The night was cold, even when I was under two layers of thick sheets. All night, I could only think about that mare who had died right before my eyes. Her screaming and pleading echoed in my head. I couldn't have imagined how cruel ponies could be before that night. It was evil.

I awoke the next morning at the usual time, bright and early. Unfortunately, today was the day for my First Encounter. All the other purebloods were riled up as they gossiped about what 'exciting' and 'wonderful things' they would see today. Ridiculous as some rumors seemed, nothing seemed to be impossible anymore after last night.

"They'll make the Other Ponies eat each other alive!"
"No way! I heard that they have to kill their family!"
"Cool."

I couldn't listen to them anymore. I blocked out all the voices around me, closed my eyes, and retreated into my mind. But even still I would hear the mare's haunting voice in my head. I had to get her out of my head. I didn't care how, I just had to.

We took a large carriage, pulled by sixteen Other Ponies. As I boarded the vehicle I looked into the dead eyes of each and every pony. I saw their terror and sadness, and equally their hatred. Throughout the ride I thought about how each of their steps could be their last. We all arrived at the destination, the Grand Castle.

Platinum lead us out and into the castle, which was the heart of the pureblood resistance movement, where the disciples and followers of the Unicorn King lived. Outside the castle were hundreds of armed unicorns who stood guard night and day. Nopony knew what secrets the Grand Council hid deep within the walls of the fortress; but we all knew that whatever it was it must be something no pony should ever know.

Once we stepped through the gold gates, we gasped. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and radiated pure white light and illuminated the grandness of the room. The silver plated walls extended several hundred feet to the roof, which the diamond studded pillars supported. The walls were painted and elegantly decorated with murals, with incredible eye to detail. Fountains poured the richest red wine into the basin of the atrium. The sheer scale of this castle's majesty left us all agape and standing in awe for what seemed like eternity.

"Ahem."
An old unicorn, the disciple Topaz, stood in front of us. Topaz was a well known general in our society who commanded the Air Units. He was merciless in battle and gained fame for his cruel methods. To add on to his legacy, it was rumored that his steely blue eyes could make even a war ridden stallion shake in fear. Those rumors were true. When he stared at me, I felt as if I was dumped into a pool of ice water. I couldn't even breathe and I truly believe that I was drowning.

"Young colts and fillies," he proclaimed, "today is the day where you will never see the world in the same way again."
He led us deeper into the castle into the lower levels. I learned that the hallways no longer followed a predictable pattern. Instead, they became labyrinthine and intimidating. We proceeded deeper in and into a pure white room. In the center was a single table elevated at an angle. There were chains connected to the table, caked in something red and what I hoped was only rust.

"Bring her in." Topaz said, as his clopped the floor with his steel hoof.

Then, I heard the screaming of another mare. I turned around to the door and saw two armored unicorns lifting an Earth Pony with magic.

"Please no!" she pleaded, "don't do this!"
The Earth Pony was helplessly lifted to the table and shackled. Upon closer inspection, I could see that she was a pregnant pony.

"Please no! My baby!"

Topaz shot a deadly stare at the pony, and she immediately became unable to speak.
"Little ponies!" he yelled out loud, "watch and learn how we will purge this world of filth like this pony!"
He pointed his hoof at the struggling pony.

"Please! Don't do this!" she said, between sobs.

Topaz clopped once more on the floor and the armored ponies returned with a jeweled chest. He opened the lid, revealing his collection of the tools of torture.

All of the little ponies cheered as Topaz slowly brandished each tool to his audience.
"Use that one!"

"No, that one!"
"Why not both?"

"Hush!" he commanded.
All the ponies immediately fell silent.

He took out a tool, which made Platinum faint upon witnessing its deadly nature. I couldn't put into words what was before me. I resembled the screw of a very large wine uncorker, a foot and a half in length. The screw was covered with thorns of steel spikes. He flipped a switch on the side of the tool and it began to spin rapidly like a drill. He turned to the chained pony.

