The day started like any other in Ponyville. The sun was shining, the air was crisp and fresh. I strode down the sidewalk with a wide grin plastered upon my face. I loved this town! The friendly ponies and all their cheer made me sometimes forget the bandages on my face. The scar that was my eye. They accepted me for who I was. I –Sebastian Cornelius Cooper- was loved here. In the few weeks I had actually taken residence in this wonderful town, I had made a few friends. Six, to be exact. One of whom I was actually on my way to see. My gaze was fixed upward, for the pony I was in search of actually lived on a cloud! Upon reaching the spot said to be below the cluster, a small, hand-operated dumbwaiter of sorts lied in wait for any Earth-bound creature to gain access to the wonderful home above. “Wonderful”, come to think of it, was not at all a strong enough term to even begin to describe the place! It had a very Roman or Greek feel, with an archway leading into a lawn of cumulus of the purest of white. In a small corner lied a pond, but not one of water. The concept always intrigued me… How was it that only in Equestria were rainbows a liquid, able to be suspended in midair? No amount of analytical staring I could do, however, could distract me from the sheer beauty of the thing! The way the falls cascaded so perfectly… How the mist produced was so vivid and multi-colored… To top off how incredible this Coliseum in the sky was, the way the cloud melded and contoured to the bottoms of my shoes was almost heavenly! It was like walking on marshmallows! A silken chord hung from a bell mere paces from the door. I reached up happily and gave it three solid tugs, sending out the gong-like tones, but alas, no answer came.

“RainbowDash!?” I called, cupping a hand at the side of my mouth to project further.
Still no answer…

Well, that’s certainly strange… Dash told me to come here… Why would she invite me over, then not be here when I show up?
My brow furrowed as I sat in pensive silence, tapping my lip with my index all the while.
The answer struck me suddenly.

Oh! She wanted me to come over, then we’d go down to Sugar Cube Corner together and help Pinkie with her stuff! She must have gone ahead. Better get down there quick before they start without me.
The trek to the Corner was not a long one, but when I went inside, the place seemed abandoned. It was a typical bakery. Beautifully crafted cupcakes, candies, and pies lined the clean display cases, but something was off… In a place as cheery as this, and certainly one that dealt in baked goods should not have had the kind of heavy silence that hung in the atmosphere then. Something was wrong. Very wrong. My hand stopped just before touching the knob. The icy air made the fur on the back of my neck stand on end. It was just too unsettling… With a violent turn, I tore my bandage from my eye and began to search the tiny store.

“Pinkie Pie? Rainbow Dash? Are you guys here!?” I called to no response.
The place was truly empty. No. No, it wasn’t. It couldn’t have been. The air in this place spoke of calamity… Of… Evil… After prowling through the glossy parlor for the fourth time, I finally decided to go behind the counter. Nothing, once more. Just a candy-themed cash register and a pale white two-way door. A peek through the door revealed an empty kitchen as well. With a sigh, my gaze drifted downward, where a small imperfection in the hardwood caught my eye. A seam like that could have only been made by a person. A trap-door, maybe…?
I ran my fingers along the line until I found a large depression. Large enough for a hoof… I then lifted the planks and was immediately blasted by freezing air. It was so cold, one could have mistaken it for a meat locker. An unintelligible phrase echoed off the walls, beckoning me forth…
The staircase was dark, and I was unable to find a light switch, so I let the light from the store above light my way. The staircase seemed a bit neglected. The concrete was cracked and stained with orange in several places. Upon reaching the bottom, it struck me how strong the air smelled of antiseptic and bleach. A clean area…? Why? A clinking sound startled me, causing me to stop dead in my tracks, my eyes darting from right to left and back again. A light on the wall opposite me began to spread. There was a door around the corner from me and someone was coming out! Out of panic, I toe-hopped to the wall to my right and placed my back to it, dropping to a crouch. A small voice sounded as the light spread further.

“Do this, do that. Sheesh. Why can’t she clean ‘er own tools?”
I knew that voice… As I stood and turned the corner, I was met with the face of a young blank-flanked filly with wonderfully red hair and a cute little bow to tie it back.

“Hey there, Apple Bloom.” I greeted happily.
The filly looked up at me with a look of surprise.

“Oh. Hah there, Sebas-chun. What’re you doin’ here?” she asked in her adorable southern drawl.

“I’m looking for Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Have you seen them?”
Something was most defiantly strange about Apple Bloom… The look in her eyes was not one of a small child on some adventure, exploring whatever it was that lied beneath the Corner. No, she knew this place, and knew it well.

“Oh, ah’ve seen ‘em. But, uh… They’re busy! Yeah, busy! Why don’t you come and play with me?” she asked, giving me a look I was too familiar with. She used the same innocent, wide-eyed look to convince Twilight Sparkle to stay for brunch.

“Apple Bloom... What are you doing down here…? What’s going on?” I asked in a firm tone.
The cute look dissipated in an instant, being replaced by an angry grimace.

“Look, you shouldn’t be here, bunny boy!” she snapped.
I cocked my head back in surprise. She just snapped at me!

“Apple Bloom-”
My words were cut short by a furious filly pouncing on my chest with an angry roar. The wind left me with a loud “Oof!”. The little girl I knew was gone… This wasn’t Apple Bloom! With a smile of a madman, she threw her head back, then forward again into my muzzle, bringing forth a massive “CRACK!” and a spurt of blood. I cried out and threw an arm to knock her off of me, which she grabbed and yanked toward her and embraced my head, sinking her teeth into my right cheek and tore away a sizable chunk of flesh. With another anguished cry, I blindly threw my other hand at her, catching her in the chest and rocketing her off of me into the wall. Her recovery was quick.

“Now tah prove to Mistress Pinkie that ah’m werthy tah help ‘er…” Apple Bloom assured herself, taking a low stance, chewing on the patch of my cheek contentedly.

“Apple Bloom, you don’t have to do this! You’re better than this! You’re not a killer!” I pleaded as I staggered back to my feet, holding the gaping hole in my cheek. The blood was already seeping between my fingers and sliding down my arms.

She’s fast and means to kill… What option do I have!? I reasoned to myself as she leaped forward once again for another bite. Banking hard to my left, I threw a hard kick, catching my small assailant in the gut. She flew a solid five feet back toward the door and rolled backward back to her feet. With another furious roar, she bucked the door she came through shut and charged forward, absolute Hell-fury in her eyes. This was it! I took my hand away from my wound and caught her by the throat, swinging my body to the left and forced her against the wall. Her hooves quickly found my wrist and began pulling, thrashing… Her legs kicked about blindly for a moment before she realized her position. It took only a moment before I too saw her intent. Just as she threw the aimed shot, I caught it with my free hand and brought her to face the ceiling. With a hard drop, my knee met her spine as hard as I was able to manage. I felt the poor thing’s spine break with a most disgusting crack. A scream caught in her throat, never to be let out, and she went limp in my grasp.
I stood there for several moments heaving deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself down. My face sang with pain and the sensation of blood pouring down my neck, slickening my fur. I had just killed my dearest Apple Bloom… The younger sister of one of my best friends… The realization was too much. It didn’t take me long to crumble beneath it and begin sobbing.

Pull yourself together, Cooper! You don’t have time to cry! Rainbow Dash is in trouble! GET UP!!! I scolded myself before standing once more.

“I’m coming, Dash.”