun as I had thought she'd be."

"I think you just got a little enthusiastic." Pinkie Pie explained, "You got carried away! That happened to me a lot when I first started out. You'll learn to manage your time more carefully. In fact, I'll teach you some good techniques when we play with Cocoa Bean and Glitter!"

The aforementioned prisoners whined in despair. Glitter feeling sick to her stomach. She was amazed she hadn't yet vomited; perhaps it was because she knew what came up would have nowhere to go but back down, and she didn't want to suffocate on her own puke.

"I been helpin ya for years, and I'm still nowhere near as good as you," Apple Bloom sighed, beginning to prepare a second syringe. "No wonder I ain't got no Cutie Mark..."

"But I've been doing this since I was your age! I have way more experience!" Pinkie Pie explained confidently, "You'll get your Cutie Mark before you know it, and it'll be the best Cutie Mark anypony has ever seen!"

Apple Bloom smiled, and then shot the syringe into Diamond Tiara's belly. Diamond herself was feeling faint, starting to lose consciousness. Pinkie Pie hit her with a third adrenaline shot, and it woke the filly up by force once again.

"We gonna bring some of these cupcakes to the picnic tomorrow afternoon?" Apple Bloom asked as she waited for the numbing serum to take effect.

"Yep yep yep!" Pinkie replied with a hop, "That's my favorite part about making cupcakes! Sharing them!"

Apple Bloom laughed, looking into Diamond Tiara's bloody face. The poor filly stared right back, her chest heaving as her heart worked overtime to keep her alive.

"My favorite part is the harvest," Apple Bloom said, winking at Diamond. Then she slammed her hoof against one of her damaged knee caps, but there was no reflex response, "Good. Time to get started." Apple Bloom took a scalpel and sliced down Diamond Tiara's torso vertically, then added a horizontal line at the top and bottom, "How's that look, Miss. Pinkie?"

"It's a tiny bit lopsided, but that doesn't matter much," Pinkie Pie answered, then she looked over to Cocoa Bean and Glitter, "Do you guys feel sick?"

They nodded as best they could, and Pinkie ripped the tape from their mouths. They immediately started shrieking.

"LET US GO! PLEASE LET US GO!!" Cocoa cried, tears pouring from her lidless eyes.

"Hey, I'm being nice!" Pinkie Pie said defensively, "I don't want you throwing up and choking to death! Where's the fun in that? So just hush up, this is Apple Bloom's first solo harvest!"

Apple Bloom opened the flaps she had made on Diamond Tiara's torso, and poor Glitter finally wretched. Cocoa Bean groaned, trying to find something else to look at.

"While you're still awake enough to comprehend, I'm gonna let ya in on a little secret." Apple Bloom said to Diamond Tiara as she swiftly began to dissect her, "When I first met ya, I admired you so much. You were pretty, confident, and popular. I figured it was because y'all had your Cutie Mark." She started pulling out the lower intestine, and Pinkie Pie held a bucket for her to set the organs in, "I wanted to be your friend, wanted to hear how ya got it. But ya shoved me off and called me a Blank Flank.

"I expected ya to be the type of pony who would help other foals get their Cutie Marks, but I proved myself that I was a fool for thinkin that. Instead, you were only a little nice to foals who had their marks already. I even remembered you being cold toward Silver Spoon until she got hers. You're so false." After both intestines were piled up in the bucket, Apple Bloom pulled out her liver. Diamond Tiara fell sickened at seeing her own guts being taken away from her, and her vision started to blur again, "We coulda been friends, you and me. Then ya woulda got the kindness and attention you craved so badly. Ya attract more bees with honey than vinegar, ya brat."

"Bees!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as Diamond's pancreas was dropped into the bucket. "Remind me to get some! We can use them on one of our play dates!" Apple Bloom did not smile, but in fact, a tear ran down her face as she removed Diamond Tiara's stomach.

"Ya hurt me so much," She muttered, "Me, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Why? For somethin we can't control? What is wrong with you? Out of the two of us, even though I'm sittin' here pullin' out your entrails, you're still the monster. You brought this upon yourself. My one regret about this whole thing..." She finally grinned wide, and it was the last thing Diamond saw before her vision swam at its maximum intensity, "I regret that I was too rough with ya and this didn't get to last longer." She pressed her hoof to the slowly beating heart. "G'bye, ya sad piece of trash." She pushed with all her might, crushing the heart into a mass of goop, and Diamond Tiara's body fell completely limp.

"Not how I would've done it..." Pinkie Pie started, "But you've got lots to learn. Are you crying?"

Apple Bloom wiped her eyes, smearing blood on her face, "Yeah..." She sniffled, "Not sure if it's cause I'm happy she's gone, or shocked that I just single hoofedly killed somepony."

"Might be both!" Giggled Pinkie, "I guess I should've let you practice a bit before now! Wow, I am a bad mentor! But that ends today, Apple Bloom! I'm going to be more attentive, and you're going to be the best baker this town has seen since... well, since me!"

Apple Bloom smiled at the pink pony, and then glanced over at Glitter and Cocoa Bean. Both were sobbing and covered in vomit, for Cocoa had finally thrown up on herself as well, and Glitter seemed to have lost her stomach a few more times.

"I want Glitter." said Apple Bloom, "And I'm gonna do it right this time. I'm gonna pace myself."

"It might be easier because you won't be blinded by rage!" Pinkie Pie smiled.

"You're right," Apple Bloom agreed with a nod, "I rushed Diamond Tiara because I hated her and wanted her dead. I need to prepare myself for handlin' Silver Spoon, I gotta restrain myself." The filly giggled, "There were so many bad words I wanted to call Diamond Tiara, but then I thought, what would Applejack think if she heard me sayin those things? That's a one way ticket to gettin my mouth washed out with soap!"

"Ew!" Pinkie flinched with a grimace, "No pony likes a potty mouth! Alright, so you want to do Glitter? I'll take Cocoa Bean then!" The two bakers turned their attention on the tied up mares, who whimpered and struggled even more. Glitter met the eyes of the yellow filly, who was grinning evilly...

Apple Bloom's tears had stopped.