"No! I'll do anything you want, please don't do it!"

Topaz only laughed. "Lights!"
The lights around me dimmed down, leaving only a single light shining down on the table.

Topaz waved the tool back and forth in front of the terrified pony, watching in entertainment as her eyes followed the spinning silver bit. Just as the pony was about to plea again, he jerked his arm inwards, puncturing her womb. Flesh, bone, and tissue flew out in frenzy. Blood danced in the scene like a rainstorm. I couldn't hear the pony's screams under the sound of the drill blending through the remains of her unborn child. Strings of skin and muscles spilled onto the floor like streamers and blood dripped down, forming a crimson pool of life.

The colts and fillies around me cheered for more blood, more screaming, and more death.

Topaz raised his hoof, and then nodded in agreement with the crowd. He pulled the tool out, and watched as fragments of little organs and little hooves floated out from the belly of the mother. He was in no hurry. He jammed his hoof into the hole in her side and reached inside for his prize. He yanked his forehooves out and lifted out something for us to see. It was the head of the unborn pony. We could see the unopened blind eyes and the small brain through the transparent flesh.

"Eat it!" he commanded to the near-dead mare who hung lifelessly on the table.

She refused.

Topaz, with one hoof, forced open her mouth and shoved the head down her throat. He jammed her mouth shut until she was forced to swallow.

"Oh Celestia, oh Celestia," she screamed in terror.

Topaz turned to us once more. "Enough! The fun and games are over. It is time for the finale!"
He clopped on the floor again, and the armored ponies brought something quite unusual. In their hooves was a glass box, large enough for a pony to fit into.

"Today, you shall see the ingeniousness of unicorn magic!" He shouted.
He took the box and placed it on top of the dying pony, enclosing her in the glass cell.
"As you may tell, I took mercy on this Other Pony and did not damage most of her filthy organs."
He cleared his throat once more.
"However, you shall be the first ones to witness this!"
He held a glass sphere, inside golden gasses spinning around.

All the fillies 'oohed' and 'ahhed' in its brilliance under the light. The colts wanted were unable to keep their excitement in as they pleaded for the old pony to show what it could do.

Once again, Topaz was more than happy to oblige. He levitated the orb with magic and magically floated it into the glass box. Topaz released the chains holding the pony and yelled once more before dropping the orb.

"Run, little pony, run."

Crack

The gasses released were extremely volatile, as sparks immediately spewed out from the corner where the glass cracked. The little pony dragged herself into the opposite corner of the small cage, where she desperately banged against the glass.

"Tempered glass," he assured us.

We could see that the gasses had an immediate effect on the pony. Her flesh began to burn red and rotted away. She screamed and screamed in horror as she saw her bones surface. After the red phase, her flesh turned black and her skin began to turn into sludge. Her whole body, skin, bones, and organs turned into muck. I could hear that the banging became less frequent and quieter. Then, she made no more sounds. Once the gasses cleared, we could all see what was left in the glass cell. Nothing. There was not even a trace of blood, not even a single hair. Every part of that pony had been ripped into a void.

The fillies and colts, who hadn't fainted, cheered Topaz for his delightful performance. I, on the other hand, was nauseous. The pony was ripped away from existence, just like that. She was gone. And nopony would ever know.

"Bring the others!" he shouted again.

I couldn't handle it any longer. I ran out of the room and tried to find my way back up. The armored ponies chased me down, but couldn't navigate the labyrinth themselves. I suddenly stopped, fell over, and vomited. I emptied the contents of my stomach. The stench of the mess made me even more nauseous and I teetered away, dazed. "Away from the smell, away from the stench," I told myself. I was blinded by the events which unfolded in that room. Blinded by the discursive voices, I tripped and fell down a set of staircases. I tumbled into the darkness and I could feel myself sinking even deeper into the enigma of the castle's walls.