(Honestly was not thinking about doing this one. If it gets popular enough, maybe I'll do another one. I have ideas already...)

Perhaps it began when Applejack came rushing into the house, yelling about Pinkie and the cupcakes.

Or perhaps when they attended the funeral. The funeral of Pinkamena Diane Pie. A few tears were shed, mostly by Twilight and her 3 friends.

But no, it truly began the moment she had cut up her first prey. Strapped down Silver Spoon and laughed near the end. It was fun. Pinkie had warned her at the time not to take Silver's glasses off her corpse's face, but she wanted a token of her first. Those glasses were still in her room, under her mattress.

"Apple Bloom?"

Sweetie Belle's voice broke through her thoughts like a knife breaking through flesh. Actually, that was a great metaphor.

Apple Bloom snapped back to reality and shook her head to clear it. Her red bow bounced on top of her red mane.

"Are you okay?" Sweetie asked, concerned. Scootaloo was also studying her with confusion.

Apple Bloom looked around. She wasn't in the basement, or at a funeral. She was in the Cutie Mark Crusader's clubhouse, sitting at the desk.

"Ah'm sorry," Apple Bloom said in her southern drawl. "Ah was, uh… daydreamin'."

"Ooh! About what?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"It was, uh," Apple Bloom thought desperately, "about new ideas for gettin' our Cutie Marks!"

"Really?" Scootaloo suddenly looked enthused. "Like what?"

"Err, ah… basketball?" Apple Bloom quietly suggested.

The expression of excitement on Scootaloo's face disappeared. "Ugh. We've already tried that, Apple Bloom!"

"Yeah," Sweetie Belle added, "but I scored a point!"

"By accident!" Scootaloo retorted "And it was a point for the other team!"

"Well, I couldn't concentrate with you shoving me, you ostrich!"

"Don't call me that!"

While her friends argued, Apple Bloom found herself back in her thoughts. For a moment, a crazy idea came to her, almost as if Pinkie were next to her whispering it.

Go back to the basement.

Of course, that idea was crazy. Insane, even. Sugarcube Corner was closed, possibly forever. Apple Bloom even caught a glimpse of Princess Celestia herself going inside, followed by a large mob of Royal Guards. She didn't know what happened to the Cakes and the babies, but she assumed they were found innocent of any involvement with Pinkie. They WERE innocent, after all.

And nobody suspected Apple Bloom in the least.

"...always! And you thought arguing wasn't a talent!"

Apple Bloom snapped back to reality for the second time. She had to stop thinking about Pinkie and the cupcakes.

"Girls!" Apple Bloom intervened. Sweetie Belle didn't listen, and dove across the table at Scootaloo with a yell.

All in all, it was a pretty productive meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

About an hour later, Apple Bloom shook her hoof at her friends in a wave of farewell as she stood in the clubhouse doorway. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were leaving, walking down the ramp.

"Wait Apple Bloom, what are you doing?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Oh, Ah'm just gonna… clean up a bit."

Apple Bloom hurried back into the clubhouse, slamming the door behind her and leaving her friends confused.

"Since when does she clean?" Scootaloo asked.

Sweetie Belle shrugged.

Apple Bloom opened a drawer in the clubhouse and dug under various papers. She brushed aside one distinct map of Ponyville with various locations crossed out. Those attempts at a cutie mark were among the first. There were maps of buildings like Rarity's Fashion Boutique and of places like the fields of Sweet Apple Acres.

She also found one of Scootaloo's first drafts of introducing new members to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. That piece of parchment took up a lot of room in the cupboard drawer.

At the very bottom was a map of Sugarcube Corner, including the basement. No pony ever looked in the drawers, so the map was safe.

Or so she hoped.

The thought kept swimming to the top of her mind, no matter how hard she tried to drown it.

Go back to the basement.

Pinkie probably would have wanted that, but Apple Bloom didn't want to risk being caught. The thought kept driving her crazy, and it wouldn't really hurt to see if she could. Just to look though… not… go…

Somehow, incredibly, Apple Bloom found herself trotting down the street toward Sugarcube Corner. The sky was getting dark. The Princess would have gone back to Canterlot, or at least would have been distracted.

