Woo, new chapter. Pinkie and Pinkamena have both been bugging me bout stuff they want in this one… literally….. It's very scary to be sitting there and suddenly hear Pinkamena telling you bits of her past. On the bright side it gave me a new idea for a story and I will write that one once this story is finished.

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I'm not a fan of puppeteers but I've a nagging fear

someone else is pullin' at the strings.

Something terrible is going down

through the entire town,

Wreaking anarchy and all it brings…

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Applejack felt as if she was rising up out of a deep lake. She was still inside the hollow buffalo carcass, but it seemed that Pinkamena had left. She thought about what she had just experienced; somehow, she had been pulled into Pinkie's memory of how she… changed.

"Ah always knew there was somethin' wrong with that mare," Applejack said softly, "I just never knew it went that deep." She began to climb out of the carcass; looking around a little to be sure the monster was gone.

"Now if ah could just get outta here ah could make sure this never happens to anypony ever again." She began walking along the wall, trying to find the door to leave the horrible chamber she found herself in. Every now and then her heart would miss a beat as she saw a pony hanging by a hook that seemed familiar to her. One she knew right away, "Berry Punch," she couldn't help but exclaim, "we though ya' got lost in the forest after one a' Pinkie's parties." Applejack thought about this for a moment, 'I suppose that isn't too far from the mark after all.'

Applejack continued walking at a steady pace; each hoof step was magnified by the steel floor and walls and seemed to bounce back from the multitude of corpses surrounding her. There seemed to be a light up ahead and she hurried forward, eager to leave.

Applejack froze as she realized Pinkie was sitting, staring into a corner, not far away. The light Applejack had seen was a small candle by Pinkie. She decided to try and sneak past when it hit her that it was Pinkie sitting there, not the huge discolored monster from before.

'Ah know ah shouldn't do this,' Applejack thought as she lightly stepped towards the oblivious pink mare, 'ah should just continue on, or kill her sick little self raight here.'

Applejack approached Pinkie who didn't seem to notice the reverberating footsteps. She was leaned over a small object and was sniffling lightly.

"Pinkie?" Applejack asked, concerned even after what she had seen, "are you okay?"

Pinkie turned around with a flash, dropping the object she had been holding. Applejack saw that it was a picture taken at the Gala of her, pinkie and their five friends. "Why does it have to be like this Applejack," Pinkie screamed as she saw her friend, "why couldn't I have been hit by that rock? Everypony would be so much better off." Pinkie's eyes flashed with a strange light and Applejack felt as though she were falling, though she could see she remained standing; Pinkie was now walking towards her.

"Oh AJ," she said, running her hair through Applejack's mane, lingering a bit when she encountered the place where there had been an ear until she cut it off, "I'm so sorry I have to do this to you guys. I'll miss you so much, but maybe it will help if you know the whole story."

The room flashed with a light, yet it didn't seem to be a light, rather a wave of darkness that obscured everything, until all that was left was Pinkie. She too faded away, her growing smile lingering in the air.

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…..I'm howling at the moon and sleeping in the middle of a summer afternoon

Discord, whatever did we do, to make you take our world away?

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Scenes flashed through Applejacks vision.

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"Why?" the young Pinkie asked the night air.

"Because I saved your life. Twice. And a deal is a deal little one."

"But she didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes, but you agreed. Now you must do as I say."

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Pinkie crept through the darkened room, a sharpened rock from the fields now held in her hand. She approached the sleeping figure of a young filly.

"I'm sorry Inkie," she whispered, driving the rock spine into her sister's eye. It stabbed into her brain, killing her instantly.

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"I didn't want to do it!"

"Yes, but now that you did it's so easy isn't it?"

"No! Don't ever make me again."

"How can you do it again? You aren't even done yet?"

"What do you mean, I killed her." Pinkie spun rapidly, trying to find something to direct her hate at, "I KILLE MY SISTER BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"Yes, but you didn't make the cupcakes yet."

"WHAT DO CUPCAKES HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?"

"Do you remember how I said you had to collect the special ingredients for my recipe and make my treats for all to enjoy?"

"Do you mean-"

"Yes little one, grind her up and make cupcakes. I can guide you through it the first few times until you become skilled enough to do it on your own."

