It was a cool autumn day, and the sun was shining brightly, the heat of summer was finally dying down and the trees had shifted a few shades warmer. It was a normal afternoon for the citizens of Ponyville, vendors sold anything from furniture to juicy fruit and the sweet smell of cupcakes was emanating from Sugarcube Corner.
The school bell rang and in an instant, foals of all shapes and sizes both galloped and trotted out of the building. Three foals in particular were among the former group. The CMC, as they were called, ran as fast as their little legs could carry them.
Minutes later, the three friends barged into their clubhouse, giggling wildly. They had to wait a bit to calm down and catch their breaths, but very quickly one raised her hoof.
"So, what'd you wanna show us, Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked, pointing at the bag that Scootaloo was already removing.
"Yeah," Sweetie Belle nodded, panting. "You made it sound like it was some beautiful gem or something, so it must be great!"
"Hold on girls," Scootaloo said, placing the bag on the ground.
She'd carried it with her all day, teasing her classmates about the supposedly 'epic' contents inside. She only planned on showing her friends, though. She pulled open the flap and peered inside, taking a deep breath as a smile spread across her face.
"Okay, you guys can look now, but you have to Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony!"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle did a quick Pinkie Promise, eager to see the treasure that their friend was do proud of. They sat next to Scootaloo and looked inside, unsure what to expect.
Whatever mystical things the two had imagined over the day, they did not compare to what their eyes landed on. Not in a good way, either. No, what Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were currently looking at, had to be the most anti-climactic thing they'd ever seen.
"A drawing? You teased us all day for a drawing?" Sweetie Belle deadpanned.
"It's not a drawing! Look!" Scootaloo said defensively, she grabbed the thing and held it up to eye level.
It was Rainbow Dash's cutie mark, it looked exactly like the real thing! Except...
"Look Scoot, we know y'all like Rainbow Dash and all, but hyping up a drawing of--"
"--It's not a drawing! It's the real thing!!" Scootaloo suddenly said, both offended and excited.
She turned it around, showing that the other side was all read with little strands hanging off of it. It had been perfectly preserved, not wet or sticky or anything that would cause a mess.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle eyed it curiously. Apple Bloom opened her mouth to speak, but Sweetie Belle beat her to it.
"You mean it's her actual cutie mark? Like, from her actual flank?" she looked disgusted and confused.
"Yeah!!" Scootaloo said, hugging the colorful side to her chest. "Pinkie Pie gave it to me! She said Rainbow Dash would've wanted me to have it, but she made me Pinkie Promise that I wouldn't tell anypony!"
Apple Bloom looked skeptical. "But wait, you just told us, didn't ya? Doesn't that mean--"
"--Oh don't worry about that, Pinkie Pie said as long as I make you girls Pinkie Promise, it wouldn't count!"
"Will y'all stop interrupting me!" Apple Bloom snapped, causing the other two to blush.
"But wait, how did Pinkie Pie get Rainbow Dash's cutie mark?" Sweetie asked, still looking grossed out.
"She cut it off of her, duh," Scootaloo said with a roll of her eyes.
"But wouldn't that hurt?" Sweetie Belle asked, her eyes widening.
"Pinkie Pie said that it only hurt her a little, like ripping off a band aid!" Scootaloo answered.
She began to explain what exactly had happened, her two friends staying quiet and listening with interest.
It was the day before and school had just ended. Apple Bloom had to help Applejack with something, so that left Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle alone. The two didn't think it would be fair to go crusading without Apple Bloom, so Sweetie Belle just headed home.
Scootaloo had gotten a bit of a sweet tooth and had decided to venture to Sugarcube Corner, but for some reason it was closed. Despite this, Scootaloo snuck inside anyways, hoping that her status as Rainbow Dash's --self-proclaimed-- little sister would earn her a milkshake anyways.
"Pinkie Pie? Are you in here?" Scootaloo called out, but the building seemed completely empty.
She searched around for a bit, before something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. There was a rug on the floor behind the counter. Normally it was smooth, but right now a corner was crinkled, revealing a slab of metal. Scootaloo pulled the rug away and was surprised to find that the metal was a trapdoor, she didn't know that Sugarcube Corner had a cellar! Her childish curiosity got the better of her and she opened the door, trotting down the staircase into the darkness. Scootaloo was sliding her hoof against the wall, looking for a light, when something metal clattered and she heard a gasp.
"Hello?" Scootaloo asked, confused.
She was about halfway down the stairs and her eyes were only just starting to adjust to the darkness, she could barely make out a figure in the center of the room.
"Pinkie Pie?" Scootaloo asked, as she descended a gross metallic scent entered her mouth and nostrils.
She gagged and covered her hoof with her mouth, squinting in the darkness as she reached the bottom of the stairs. The pony was a lot clearer now, she could make out bright blue eyes and poofy hair.
"Pinkie Pie? I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here! It was wrong of me to sneak in..." she was only apologizing because she'd been caught, but adults usually bought it.
"Scootaloo?" Pinkie Pie asked, her voice was soft and shaky.
"Yeah, it's me. Hey Pinkie, what's that awful smell?" Scootaloo asked, looking around the room.
Her eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness, so as she looked around, she was able to see a lot of detail she hadn't before. Like how there were skulls hanging from the walls, weird looking balloons and a table in the center of the room with pony heads. She was confused, she'd never seen such decorations before, maybe this was Pinkie's party planning room? Scootaloo then noticed a banner hanging above, with the words "Life Is a Party" written in red.