A few Royal Guards nodded to her. Apple Bloom grinned at them and tried her best to be casual, but she felt like she was smiling too wide.

Sugarcube Corner, the magnificent cupcake-like building, came into view, and it was crowded with Royal Guards. What were they doing? It had been a week since Applejack and Twilight had told every pony in Ponyville the truth in the basement. Surely they would have moved on after closing it.

Apple Bloom stopped, discouraged, before the upstairs window opened as though by a gust of wind.

The window into the room Pinkie lived in when she was alive.

Still helpin' me, right Pinkie?

The only issue was how she was going to get up there. It wasn't the top floor, but still the third floor. For a crazy moment, Apple Bloom had the idea to try jumping, but reality instantly hit her. Royal Guards going in and out… no way to sneak in. Sugarcube Corner stood alone, far from any other building, so climbing the other buildings and jumping wasn't an option.

She looked around. Why couldn't she have been a pegasus? An object caught her eye, and she realized it was an outrageous idea, but the best one she had.

She walked away from Sugarcube Corner, and just down the street was the hot-air balloon that hovered around Ponyville on a daily basis. The pink pony with the yellow mane- Apple Bloom couldn't remember her name, but thought it may have been Cherry Berry- stood by it with her flight goggles on her forehead.

Two ponies stood nearby, talking in deep conversation with Cherry Berry. Apple Bloom thought their names were Bon Bon and Blossomforth.

"...but you're a pegasus…" Cherry Berry said to Blossomforth.

"Oh yeah, why do you need a ride in the balloon?" Bon Bon asked.

Blossomforth looked indignant. "Sometimes a ride is fun!"

Apple Bloom crawled over to the balloon, not realizing they took no notice of her but she was attracting attention from other ponies walking by. She dived behind a bush, and heard the three ponies getting into the balloon.

"...floats your boat, Blossomforth."

"This is going to be fun!"

The balloon began to rise into the sky, and Apple Bloom took her chance and leaped up. A lone rope, that had previously secured the balloon to the ground, hung down and Apple Bloom seized it in both hooves. Her hooves left the ground as she was pulled up.

This was stupid. Stupid Stupid Stupid!

There was no way to know if the balloon would even float over Sugarcube Corner so she could fall onto the roof, and she was exposed. Every pony who cared to look up could see her, and it would surely raise questions if she was seen sneaking into Sugarcube Corner.

And if the rope snapped or her grip loosened, she would fall.

The balloon steadily rose, going over the streets of Ponyville. It wasn't too high yet, surely Apple Bloom still had a chance to let go, but she did not take that chance and hung on. The three ponies in the basket did not know of the extra passenger underneath.

We aren't going toward Sugarcube Corner!

Apple Bloom began to panic before she realized Sugarcube Corner was in view.

"Did you hear about what happened in there?" One of the ponies in the basket said.

"Where? Sugarcube Corner? Wasn't there a murder?"

"No, a ton of murders. Apparently, that pink pony was making them into cupcakes."

Somepony gasped. "And we ATE those!"

Apple Bloom forced herself to wait. The balloon hovered over Sugarcube Corner, and she let go. The last thing she heard from the basket was "Well, Pinkie is dead. At least it's over."

Apple Bloom hit the roof with a jolt of pain. She bit her tongue. There was the open window, but she was sliding down the roof. Sliding toward the edge…

Her back legs went over the edge, but she managed to find a grip. She was hanging with her legs dangling in the air before pulling herself up onto the roof.

Apple Bloom crawled into the open window and collapsed on the carpet. She waited to hear somepony come upstairs looking for her, but nothing happened. She forced herself to a standing position on all four hooves and looked around. So this was Pinkie's room. Apple Bloom noticed the infamous "Party Cannon" alone in a corner.

She didn't stay long. Apple Bloom cautiously walked out of the room and down some stairs. Her hooves clopping on the wood were oddly loud.