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A darkened kitchen. A pile of mismatched cupcakes lay strewn across every surface. Bones littered the floor and a mare was tied up in the corner. Knifes protruded from every possible area, all sharpened and ready to slice. The thirst of blood hung in the air.

Pinkie walked over to the blindfolded mare. "Mommmmmiiiiieeee," she said softly into the sobbing pony's ear, wake up now Mommy. Wake up and try these treats I made."

"I'm not your mother," the mare spat viciously, "you're no daughter of mine."

Pinkie giggled and pulled the hood off of the pony. "Well in that case you won't mind if I look into your eyes one last time then."

The pony spat into Pinkie's face, the red of her blood was streaked through the spit. Pinkie didn't seem to notice. She leaned over and began nibbling at her mother's ear. She tried to pull away but was held tight by the various scarves tied around her. Pinkie suddenly bit down, tearing off the ear. "I love you so much Mommy," she said cheerfully into the bleeding hole before swallowing the thin flap of flesh.

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The work flashed by quickly. Applejack realized that every few seconds a new pony would replace the one being killed. The locations were varied though usually in the same areas. The methods of torture and killing were never repeated. With each pony Pinkie appeared to become more skilled and more at ease with her work, creating new recipes and flavors out of the husks of ponies she lured into traps.

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A dark night, the wind howled through the streets. "Yes mistress?" Pinkie said as she hopped outside, "you called?"

"Yes my darling I did. You have always preformed every task I have set you, many more admirably than even I could have. My time to return to this world approaches and while my victory is assured, it may be that my sister has found a way to defeat me. If that happens, I will no longer be able to give you orders. Simply carry on as you have been, only, start a sort of lottery to determine who to kill next." A large cauldron appeared in front of the mare. "The rules of it are simple: if you draw their name, or if it emerges from the container on its own, you are to harvest their flesh. Every week you must draw a name and when you run low on supplies you must draw a name."

Pinkie began to examine the cauldron. "That sounds fun," she said, a glint of red playing across her eyes.

"I will also grant you a gift." A small orb of condensed shadow appeared in front of Pinkie. "This is but a small bit of my power; it will grant you the answer to any question you may ever have." The orb floated into Pinkie and quickly enveloped her in shadow which she seemed to drink in from every pore. "Go now my child and seek the ways of the nightmare."

The winds were silenced and Pinkie took the cauldron inside to draw the first name.

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Nightmare moon appeared in front of Pinkie. She was amazed at her god's beauty and power, but knew better than to speak up for fear Celestia may still have some means of revenge.

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The elements of harmony came together. Nightmare moon was destroyed once and for all and a pitiful young alicorn remained in front of the friends. After learning that she could be defeated, Pinkie began losing faith in her dark mistress. She knew the power in her would require her to continue to carry out her goddess's orders no matter what, but that didn't mean she had to stand around to take new ones.

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The slip that came out was blue and had the number 47 on it. Pinkie consulted the shadow oracle within her.

"You seek the young pegasus named Rainbow Dash."

"What? I could never lose Dashie"

"But you must, it's in the rules, besides, wouldn't you like to play with her. Everypony deserves a party mistress."

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Rainbow Dash lay tied to a table and Pinkie stood over her. "We're going to play so many fun games tonight Dashie," she said beginning to cut into her friend's flank.

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Pinkie was dancing with Rainbow Dash's stuffed corpse; the only music came from bones shoved into a young mare's lungs as she lay dying. Her last few breathes creating an eerie whistling noise in the bones.

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"You seek the unicorn Twilight Sparkle." An image flashed into Pinkie's head. She set the scrap of skin down, determined to show her friend a better time than she had Rainbow Dash when another scrap floated up out of the cauldron. Number 23.

"You seek the earth pony Applejack."

"Why are all of my friends coming out now?" Pinkie consulted the oracle, beginning to doubt the fairness of the drawing after partaking in its creator's death.

"You are to be punished for going against commands. Be sure to show your guests a good time so that they don't suffer for your decisions. Perhaps splitting your shadow side, Pinkamena as you call her, will allow you to escape your guilt with them."

