[[Just to warn you, this fanfic is going to show my darker side. After writing happy, romance-laden fics with happy endings, I decided I need something to even it out. Don't be shocked by what you witness a few chapters from now.

~DD~]]

Prologue: Invitations

Twilight Sparkle looked longingly at the lunch she had prepared for herself: a daisy sandwich, hay fries, and a glass of cola. Just as she was about to sit down at her kitchen table and devour it all, she heard the creak of the mail slot.

Oh, the mail. She wandered over to the stack of letters that fell onto the floor in front of her door (Thank Celestia Ditzy didn't get her hand caught in the mail slot…again. she thought), picked up the pile, and quickly scanned them.

"Bill…bill…ad…magazine…hello, what's this?" she plucked a small envelope out of the assortment and read the front: "Congratulations!" Twilight found it odd that the envelope had no return address, but decided to read the letter in it anyways: "Congratulations, Twilight Sparkle! You have been selected to stay at the luxurious Hoofshire Manor for one week. Please arrive this Saturday at 3:00 in the afternoon. You won't be disappointed!"

"Hoofshire Manor?" she set the letter back down on to the table. "That's the estate right outside of Ponyville."

She paced back and forth in a decisive manor. "Even if it is a week-stay there, I have no idea who sent me this or even if it is valid…"

After a few more minutes of pondering this, she made up her mind. "I'll go. Even if it is fishy, I wouldn't pass up this opportunity."

Little did Twilight know that she wasn't the only pony invited.

"Yee-haw, big brother! We're goin' to one of them fancy mansions!" Applejack started walking at a faster pace with a little bounce in her step.

"Eeyup. Wonder why we was invited, tho'." He glanced at the two letters in Applejack's possession with a look of suspicion.

"It don't matter! C'mon, let's pack!" she set down her barrel of apples and started trotting briskly towards the direction of the Apple family's house.

"Uh, lil' sis? We don't have to 'til Saturday. T'day's only Wednesday."

"Oh, right. I knew that. Hehe…"

Pinkie Pie bounced so high she almost smashed her head into the ceiling of the Cakes' shop. "Oh, boy! A mansion! Sounds super-duper awesome! I hope they like to party all night there, 'cause Pinkie is going to bring the house down while raising the roof…if that even makes sense!"

Rainbow Dash threw another empty Pwny can onto a two-foot high pile in the corner of he apartment as she read her invitation. "Saturday at 3, huh? I'll be there!"

Rarity's heart skipped a beat. "Hoofshire Manor? Only the fanciest ponies are allowed to live there! I am going for sure!"

"A m-mansion?" Fluttershy mumbled to herself. She dropped the letter on her living room floor. "Will it have ghosts or…or something worse…" she whimpered. Then, it dawned on her. "Maybe they have animals of sorts. I'll have to go to find out…"

"Hey, Lyra, check this out!" Bon-Bon yelled across the apartment they both shared. "What is it?" Lyra turned her head away from the T.V.

"We got invited to a mansion! Yay!"

"Cool! Oh, by the way, it's your turn to wash the bed sheets."

"I wasn't that messy last night…was I?"

"You were. And I loved every minute of it." Lyra growled seductively. Bon-Bon laughed.

Vinyl Scratch took off her headphones. Dubstep music started to echo throughout her foyer. "Damn! A mansion? I'm so for it!" she threw the invite aside and started climbing up the stairs to her room. "But for now…" she opened her door, went inside, closed and locked it, and smiled at Blues. He was tied to her bed and was struggling to get free.

"Let's do this." she grinned as she reached into her closet, pulled out a school filly's uniform, and approached Blues with it. "Don't struggle and I can get you in this A.S.A.P.!" she laughed. He stared at the plaid skirt, white blouse, and black sweater with wide-open eyes.

Octavia cast a glance at her invitation. "Who would invite me to Hoofshire Manor? Well, it doesn't matter. I'll glad go. But now that all of my guests are gone…" she removed her collar-and-bow tie accessory, put a spiked wrist band on each hand, and plugged her headphones into her stereo. "…I can finally listen to something instead of classical music." As the buzz-saw guitar riffs and thundering bass chords echoed throughout her ears, her hair became a blur as she furiously headbanged along with the song.

"What is this I see? An invitation, just for me?" Zecora read her letter. "An invite to an estate? I shall go, but I have to wait. Although I mustn't be late, lest my chances of getting in abate."

Derpy Hooves smashed her face into her mailbox. "Sorry, Mr. Postbox!" Her crossed eyes wandered aimlessly as she trotted up her front steps and into her house. As soon as the door closer behind her she sighed, blinked her eyes a few times to uncross them, and set her mailbag down. "God, I hate the shit I have to do sometimes. But if I don't act like a complete idiot, I won't live up to my damn name." She glanced at her own invitation. "…At least this will be fun." Derpy made her way into her kitchen to make herself some lunch.

Later that night, X smiled as he/she scanned his/her list. "Perfect. Everyone I sent an invite to wants to go. Oh, wait…" X crossed his/her own name off the list. "Why did I put myself on there? It's not necessary nor practical." X looked at the clock mounted on the wall. "Midnight, Thursday night. Only three more days until I finally start getting rid…of them…" X laughed evilly as he/she crumpled up the list and threw it into a nearby garbage can.

[[Not sure if this is allowed or not (if it isn't, someone please tell me), but I want you, the reader, to tell me which pony out of the 13 should be killed first. Say in your review or message me. I read them both. Thanks.

~DD~]]