At last, she reached the main part of Sugarcube Corner, the part that many ponies had enjoyed sweets in. She found herself looking at a table and remembered the Cakes once gave her, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle free milkshakes.

Of course, that was during the time her cousin Babs was with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, but it was nice while it lasted.

There were only a few Royal Guards standing near the doorway of Sugarcube Corner, talking. One of them said something and they all laughed. The trapdoor where Pinkie did everything was open with nopony near it. Apple Bloom slipped under a table, avoiding the eye of the Royal Guards, and carefully crawled under another table to get closer to the trapdoor.

Finally, she dived into it and basically flew down the stairs. Apple Bloom tumbled down the last few, finally landing on the hard concrete at the bottom. She was back.

Apple Bloom paused for a moment. Nopony came.

She looked around. They had cleaned it up, there was no more blood and all the corpses were gone.

Most of it remained in place though, like all the knives and the tray where she strapped down her victims. Even the "LIFE IS A PARTY" was still faintly visible. They must not have been able to get that blood off completely.

The puppet of Rainbow Dash was gone. Apple Bloom kind of wanted to see it again. Scootaloo had been depressed when she found out what happened to her idol. She wondered where it went.

Everything was still here, except for the decorations. Apple Bloom knew Pinkie would want her to start again, but how could she without anypony noticing?

Apple Bloom had to get out of there to rethink it. To rethink everything. She went back to the stairs, and froze just before she reached the top.

"...almost done here, your Highness."

"Good. This place could open again, but I don't think the Cake's would want to."

That was the voice of the Princess! Princess Celestia! Apple Bloom silently cursed herself. How could she have thought that she'd go back to Canterlot? This was the biggest thing to happen in Equestria since the Crystal Empire returned.

Hoovesteps… coming toward the trapdoor! Apple Bloom panicked in the thick darkness. What could she do? How could she explain this?

She dived under a table just before the inky blackness was flooded with light. Apple Bloom moved her head to get a better view, and squinted in the sudden light. Princess Celestia stood at the top of the stairs, followed by Royal Guards as she made her way down.

"Now that the funeral is over, we can finally finish here."

Twilight Sparkle trotted down the stairs after her mentor. Her cutie marks were held on with stitches. It was either Apple Bloom's imagination or Twilight seemed paler and weary.

"Elements of Loyalty and Laughter gone. They weren't just Elements… they were my friends…"

Celestia wrapped a wing around Twilight. "This was terrible Twilight, but it wasn't your fault."

Tears fell from Twilight's eyes. "If we had only seen what Pinkie was, if I had only seen... before it started, we could have gotten her help. And they would still be alive."

Apple Bloom cautiously inched toward the end of the table. The stairs were right there. She blotted out Twilight and Celestia talking, and focused on the stairs.

"Alright, start with the knives and straps and take the tables!" Celestia commanded the Royal Guards.

Apple Bloom just reacted. She leapt out from under the table and basically flew up the stairs.

"What!"

"Who's that?!"

Apple Bloom got to the top of the stairs and slammed the trapdoor shut. She heard confused shouting and the thumping of hooves going upstairs. Her first thought was to run out the front door, but then she realized there were probably more Royal Guards outside.

The trapdoor swung open just as Apple Bloom managed to get upstairs.

"They're going upstairs!" She heard a stallion call behind her.

Apple Bloom found herself back in Pinkie's room, and dived out the window. For a moment, she thought she was going to clear the edge this time, but fortunately did not.

The door in Pinkie's room slammed open. Apple Bloom kneeled below the window.

"Not in here, Your Majesty," One guard said.

"Keep searching, and tell your men to form a blockade around the building!" Apple Bloom heard Celestia order.

"Yes, Princess," the guard replied before Apple Bloom heard him go back downstairs.

Silence for a few moments, but she sensed there was still some pony in the room. She dared to peek over the windowsill, and saw Twilight Sparkle and Celestia standing the room. A tear fell down Twilight's muzzle.