Scootaloo looked at Pinkie Pie, who was wearing a dress with weird patterns, a necklace of colorful spiral things, and six pegasus wings on her back. "Pinkie Pie, what are you wearing?"
Pinkie looked down at herself, then she suddenly came to her senses. "Oh! Um, nothing special, er- just a special party dress!" she said, grinning madly.
Scootaloo squinted. "Wait, wha--"
"--Scootaloo! You aren't bothered by what you see down here?" Pinkie Pie suddenly asked, gesturing to the whole room with a hoof.
Scootaloo looked around again, then she shook her head. "Nah, you're Ponyville's primary party planner, I guess it makes sense you have a super-secret party planning cave," Scootaloo thought for a second, then smiled. "Like Batmare!" she cheered.
Pinkie sighed in relief, then she smiled down at the little pegasus. She was about to speak, but then Scootaloo piped up.
"Hey Pinkie, what are those?" she asked, pointing a hoof at Pinkie's necklace.
"Oh, these? They're unicorn horns, silly!" Pinkie giggled.
"Really? Cool, I didn't know unicorns could remove their horns!"
"Well, you see--"
"--Hey Pinkie! Can I have one, I wanna be an alicorn! Pretty pleeeaasee?" Scootaloo begged.
"That's not quite how it words, sorry!" Pinkie gave a sheepish grin.
"Aww," Scotaloo sighed.
"Hey, Scoot--"
"--Hey Pinkie, are these real pony heads?" Scootaloo had trotted over to the table in the center of the room and was prodding at one of the heads with a hoof.
"They're--"
"--Holy cow! Is that Diamond Tiara!?" Scootaloo gasped, lifting up the bully's head to her eye level.
"Scootaloo!" Pinkie cried, exasperated.
"Huh?" Scootaloo set Diamon Tiara's head down and turned to face Pinkie, a confused smile on her face.
Pinkie took a deep breath, her smile as sweet and friendly as ever. "Scootaloo, would like Rainbow Dash's cutie mark?" she asked.
Scootaloo gaped and for a second, Pinkie's heart jumped into her stomach. But then, Scootaloo explained: "I'd love to have Dash's cutie mark!!"
Pinkie giggled; she turned around walked over to a counter that she'd been at when Scootaloo had entered the basement. She messed with some things on the countertop for a second, before she turned back around, holding one of Rainbow Dash's cutie marks in her hoof.
Scootaloo stared, mouth agape, until after a few agonizing moments she made a loud gasp. "Is that!?" She gasped again, then she zoomed over and snatched the mark from Pinkie.
She held it up to eye level and a girlish squeal rose in her throat, then she looked at Pinkie questioningly.
"You can have it, but only if you Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony!" Pinkie said with a nod.
"Cross my-- Wait! Can I tell my friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle? Just them, please?"
"Hmm," Pinkie sat down, tapping her hoof against her chin as she thought about it. "Sure thing! But only if you make them Pinkie Promise as well!" she finally said, giving Scootaloo a wide grin.
"Yes!" Scootaloo cheered.
She turned and galloped toward the stairs, causing Pinkie Pie to shoot to her hooves in alarm.
"Scootaloo, wait!!" Pinkie called, frantic.
Scootaloo skidded to a stop, holding Rainbow Dash's cutie mark with her teeth. She looked over her shoulder at Pinkie, very confused.
"Can you just hold on a second? There's something we really need to discuss!" Pinkie Pie pleaded.
Scootaloo nodded, she trotted back to Pinkie and plopped down, cradling Dash's cutie mark as if it were a baby.
"Okay, first things first, how did you get in here?" Pinkie Pie asked, concerned.
"Oh, right! I saw the corner of the trap door from where the rug was crumpled, I was really curious, so I came down here," she blushed and looked away, ashamed. "I was kinda hoping for some brand-new super-secret treats, I'm sorry for coming in even though the shop was closed!"
Pinkie Pie looked up toward the stairs, then she told Scootaloo to wait a moment while she re-covered the trap door and made sure it was shut tight. Once their privacy was confirmed, she sat back down in front of Scootaloo and continued their discussion.
"I'm sorry about that, I was so excited to play with Dashie that I must not have noticed the door wasn't completely covered! I really do need to be more careful," Pinkie sighed.
"Why? Are you afraid ponies will steal your party plans?" Scootaloo looked confused.
Pinkie Pie eyed her for a second, then she spoke. "Scootaloo, are you really not bothered by all of this?"
Scootaloo scoffed. "Really, Pinkie? It's just some weird decorations, I mean sure it's really dark in here, but I don't get why you're so worried!"
"What about Diamond Tiara's head? Or the organ balloons?" Pinkie asked.
"What about it? Diamond Tiara sucks, kinda serves her right to be headless! She's gonna get SO made fun of at school now, we'll call her 'headless diamond'" Scootaloo snickered.
Pinkie Pie just blinked, then she grinned wide, a psychotic glee entering her eyes. "You're right! She WAS mean, she deserved it!" Pinkie giggled. "But listen closely, okay? Not all ponies are like you and me, if ponies find out what I'm doing down here, they'll get mad, and the royal guard will take me away!"
Scootaloo looked confused, her ears lowering. "Why would they do that? Seems a little extreme for a weird party room and a dumb prank."
"Scootaloo, do you know what murder is?" Pinkie asked, biting her lip.