Pinkie was looking into a mirror, a shadowy figure sat on the other side, vaguely resembling Pinkie. "So you'll do it?"

"Of course," came a snarl in response, "we are one in the same after all, though I suppose that depends only on how you believe it."

"I believe that if you do it it's different than us doing it together."

"Then it is. Just remember that you tend to take more…. precautions than I do."

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Discord, are we your prey alone?

Or are we just a stepping stone to taking back the throne?

Discord, we won't take it anymore, so take your tyranny away!

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Applejack once again felt as though she was coming up from the bottom of a deep lake. She was deeply shaken by what she had seen: Pinkie's descent into darkness and her reluctance to continue at the end.

"That doesn't excuse her for what she's done," Applejack said, trying not to feel pity for the insane pony, "she still has to pay."

Applejack looked around, suddenly realizing she wasn't where she had been left. She was in a small room that seemed very familiar to her for some reason. She stood up and walked towards a nearby door. She was in the closet of Pinkie's bedroom.

She looked around the room. Everything was misshapen and bulged in odd places. The colors seemed to jump out and all demand attention at once in a freakish nightmare array of cheerfulness. Everything seemed to be impossible. One wall was taller than the others, though the ceiling and floor were perfectly level. Chairs were sitting on the wall but when Applejack pushed them they slide like normal chairs.

She sat down in one of the strange chairs and suddenly felt as though this wall was the floor and that the floor was now a wall. She stood up and the change continued, her mane even sank towards the wall/floor.

"What in the world is goin' on here?" Applejack asked aloud.

"You're in my funhouse," a sinister voice whispered behind her.

Applejack turned and saw Pinkie sitting on the ceiling. As she spoke her face bulged outwards and she grew slowly. Her fur and mane darkened with every second. "We're going to play together for a while."

"Pinkie, don't do this!" Applejack yelled, "Nightmare moon is gone. Ah'm sure we can find a way out of this."

"No, no dearest Applejack," hissed Pinkie in the voice of the beast. "We didn't do this because we agreed to obey the princess for aid. We do this because it is fun." The creature held up a scrap of flesh that Applejack realized was her missing ear. "And because it tastes good." Pinkamena threw the ear towards the floor. It flew back up and landed in Pinkamena's growing mouth.

Pinkamena was now four times the size of Pinkie and was nearly dark enough to be a shadow. It suddenly smiled and hissed in an uncomfortably Pinkie-ish voice, "You wanna try some?" A mad, hysterical laughter ensued, slowly deepening and twisting into something that sounded like a pony on their death bed.

Applejack ran out of the room and slammed the door behind her. She continued running until a large rectangular hole appeared in the floor at her feet.

She didn't notice in time and fell through it. Landing sprawled on what resembled the front door of the Sugarcube Corner. Like Pinkie's room, this was filled with misshapen furnishings and architecture that shouldn't be able to exist.

'Raight,' thought Applejack as her vision turned red and then darkened, 'ah was on the wall.' She passed into oblivion as the creature skulked around the house ensuring that everything was ready for its last few games before it was forced to fully meld back with its original form once more.

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I'm fine with changing status quo but not in letting go,

Now the world is being torn apart.

A terrible catastrophe, played by your symphony,

What a terrifying work of art.

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Okay, this chapter is coming a little late compared to my usual submission time. I had school and practice today so I had some stuff to do. This AN will probably be shorter than my usual lengthy end chapter ones.

1.) Pinkamena was wrong when she was telling me what happened in the flash backs, Pinkie had to keep correcting her. ;P Stupid Pinkamena. (Crap, I hope she doesn't read this.)

2.) I meant to have the whole 'funhouse adventure' in this chapter but I wanted to publish a chapter today so that will be tommorrow's chapter and, once more, the Spike/Rarity chapter will be pushed back another day…. Unless I have time for both (probably won't).

3.) You ponies probably don't care but I'm super happy so I'm going to post it anyways, my ACT scores just came in and I got a 31 /)^3^(\

4.) There was something I wanted to ask everypony reading this but I forgot….. must not have been that important. I do remember, however, that it had to do with the story itself and something about how it would continue…. Wutevs.

"Mankind was stripped to the core and all that remained was insanity."

-Stephen King, Cell

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