"I just… I don't know what to do." Twilight sobbed.

Celestia put a wing around her favorite student. "Nopony would. I can't imagine what it must feel like, seeing what one of your friends can be."

The two stood there, and the only sounds were Twilight's sobs as more tears fell onto the carpet. Apple Bloom realized she had to escape before the guards surrounded Sugarcube Corner. If they did, it would only take one looking up to ruin everything.

But with no balloon in sight, how was she to get off the roof?

She gingerly crawled toward the lowest point of the roof, but it still seemed awfully high. The front door of Sugarcube Corner was right below her. There weren't any bushes. To her left was a sign hanging off the building with a cupcake drawn on it, which seemed appropriate for what happened. Below that was a mailbox.

Guards were coming. The first priority strangely was not the front door, probably because it would be the least likely place for an escape. Instead, they gathered around the sides and the back. There was no way for her to get away without being seen. After all, she couldn't run as fast as Rainbow Dash could have flew, or even as fast as her older sister could run.

In fact, speaking of Rainbow Dash, a few other Pegasi, who probably mourned their friend, were flying toward Sugarcube Corner. The whole building was surrounded!

Apple Bloom frantically looked around, and nearly cried out of frustration and the realization that if she was caught, her entire life would be over. A flash of purple caught her eye, and she saw the balloon hovering in the distance. An idea began to form in her mind.

She quickly climbed back up to Pinkie's room and dived in the window. Fortunately, Celestia and Twilight had left. She instantly found what she was looking for.

A few months ago, her and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders had tried being shot out of a cannon. It hadn't worked. She found herself stuck high in a tree while Sweetie Belle landed in the lake near Ponyville. Scootaloo had gotten rather far with her wings, but ended up slamming against a window. The window hadn't broken, fortunately.

Apple Bloom pulled Pinkie's party cannon into the center of the room. She was surprised at how heavy it was. She carefully aimed it out the open window, and hesitated before climbing inside.

She thought about the window Scootaloo almost broke. It had not broken, but what would break this time? Another window? Her spine? Her neck?

What if her aim was off?

"How d'ya launch this darned thang?" she wondered aloud, leaning out of the cannon to see the back where Pinkie would somehow fire. "Ah don't see…"

Suddenly, the cannon launched Apple Bloom out the window and away from Sugarcube Corner. Apple Bloom flailed everything as she flew wildly through the air. Suddenly the balloon loomed large above her. She slammed painfully against the basket, much to the surprise of the three ponies inside, before falling down.

Somehow, Apple Bloom managed to clutch the rope that had carried her in. Now it was carrying her out.

"...the hay was that?!"

"I'll check!"

The pegasus, Blossomforth, was about to fly out of the balloon and find Apple Bloom! How could she have explained this one? That she was trying being launched out of a cannon again?

Apple Bloom looked down, and somehow found the strength… to let go of the rope.

Falling. Head over hooves falling. The world was coming up and the balloon was disappearing. In reality, it only lasted around 10 seconds, but it felt like hours to Apple Bloom.

She landed in the lake with a splash and began swimming frantically underwater. Holding her breath, she turned back to the surface of the lake and saw various colored shapes swooping around. The Pegasuses.

Apple Bloom swam over to the far side of the lake, lungs exploding even though they were emptying, and resurfaced. She quickly climbed to short and dived into the bushes. She made sure not to make a sound, and heard some voices.

"...you see?"

"Just something hit the balloon and then I came down to check."

"Do you know who it was?"

"I saw some red, but that was it."

Apple Bloom recognized those voices. A pegasus she didn't recognize was questioning Blossomforth. She realized Blossomforth must have seen her red bow, which was currently damp and limp over her wet red mane.

Stealthily and quickly, Apple Bloom crept away from the lake and ran with all her strength toward Sweet Apple Acres.

It was difficult, but she got into Sugarcube Corner and managed to get away, but she would never try it again.

Willingly.

The farm came into view, but it was on the other side of a long… excruciatingly long field. Apple Bloom's mane and bow were drying in the warm sun.