Scootaloo crossed her eyes and scrunched up her nose, but no matter how hard she thought, she could not recall that specific word. "Um, no? I've never heard that word before."
"Murder is when a pony takes away the life of another, it's what I do down here for fun! It doesn't hurt them, taking off the cutie mark is just like ripping off a band aid! Plus, it's super-duper fun! I don't make the rules, I have to kill ponies! It's my job, it's just as much as my destiny as throwing parties and baking!" Pinkie explained.
Scootaloo was a bit confused, she had no idea what Pinkie was talking about, but she understood that Pinkie Pie was worried about what she thought. "It's okay Pinkie, I don't get it, but if it's the rules then you can't disobey them."
"I understand that you're confused, that's actually a good thing! See, Princess Celestia takes such good care of Equestria, that there's only been a hoof full of murderers in history! Due to how rare it is, most ponies think that killing ponies is a very bad thing! But they're WRONG!!" Pinkie suddenly got loud, making Scootaloo flinch.
"You're right, Pinkie, I know you would never hurt your friends! Besides, Rainbow Dash can live with only one cutie mark!"
"Exactly!! I didn't hurt Dashie, I didn't! We had SOOO much fun together! Now she'll be with me forever and I'll never have to worry about her abandoning me! And look how happy you are to have her cutie mark, I'm not a bad pony, it's the others that are in the wrong!!" Pinkie Pie was manic.
Scootaloo nodded quickly, she felt uneasy, but she wasn't sure why.
"It's so much fun, Scootaloo! Plus, like I said, it's the rules! I don't make the rules and I can't break the rules, so that's why I was so super scared that you'd be mad! But now that I know you're just like me, I don't have to worry! But that's why it's so important that you don't tell anypony!" Pinkie Pie panted; her thoughts unorganized as they raced through her head almost as fast as her heartbeat.
Scootaloo was scared, she'd never seen Pinkie this weird before. She gave Pinkie Pie her best smile, hoping it would calm her down. "It's okay Pinkie! I already Pinkie Promised I wouldn't tell any pony except for Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, remember? If it's really that important, then I'll help you m-murder ponies!" she had to sound the word out, having never said it before.
Pinkie suddenly lunged forward and swept Scootaloo up in a big hug, twirling the foal around the room like a doll. "Yipee! I'm so glad I have a friend I can rely on! Hey, if you're feeling up to it, you can stop by tomorrow and we can kill somepony together!"
Scootaloo eeped at the sudden contact, cringing as Pinkie spun around the room. "S-Sure thing, Pinkie Pie! Now can you PLEASE let me go!?"
Pinkie placed Scootaloo down and she scampered over to where she'd dropped Rainbow Dash's cutie mark, hugging the thing tightly to her chest as she trembled. She eyed Pinkie Pie wearily, who in turn just sat there and stared at her with a big smile. After a moment in silence, Scootaloo had calmed herself down enough to stand.
"I'm gonna go home now, okay? I'll see you tomorrow..." Scootaloo said, forcing a smile.
"Okie dokie lokie! By then, Rainbow Dash should be presentable!" Pinkie nodded, a creepy, eager look in her eye.
Hearing that got Scootaloo exited, and she began trotting up the stairs with Dash's cutie mark in her teeth.
"Oh, Scootaloo, one more thing!" Pinkie called, raising a hoof.
"What now?" Scootaloo asked with a roll of her eyes.
"Please hide Rainbow Dash's cutie mark, if somepony see's you with it they might get mad! Don't show it to anypony except for your two friends!" Pinkie Warned, though she was still smiling brightly.
"Right, sorry! I'll look for a sack or something upstairs," After that, Scootaloo exited the cellar.
"And that's how I got Rainbow Dash's cutie mark!" Scootaloo finished her explanation, giving the thing a big kiss.
"Wow, that was quite a story!" Apple Bloom said.
The three foals had gotten pillows to lay on during the story, it had taken around an hour for Scootaloo to explain due to her rambling a lot, but nopony minded because it was obvious was just really excited.
"I dunno, Scootaloo, that sounds kinda scary! Especially the part where she hugged you," Sweetie Belle shivered.
"Oh please! Sure, I was little creeped out, but eventually I realized that's dumb! Pinkie Pie is the nicest pony in ponyville, she'd never hurt anypony!" Scootaloo said dismissively.
"Well, about the whole 'murder' thing, that kinda sounds like death. Applejack said that death is when a critter stops breathing and needs to be buried, and sometimes when ponies get really old. It's permanent."
"It's not death!" Scootaloo said, hugging Rainbow's mark to her chest again. "It's just, um, murder! Pinkie Pie said it's taking the life another pony."
"I agree with Scootaloo, if it were death, then why would Diamond Tiara's head be on a table instead of in the ground?" Sweetie Belle said, rubbing her hoof against her chin.
"Yeah exactly! I bet Pinkie's just hiding it from her so that she can't find it, she might even give it back if we get Diamond to apologize!" Scootaloo nodded, triumphantly.
"But wait, it's her head though, wouldn't that mean she can see where she is? Unless she was blindfolded..." Sweetie Belle said with a frown.
"Uh, remember when I said it was really dark in there? Plus, the cellar is secret, so she wouldn't know where it is! Duh!" Scootaloo rolled her eyes.
"Well, I do have to admit, seeing Diamond Tiara walking around headless and bumping into things will be awfully funny! Hey, maybe that's why she hasn't been to school all week, she must be so embarrassed!" Applebloom said, and the three of them giggled.