Jus' put one hoof in front of the other.

The grass was becoming patchy and dry. She thought the weather ponies must have skipped the empty field for years.

"What happened to baking cupcakes, Apple Bloom?"

That voice! Apple Bloom whirled around to see Pinkie Pie, somehow alive and well, standing there. A smile was on her face, but it held no happiness.

"P-Pinkie? Pinkie Pie?" Apple Bloom stammered.

"Don't you remember, Apple Bloom?" Pinkie kept talking, "All you gotta do is take a cup of flour…"

"Pinkie, I've tried the best ah can! Sugarcube Corner is filled with Royal Guards!"

"Oh, Apple Bloom. I don't blame you," Pinkie's face said the opposite, "But you have to finish what I've began."

Apple Bloom looked doubtful, and Pinkie added, "You want your cutie mark, don't you?"

"But… but ah… ah don't know where to start!"

Pinkie's grin grew wider. "I thought you'd say that, so I arranged it already."

Apple Bloom sighed. Pinkie was enjoying this.

"Only four friends remain. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity… and Fluttershy."

At that moment, the way she said "Fluttershy"... Apple Bloom knew who Pinkie wanted.

"Fluttershy?" Apple Bloom tried to say. She remembered the time Fluttershy volunteered to let them have a Cutie Mark Crusader Slumber Party at her cottage.

"Yes, Fluttershy. She'll be easy for you. The only challenge is that bunny of hers. Why did she name him Angel anyway?" Pinkie laughed.

"But Pinkie, why Fluttershy-"
"Everypony at some point, dear apprentice!" Pinkie whooped.

"Pinkie I can't do it by mahself!"

A dark look crossed over Pinkie's face. "I knew it," she said. "I just knew it."

"Knew what?" Apple Bloom asked.

Pinkie glared at Apple Bloom. "I knew you were weak. I knew I should have chosen somepony else."

Apple Bloom was hurt. "Pinkie-"
"No!" Pinkie barked. "You are weak, Apple Bloom! I thought you were special, but you're as weak as anypony off the street!"

With that, Pinkie turned around and began to trot away. Pinkie ignored Apple Bloom's cries to come back, and vanished into thin air.

Even though Apple Bloom knew Pinkie wasn't really there, and the conversation hadn't really happened, she cried.

Apple Bloom crept to Fluttershy's cottage the next night. She had her saddlebag filled with knives and rope.

Jus' like Pinkie taught me.

It was dark outside, but there were plenty of lights inside. Apple Bloom saw Fluttershy's silhouette on the window as she crawled closer. Already, she was trying to think of a way inside.

Ah could crawl in the window… but wha' abou' the critters?

Maybe ah could lure Fluttershy outside.

How?

Maybe ah could throw a rock through the window.

Maybe ah should knock on the door.

Apple Bloom stalked closer to the door, and rapped her hoof on it to give three sharp knocks.

Tap

Tap

Tap

She quickly trotted behind a lush bush on the side of the cottage, hiding from sight just as she heard the door open.

"Um… hello? Is… is somepony out there?" She heard Fluttershy's quiet voice call into the night. Apple Bloom knew this was her only chance to get Fluttershy, because she was almost certain that the shy pony was afraid of the dark and was therefore unlikely to stay out long.

Apple Bloom could see herself now. Jumping out at Fluttershy, knocking her out with a hit to the head, dragging her away, tying her down and gutting her the way Pinkie taught her, and making new cupcakes.

But every time she imagined it, she was in the basement at Sugarcube Corner. That was impossible now.

She could find a new place. First she had to capture Fluttershy. She just went over this scenario, so why was it so hard to get her hooves to move?

"I don't know, Angel, I don't think anypony is out here," she heard Fluttershy say.

Apple Bloom peeked around the side of the bush at the door. Fluttershy still stood there with Angel, staring into the darkness of the night. As she watched, she realized something.