"Anyways, now that you girls are all caught up, let's head to Sugarcube corner so we can help Pinkie kill somepony!"
"Do you think that will get us our cutie marks!?" Sweetie Belle suddenly gasped.
"It might!" Scootaloo said.
The three of them stood, all sharing wide grins.
"YEAH! CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS KILLERS!!" They exclaimed with a hoof bump, before landing on all fours again.
"What's all noise about, girls?" Applejack asked as she poked her head into the clubhouse, a platter of snacks balanced on her back.
The three gasped and twirled around to look at Applejack, Scootaloo gave her friends a nervous glance, but they smiled back at her.
"Oh, um, just crusader stuff, sis!" Apple Bloom said, pawing at the ground with a hoof.
Applejack raised a brow; she knew full well that tone meant they were getting up to no good. "Now girls, I don't like raining on yer parade, but as the adult it's my responsibility to make sure y'all don't get hurt."
Then, Sweetie Belle beamed as an idea struck her. "It's okay, miss Applejack! We're just nervous because we're going to go help Pinkie Pie bake cupcakes, and we're worried we might fail again!"
"Yeah! Baking isn't exactly Apple Bloom's forte, ya know!" Scootaloo said, elbowing her friend playfully.
"Hey," Apple Bloom deadpanned.
"Baking? Didn't you try that already, Bloom?" Applejack asked.
"Baking takes practice, okay!" Apple Bloom said, raising a hoof in the air in agitation.
"Well alright, but be back by sundown, okay?" Applejack said as she exited the club house, finally allowing the girls a sigh of relief.
"Let's get going, before somepony else bothers us!" Scootaloo hissed, worried.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders galloped out of their base and through the orchard, heading toward the town and the place where their lives would change forever.
Pinkie Pie had just finished securing an unconscious mare to the table in her basement, when the hidden door flung open and three excited voices echoed in the stale air. Pinkie nearly jumped out of her skin when it happened, swiping a kitchen knife and twirling around just in time to see three little ponies trot down the stairs.
"Wow, I forgot how dark it is in here!" came Scootaloo's voice, which calmed Pinkie down.
"Oh, girls! You scared me, haha, I didn't expect all three of you!" Pinkie said, placing the knife against her chest and sighing.
Sweetie Belle illuminated her horn, showing that the three of them were making gagging faces.
"I also forgot how much it smells down here," Scootaloo said, covering her mouth with a hoof.
"Well, you know, we are killing ponies down here!" Pinkie Pie giggled.
She realized that the hatch was still open, so she bolted upstairs and made sure it was locked tight and hidden. When she came back down, she noticed that the light was on, and she smiled at Sweetie Belle.
"That's better!" Sweetie said as she deactivated her magic, though as she and Apple Bloom looked around, they gained nervous expressions.
"Wow Pinkie, these sure are, um, interesting decorations!" Apple Bloom said, eyeing the organ balloons in particular.
"I'm glad you like them!" Pinkie Pie said, placing the knife back onto the counter.
"They're okay but, look over here!" Scootaloo said, catching her friends' interest.
She stood in the corner of the room by the table, standing on her hind legs and holding Diamond Tiara's head to face her friends. They both stared for a moment, confusion but no fear in their expressions. They were starting to get used to the strangeness all around them.
"You were really telling the truth; I didn't know a pony could remove their head like that!" Apple Bloom giggled, her words brought a smile to Sweetie Belle's face and they both relaxed.
"Well, actually--" Pinkie started, but she was interrupted by Apple Bloom.
"Hey Diamond, where's yer body?" Apple Bloom snickered, she'd walked over to Scootaloo and was prodding Diamond Tiara's cheek with her hoof.
"Yeah Diamond, you look just plain silly without it!" Sweetie Belle giggled as well. "So small and helpless, like how you always make us feel!"
Scootaloo placed Diamond's head on the floor and the three fillies poked it a bit, but they frowned when they got no response.
"Maybe she's sleeping?" Sweetie Belle said.
"Yeah, now that I think about it, she was quiet yesterday too!" Scootaloo said, confused.
"Diamond Tiara, wake up!" Apple Bloom yelled right into her face, but Diamond Tiara's eyes remained shut.
"Ahem, girls?" Pinkie said softly, catching the three's attention. "I killed her, remember? She can't speak because she's dead!" she said, her smile widening.
It felt naughty for her to say these things, she'd never had anypony to talk to about her secret before.
Apple Blooms frown deepened, and as comprehension dawned, so did the others. Then, Apple Bloom snapped at Scootaloo.
"See! I told you it was death!" she said, but she sounded proud instead of upset.
"You're so petty!" Scootaloo said, flaring her wings.
"Ah am not!" Apple Bloom said, getting nose to nose with Scootaloo.
"Girls, stop it!" Sweetie Belle forced herself in-between the two, holding out her arms as she stood on her back legs. "Apple Bloom, you said death is permanent, right? Think about it! That means we'll never have to deal with her bullying again!" she said, an excited grin on her face.
"That's the way to think!" Pinkie Pie cheered, leaning on the torture table.
"But wait, you also said that death means a pony needs to be buried, so why is Diamond Tiara's head on a table?" Scootaloo asked.
"Come to think of it, why is her head separated from her body?" Sweetie Belle asked thoughtfully.