Apple Bloom realized she couldn't kill Fluttershy. Fluttershy had never done anything to anyone, and was too shy to even get involved with anything possibly dangerous. One of the few times in her life she makes a friend, and her friend decides to have her baked into a cupcake?

She watched Fluttershy turn and go back into the cottage, slowly closing the door behind her. Apple Bloom began trotting away, and knew she would never be able to harm any other pony. She just didn't have that "killer instinct" that Pinkie referred to all the time.

Without realizing it, she stopped to yell into the sky. "Pinkie! Ah'm sorry!"

No response.

Apple Bloom sadly trotted away, unaware that a very confused Fluttershy opened a window back at the cottage, looked outside for a moment and listened for a sound, and, unable to see anything, closed the window.

The first bit of the sun was rising over Equestria by the time she got back to Sweet Apple Acres. Celestia must have been awake longer than she was. Apple Bloom had spent the time from Fluttershy's cottage to Sweet Apple Acres wondering why she had managed to kill Silver Spoon, but not Fluttershy.

Was it because Pinkie was with her the first time?

Was it because she had a personal connection to the victim? A hostile one?

She arrived back in the apple orchards. The trees loomed over her. A hard wind blew, knocking one loose apple from its tree. Apple Bloom didn't stop to pick it up.

Apple Bloom quietly slipped into the house through the front door. Being in familiar surroundings after what she had just done felt alien to her. A loud snore ripped through the calm stillness of the morning. Granny Smith sat in her rocking chair, sound asleep, as Apple Bloom quietly made her way upstairs into her bedroom.

She received a shock when she saw Applejack sitting on her bed.

"Oh, uh, Applejack! Ah was jus', uh…"

Applejack was silent, and Apple Bloom's eyes widened when she saw Applejack holding Silver Spoon's glasses in her hooves.

"Ah came to check on you because your friends told me you were acting weird," Applejack's voice was cracking, and sounded on the verge of tears, "You weren' in bed, and these were pokin' out from under the mattress."

Applejack held up the glasses. "Silver Spoon's father has been around here lookin' for his little filly."

Apple Bloom was silent. A tear fell from Applejack's green eye.

"Ah'm gettin' Twilight, Ah don't know what to do…"

"No! You can't…"

Applejack got off the bed and tried to walk past Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom reacted instinctively, quickly taking a knife from her saddlebag with her mouth and slashing at Applejack.

Applejack fell backwards onto the floor with a grunt of pain as a large cut opened in her side.

Apple Bloom jumped onto Applejack, still clutching the knife in her mouth.

Applejack saw the blood coming from her side, and began to scream.

Apple Bloom stabbed and cut. Over and over again. Applejack stopped screaming when Apple Bloom cut into her throat. Applejack lay there, silently crying. Guts and intestines spilled from Applejack as the knife plunged into her body and left before returning to spill more blood. Apple Bloom's bow was turning a deeper shade of red as her older sister lay dying.

Apple Bloom stabbed the knife one final time, and left it there. She stepped back, surveying her work. What had been her older sister was now a mess on Apple Bloom's bedroom floor. One of Applejack's forelegs was separated from the rest of the bloody pulp, with a piece of bone poking out. Bits of skin mixed with her stomach.

Apple Bloom stood triumphantly over what used to be her sister before dropping the knife and puking.

Now pieces of vomit blended with the blood to create a horrid, thick smell. Apple Bloom panted, hunched over for a minute before taking a big lick of the mess. The sour, rancid taste… she licked it up like a dog hungry for table scraps.

Speaking of a dog, the Apple Family pet, Winona, walked in. Probably attracted by the smell.

Apple Bloom made quick work of the dog, scooping up her knife again and digging it into the dog's spine. She cut off all of Winona's legs before finally cutting open the wailing canine's chest, killing it.

Now the dog's blood was mixed with the vomit and Applejack's organs.