The three of them turned to face Pinkie Pie, who had a nervous grin on her face. That's when they finally noticed the pony strapped to the table that Pinkie was next to. She was an earth pony with a light-yellow coat, her main and tail were blue with a pink stripe and very curly. Her cutie mark was three pieces of striped candy, the girls almost instantly recognized her.
"Hey, isn't that miss Bon Bon?" Sweetie Belle asked, confusion painting her innocent face.
"Mhm!" Pinkie nodded; she didn't like where this was going.
"She's a baker from the other side of town, right? Why is she here?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Weeell, I thought I would bring in an earth pony for your first time! That's what I started with, once you master the earth pony then we can move on to unicorns and pegasi," Pinkie said, brushing off the question.
"I asked why she was here though, like, why her specifically? Far as I know, she's nice!" Apple Bloom said, raising a brow at the pink pony.
"She IS nice!" Sweetie piped up. "Rarity brings home sweets from her all the time, what was it she said? Bon Bon's Bakery is rising in popularity because of how affordable it is?" she scratched her chin.
"My sweets are affordable!" Pinkie suddenly snapped, causing the fillies to flinch back.
"I mean, they're affordable for what they're worth! I use some real high-quality stuff, Bon Bon on the other hoof gets her ingredients imported from Manehattan. That stuff can take up to a week to arrive, oh AND I bet she leaves her sweets out for display over night!" Pinkie Pie made a gagging motion, but she suddenly smiled brightly when she noticed how her rant had frightened the fillies.
"It's okay girls, we're here to have fun, remember? Let's not dwell on the petty stuff!" her grin twitched after a moment of the three staying huddled together, then she got an idea. "You three can't really complain about my reasoning, you all wanted Diamond Tiara dead, riiiight? That's kinda petty too, you know."
"Pinkie Pie's right, let's not let it bother us, okay?" Scootaloo gulped, forcing a small smile.
"Yeah, who cares why she's here, it's not like we'll be hurting her or anything," Sweetie Belle reasoned.
"Well, sure, ah guess. Pinkie's right, now that I think about it, I am glad Diamond Tiara is dead! I mean, sure it would've been awfully funny to watch her walk around headless, but hey at least she can't bother us no more!" Apple Bloom said, smiling and causing the others to smile as well.
"That's my girls!" Pinkie cheered.
Just then, Bon Bon's eyes begun to flutter. She shifted slowly and groaned, catching her captor's attention.
"Hehe, look who's finally waking up!" Pinkie said.
"Hey Pinkie, why is she strapped down?" Scootaloo asked, she and her friends were now standing behind their mentor.
"To prevent her from escaping, duh!" Pinkie Pie laughed.
"Hmm?" Bon Bon moaned, struggling to open her eyes. Her whole body felt heavy, her groggy mind not fully registering what the voices were saying.
"Why would she try to escape?" Sweetie Belle asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Scootaloo did explain why it's so important not to tell anypony about this, right?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Hhwhaa?" Bon Bon asked, shaking her head slowly as the fog began to fade away.
"Well, yeah, of course! Ponies will get mad, right? I'm still not sure why they would though, it's the rules!" Apple Bloom said with a confirmative nod.
Bon Bon's ears were perked, and she was listening to the conversation now, although barely since she wasn't fully conscious yet. But enough of it was seeping in that her interest was piqued. She tried to sit up, but was confused to find that she couldn't. She became aware that she was lying at a diagonal angle on a hard metal surface, and as she struggled to move her growing panic made the fogginess clear quicker.
"It's super duper important NOT to tell anypony because they won't understand the rules, they'll think that I'm hurting ponies and that killing is bad! But I HAVE to kill ponies in order to get my super ultra-special ingredient, it's INSIDE every pony and I have to get it out of them to make my high-quality sweets!" Pinkie was exasperated, the excitement of the impending kill and the thrill of confessing her sins was slowly eating away at her sanity.
Bon Bon grunted, then she fully opened her eyes and tried looking around. The light from above made her wince and she tried to cover her eyes, but she realized with much more clarity that she could not move. Panic started to bubble to the surface, after a moment she was finally able to see her surroundings.
"Welcome back, Bonnie!" Pinkie giggled manically.
Her smile nearly split her face and her pupils had shrunk to half their original size. A couple of strands popped free from her mane, and she was so excited she couldn't keep still, bouncing on her hooves a hundred times a minute.
"P-Pinkie Pie? What's going on? Why can't I move?" Bon Bon asked in her Manehattan accent, her eyes darting around the room as she took in the gruesome decor.
She didn't know why, but something about it plus the coppery smell made her very uncomfortable. Her grown up instincts were telling her this is wrong and that she should run away, something that didn't affect the CMC due to their age. That's when she noticed the CMC, seeing them somehow both calmed her down and disturbed her more.
"Sweetie Belle? You're Rarity's sister, right? I don't know your friends' names, but I remember Rarity talking about you three. W-What kind've mischief are you up to this t-time?" she forced a little smile, despite Pinkie Pie's unblinking carnivores gaze was making her tremble.
"We're gonna help miss Pinkie Pie kill you!" Scootaloo said, her and the others brimming with happiness.
"Wh-What does that mean?" Bon Bon asked, looking to Pinkie for answers.
She nearly shrieked when she got a good look at the pink pony, Pinkie Pie's earlier appearance had intensified tenfold, and she now looked like a rabid dragon ready to strike. If dragons smiled while hunting, that is. Pinkie's smile stretched all the way up to her ears, one of which flicked occasionally, matching her twitching eyelid.
"So, Pinkie Pie, what do we do first?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I usually remove the pony's cutie mark first, if she were a pegasus or a unicorn we would then take off her wings or horn!" Pinkie answered, nodding.
"Take off the wings? But we need those to fly!" Scootaloo said, her wings clamping against her body as she looked unsure.
"You can't fly when your dead, silly!" Pinkie cackled.
The word 'dead' sparked a new light of terror in Bon Bon, she'd heard that word once before. A couple of years ago, before she'd moved to Ponyville. She'd found a cold and stiff rat in her apartment; she had taken it to a vet and the veterinarian told her it was dead. It had died, that was death, when something went cold and unmoving, no longer aware of the world and to be buried in the ground. But Bon Bon wasn't dead! She was a perfectly healthy pony, still in her prime and almost ready to have a baby with her wife!
"Wait!" Bon Bon suddenly said, startling the four ponies in front of her. "I'm not dead! I'm alive, not dead, I h-haven't deathed-- Er, died! Please don't bury me in the ground!!"
Pinkie Pie stifled her giggle with a hoof. "Oh, silly Bonnie! You're right, you're not dead yet!" she swiped a scalpel off of the counter, holding it up to eyelevel so her victim could see it reflect the light. "But you will be soon~!" she sing-songed.
"Wh-What?" Bon Bon squeaked, confused and utterly horrified.
"Now girls, watch very closely! It's important that you don't damage the cutie mark when cutting it off, it's a lot harder than it looks because the pony will struggle a lot," Pinkie said, gently pressing the blade against Bon Bon's flank.
"W-Wait, you mean you're going to cut off my cutie mark? Won't that hur--" she didn't get to finish her sentence, for she'd interrupted herself with a sudden scream as the blade bit into her sensitive flesh.
All at once the Cutie Mark Crusaders cringed, taking a few steps back as their ears pulled back. Bon Bon continued screaming as Pinkie Pie forced the scalpel to move, it's razor-sharp edge slicing through her flank like butter. Pinkie cut in a very slow circular motion, taking her time to draw out her victim's pain for as long as possible.
"Gotta take it nice and slow so that you don't mess up!" she lied through her teeth, in reality she just wanted to hear the melodic screams that echoed throughout the room.
"Pinkie Pie! That sounds like you're really hurting her!" Scootaloo said, concerned for Bon Bon's wellbeing.
"It's okay girls! I told you that ponies will think that I'm hurting them, but I promise we're doing this for the good of Equestria!" Pinkie Pie said.
The three little fillies watched as the scalpel drew a red line in Bon Bon's flank, her skin starting to peel away as it was cut from her body. Once Pinkie finished the circle, she positioned the blade flat, pressing it into the red tinted flesh. Then, even slower than the first move, she slid the scalpel under the cutie mark and cut through the remaining tissue that connected the patch of flesh to the muscle.
Bon Bon's screams were so loud that her throat began to feel sore, a white-hot pain spreading out from her wound and shooting all throughout her leg as the sadistic killer pulled her cute mark away. The CMC had sicklied looks on their faces as blood squirted from the open wound, they'd never seen something so grotesque before.
"There we go! Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Pinkie Pie asked to nopony in particular.
She placed the cutie mark on the counter, gore side up. Then she turned to smile at her new apprentices. But she was confused to find that they'd backed up all the way to the center table and were huddled against each other. She frowned, genuine concern crossing her eyes for a second.
"Scootaloo? Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? What's wrong you guys?"
"M-Miss Pinkie Pie, why did she scream like that?" Scootaloo asked, her eyes wide and her voice trembling.
"Because she doesn't want to be here, duh!" Pinkie said, giving a nervous little laugh.
"Y-You hurt her, that was real pain! That wasn't like a band aid coming off, you really h-hurt her!" Sweetie Belle said, hugging onto Scootaloo.
"Girls, please! I promise Bonnie's gonna be fine! It's the rules, remember!? You can't break the rules! Now come over here. Scootaloo, I need your help!" Pinkie practically pleaded with them, honestly hoping they'd trust her.
"P-Pinkie Pie!" Bon Bon wailed. "P-Please, please let me go! I d-don't know what I did to d-deserve this, but I'm sorry! I'm s-s-so sorry!!" she was crying, hyperventilating, her leg shook uncontrollably as the air touched her bare muscle and made it spasm over and over again.
"Here, I have an idea!" Pinkie said.
She walked over to the counter and grabbed a couple of wash cloths, then she returned to the torture table and stuffed a bundle of them in Bon Bon's mouth. She struggled and moaned, hot tears leaking from her eyes and dripping from her flushed cheeks as she desperately struggled to get away.
"There! Now you won't hear her fake screams! Does that help?" when Pinkie got no response, she sighed. "Scootaloo, come on! It's the rules, you know that! You have to remove her other cutie mark, I promise we're not actually hurting her, we're doing something REALLY good right now!"
Scootaloo gulped. "P-Pinkie Promise?"
Pinkie Pie's eyelid twitched, then she gave a wide grin. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" she did the motion and everything, which seemed to calm the three fillies a bit.
Everypony knew that you couldn't break a Pinkie Promise, nopony ever had! Not even Pinkie Pie, even though she was the one who invented it. What the fillies didn't know, however, was that Pinkie had used her left hoof just then, which meant it wasn't a true Pinkie Pie Promise...