Grinning sharply, Apple Bloom paid her brother's room a visit. He would have been difficult, so Apple Bloom gently tied a rope to his legs, trapping him spread on his back in his bed. As Big Macintosh snoozed on, unaware of what was about to happen, Apple Bloom went downstairs to Granny Smith and slit her throat quickly various times. For a moment. Granny Smith opened her eyes as though about to yell, but then Apple Bloom pulled off her head with a snapping sound.

She took the head back to Big Macintosh, and jammed the knife into his leg.

He awoke with a shout. Apple Bloom tossed the head onto his chest, and he screamed. Macintosh screamed again when Apple Bloom ripped the knife out of his leg, but his cries for mercy and screams meant nothing to her.

Soon, Apple Bloom, the lone survivor, carried down piles of guts and intestines dripping blood. The entire house smelled thick with death.

Time to make some Apple Pie!

She laughed at her own joke. Her bow was gone, and her mane drifted freely, damp with blood.

She was never good at baking, but somehow made a suitable pie.

Now I have to get more… more ingredients for cupcakes… I'll have cupcakes and pie…

She would not be thinking straight had Apple Bloom been thinking at all. What had formerly been an innocent schoolfilly obsessed with finding her cutie mark was now a monster.

Pinkie Pie's apprentice.

She shoved the meat onto the table with a grunt, and looked at it. So red, so purple, so wet. Her grandmother, sister, brother, and dog.

Without realizing it, Apple Bloom began to cry. Tears fell from her eyes as she reared her head back and laughed.

The laughter echoed through the empty house.

Twilight, Fluttershy and Rarity walked up the path to Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight was limping a little. Her cutie marks had been sewn on after what happened in the basement at Sugarcube Corner.

As the red barn came into view, Twilight and Rarity listened to Fluttershy recall a bizarre incident that had happened to her the night before.

"...and when I looked out the window, nothing!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

"Oh, are you certain it wasn't Sweetie Belle and her friends?" Rarity asked. "I remember a time they knocked on my door and left. Found them laughing about it later."

They walked over to the barn, and opened the door.

"Applejack?" Twilight called inside, her voice echoing.

Applejack?

pplejak?

plek…

The sound faded as it bounced around in the empty barn.

"Huh. Guess she's not here," Twilight said, closing the door.

"Oh, let's check in the house," Rarity suggested.

The three ponies went over to the Apple Family's house, and knocked on the door. Strangely, the door opened from the light tap.

The wonderful smell of baked pie overpowered the three ponies. Twilight entered first.

"Mm… do you think Applejack will let us have some?" Rarity wondered.

"Oh my… girls…" Twilight's voice broke off. Rarity and Fluttershy pushed past Twilight to get into a house, and a giant pie sat on the table, surrounded by blood.

Rarity put a hoof to her mouth in shock while Fluttershy broke down crying. Twilight trotted deeper into the house.

"What happened here…?" She murmured.

Granny Smith's rocking chair had a puddle of blood on it… Twilight went upstairs, followed by Rarity and a sobbing Fluttershy.

They saw Big Macintosh's room, all four of his legs tied to the bed by heavy ropes. Tears welled in Twilight's eyes as Rarity screamed.

Apple Bloom's room had red splattered all over the floor and walls. Her bow lie discarded on the ground. When they arrived at Applejack's room, they were astonished to find it clean of any signs of murder.

"G-girls…" Twilight couldn't speak.

Fluttershy broke down wailing and ran away, leaving Twilight and Rarity to stare into the room.

"Do… do you know what this means…?" Rarity asked in hushed voice.

Twilight nodded. "Applejack killed her family, and made them into a pie. Just like Pinkie made cupcakes."

"But Applejack… didn't she save you?"

"I don't understand it either, Rarity…" Twilight whispered, "But we have to find Applejack before she kills again."

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom ran through the Everfree Forest, dodging low branches and jumping over roots.

She would never see Pinkie Pie again, instead being haunted by her own demons.

Ah killed my family.

It was still funny.

Perhaps someday she would return to Ponyville, but in the meantime… she had to find another place to start.

But perhaps someday...

Apple Bloom didn't notice when her cutie mark appeared. It was a cupcake, with a knife driven into it.