Scootaloo slowly walked over to where Pinkie and Bon Bon were, she took the scalpel from Pinkie and gently pressed it against Bon Bon's other flank. The weeping mare struggled some more, fresh tears streaming down her face, but Pinkie Pie did her best to hold her still.
"Hey Scootaloo? After this, we can kill Silver Spoon!" Pinkie gave the most genuine grin she could in her advanced state of insanity.
"Really?" now that caught Scootaloo's attention.
Pinkie nodded, giving the other two crusaders that same smile. Scootaloo wiped her tears away and smiled softly at her friends as well. They were still unsure, but they did their best to smile back, that was good news after all. Scootaloo looked back at the task at hoof, she tightened her grip on the blade and finally pressed it into Bon Bon's flesh. Her hoof was shaky due to uncertainty and inexperience, but she managed to cut a lopsided circle around Bon Bon's cutie mark. She did what Pinkie had done with the blade placed horizontally, and she was pleased to find that the gag really helped dampen Bon Bon's 'fake' screams. When she finally removed the cutie mark, she held it up to show to Pinkie Pie.
"Did I do a good job?" Scootaloo asked, although she was certain the answer was no.
"It's shaky and a bit lopsided, but you'll improve over time!" Pinkie Pie beamed with pride, giving Scootaloo a little pat on the head. "Rainbow Dash would be so proud, you know!"--Pinkie suddenly gasped--"Oh right, I almost forgot! Dashie's ready to see you, I'll go get her, okay? Do whatever you want to Bon Bon in the meantime!"
Pinkie gently placed the cutie mark on the counter next to the first one, then she zoomed into another room of the cellar. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walked up to Scootaloo, who had her front hooves on the counter and was looking around in awe. The three were surprised to find a large variety of tools, weapons, and medical instruments. Scootaloo grabbed a large kitchen knife and held it up, the light glinting off of the blade as her magenta eyes reflected in it.
"What are ya gonna do?" Apple Bloom asked, curious, yet a bit concerned.
"Rainbow Dash always said that its what's in a pony's heart that matters. But I never really got it, how am I useful as a pegasus if I can't even use my wings? Well, I've always wondered what's so important about the heart, I've only ever seen drawings of it!" Scootaloo said, looking at Bon Bon with a sadistic little smirk.
"Ain't that good enough, though?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Nah, I wanna see what it really looks like, what's so important about a dumb heart..." Scootaloo approached Bon Bon, who was whimpering and thrashing wildly in her restraints.
Scootaloo stopped for a second to really think about what she was going to do, a dead Bon Bon meant no more sweets from the other side of town.
She turned to her friends one last time and said, "Hey, girls? Let's only eat Pinkie's goodies from now on, we're gonna kill 'Bonnie', after all," then she suddenly turned around and lunged at the helpless mare, stabbing the knife into her fuzzy chest.
Bon Bon screamed into her gag, but it was no use, the remaining sanity had left Scootaloo's eyes mere moments ago and now she was plunging the blade into the mare over and over again. She didn't know exactly what to do, but she realized she should probably be cutting instead of stabbing. So, she used all of her strength to wedge the blade into her victims blood-soaked chest, sliding it in until it reached the hilt. Then, grunting, she dug through the red tinted fur. Drawing a dark red line in Bon Bon's rapidly panting chest, until she had a messy circle.
She pulled the knife out with much effort and was rewarded with a view of the beautiful rubies dripping from the shiny blade. She tried to carve through Bon Bon's chest like she'd done with the flank, but it was thicker here, and she only managed to peel off a thin layer. Grunting in frustration, Scootaloo buried the knife in Bon Bon's chest again, only to stop when a shrill scream echoed throughout the basement.
Scootaloo hadn't enough time to look up before her world became a blur, she felt herself be yanked off of her Victim and suddenly the room was spinning around her, her bloodstained face being pressed onto a pink furred chest.
"P-Pinkie!?" Scootaloo screeched, trying desperately to get out of the crazy mares grasp.
"OH SCOOTALOO! I'M SO VERY PROUD OF YOU!!! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE, YOU'RE JUST LIKE ME, JUST. LIKE. ME!!!" Pinkie Pie wee'd and woo-hooed as she snuggled the little pegasus, practically crushing Scootaloo into herself.
Finally, Scootaloo had, had enough. "Pinkie, put me DOWN!!" she swung the knife wildly and it sliced Pinkie in the side, causing her to gasp and drop Scootaloo.
"Ow! That wasn't very nice!" Pinkie said, rubbing her wound.
It wasn't very deep, almost like a cat scratch really, but still, seeing it made Scootaloo's ears pull back. She dropped the knife and pressed her hooves against her mouth. "Oh Pinkie Pie, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! Well- I mean, I did, but--"
"--It's okay, Scoots!" Pinkie interrupted her before she could start rambling. "I'm sorry I keep doing that, hehe, it's just that I'm sooo excited to finally have a friend that's just like me!"
She looked over at Bon Bon and frowned softly, watching her lie their stilly as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle poked her with knives.
"Although, you did kill poor Bon Bon!" she scolded, but her tone was gentle and motherly.
"Wasn't that the point, though?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking back at Pinkie.
"Well, yeah, eventually! But think about it like eating a freshly baked pastry, you don't wanna just scarf it down, riiight?"
"You, um, you wanna enjoy it, slowly?" Scootaloo said, raising a hoof to her chin.
"Exactly! But it's okay, there's hundreds of ponies in Ponyville, so we've got plenty more sweet sweet murders to enjoy!" Pinkie Pie giggled madly, and the three fillies chuckled as well.
"Speaking of sweets, now all we have to do is get my special ingredient out of Bonnie! But FIRST," she gestured a hoof to the far side of the room, near the doorway she'd entered previously. "Girls, I'd like you to meet the new and improved Rainbow Dash!"
The CMC looked to where she was pointing and all three gasped at once. Rainbow dash's body was perfectly preserved, much like her cutie mark had been. Her coat was clean of any blood, despite her various wounds, but the color had mostly drained from her body. Her mane and tail had been brushed; her eyes were sown shut, her wings were missing as well as her cutie mark, and her stomach was noticeably sunken inward.
"I stuffed her, like a plushie! But I didn't fill out her belly, I think a pony looks more beautiful when they resemble how they looked in their final moments. See, my special ingredients are the organs inside the pony! Although, normally I use the rest of their meat as well, but for Dashie Washie I just HAD to preserve her!! She is my BESTED FRIEND EVER after all!" Pinkie cackled like a villain, except a lot creepier due to the cheeriness.
The CMC were speechless, then Scootaloo suddenly broke away from the group to gallop over to her ex-mentor.
"Wow!" she breathed, rubbing her hoof across Dash's side. "She's not as silky as I imagined her, but that's okay! OH, OH, I've always wanted to do this!" she jumped and fluttered her little wings, finally managed to get onto Rainbow's back after a few tries.
"Hey Pinkie, where are her wings?" Scootaloo asked.
"They're on my trophy wall, I show you that some other time though! It's almost sundown!" Pinkie said.
But Scootaloo was currently messing with Dash's ears, and Pinkie didn't want to interrupt her fun.
"Wow, now that's certainly somethin'!" Apple Bloom said, smiling at her friend's excitement.
She turned to face Pinkie, giving her a questioning look. "Miss Pinkie Pie, can we do that to Applejack when we kill her?"
Pinkie just stared at her for a second, then she gasped and pulled Apple Bloom into a big hug. "Oh yes, oh yes oh yes!! OF COURSE!!" luckily for Bloom, Pinkie put her down immediately afterword, the scratch on her back suddenly stinging.
"But wait, Applejack isn't a bad pony..." Sweetie Belle said, looking confused.
"Neither was Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie said with a nod.
"Or Bonnie!" Scootaloo confirmed, sitting like a cat on Dash's back.
"Neither is Rarity, or miss Twilight, or miss Fluttershy! But that's the rules, ain't it? Everypony's gotta die eventually, right?" Apple Bloom said with a smirk, placing a comforting hoof on Sweetie Belle's shoulder.
Sweetie smiled and nodded, and the four ponies giggled merrily.
It only took a few minutes for Pinkie Pie and the CMC to disembowel Bon Bon and deposit her organs into a bucket, minus the heart of course. Scootaloo had been a bit upset that she'd ruined it so badly, but Pinkie Pie promised that not only would she help Scootaloo get Silver Spoons heart, but she'd even let her keep it in a jar! As long as she kept it hidden, of course.
Pinkie Pie's basement had a shower to wash all the blood off, which Pinkie Pie drilled into their heads was also very important before leaving! She promised them fresh Bon Bon cupcakes tomorrow, but she had to shoo them away before the sunset. Once they were gone, Pinkie skinned the body, carved off the meat, pulled apart the bones and stored everything in specialized freezers and compartments she had in her basement. She did plan on eventually teaching them how to do all of that, but for now she would do all the hard work and let them have fun. She was pretty certain that they'd make a great team someday, especially Scootaloo. Pinkie didn't know why, but she really saw herself in that one.
The three fillies returned to their individual families, Scootaloo to the orphanage, Apple Bloom to Sweet Apple Acres, and Sweetie Belle to Carousel Boutique. Applejack was only a bit angry that Bloom was late, but it was understandable since Sugarcube Corner was so far away.
"Did'ja have fun?" Applejack asked as her sister passed her and entered their home.
"Yeah," Apple Bloom answered, but her voice was cold and harsh.
"What'd ya bake?" Applejack asked, frowning softly in worry.
"Nothin'," Apple Bloom bit her lip, not meaning to let that slip. "Nothin' important," she corrected.
"Apple Bloom, are you okay?" Applejack had followed Bloom to the staircase, the little filly quickly making her way up it.
"I'm fine," Bloom said.
"Apple--"
"--I said I'm fine, okay!?" Apple Bloom snapped, glaring down at her sister. "Pinkie Pie just showed us the ropes and explained stuff like ingredients and stuff, we didn't bake anythin' yet!"
"Bloom, sugar, what's wrong?" Applejack started up the staircase.
"Nothin's wrong!! Stop interrogating me! I'm not a baby anymore, I can take care of myself!!" Apple Bloom shrieked, then she turned tail and ran up the stairs the rest of the way.
Applejack's heart dropped as she heard angry hoofbeats run across the hall above, then she flinched as Apple Bloom's door slammed shut. Oh well, she supposed. Might as well give her some space, AJ figured she'd just visit Twilight in the morning about it. She had some questions, specifically about one word in particular.
What was a 'killer'?
Author's Note
HAPPY NIGHTMARE NIGHT!! 
Pinkie's a crazy bitch 
Also, will somepony PLEASE think of the children!? 
Anyways, hopefully I caught all the mistakes, but unfortunately, I'm not a machine and sometimes I re-read and catch some more 
