The air was cold and pierced through the broken veil of mortal feeling. The dark shadows cast by the overgrown trees of darkness, were cast large and hit right into Pinkie's dark soul. Normally she would feel callous about these shadows of the Everfree, but the emotions Rarity was projecting made her feel otherwise. Her usual upbeat companion simply walked with no emotion to her stride. Just emptiness.

Pinkie held her bone knife firmly in her sweatshirt pocket and her other hand gripping on her pack that was slung over her shoulder. Pinkie looked over at her companion and saw her lifeless gaze upon the road beneath her.

Her ponytail swished from side to side as her heavy steps landed on the dirt road. Pinkie asked warm heartedly, "Rarity?"

No sound came from the seamstress. Just the sound of her breaths piercing through the dark air. Pinkie pressed on, "Rarity? Say something."

Rarity lifted her head and there was a look of agitation. Pinkie pressed further, "Anything."

Rarity spoke with an edge to her voice as sharp as the blade in her pocket, "What do you want me to talk about? Do wish to know how I am feeling right now? If you really wanted to know you should have asked, 'Good morning Rarity. How was your evening?' 'Oh nothing too stressful it's just I murdered someone in cold blood and now I'm on the run with someone who knows next to everything about murdering other people! Other than that my evening was just PEACHY!"

As she talked further her voice rose in volume and in madness. She was not taking it well. Pinkie shrunk and said, "Forget I said anything then."

Rarity must have picked up on the signal she was putting out. She released a sigh and answered, "I'm sorry I snapped darling. It's just...(sigh)...I have been through a lot the past few hours."

Pinkie let there be a bit of silence, to help ease the tension that Rarity was making. Finally Pinkie asked, "How do you feel?"

Rarity let silence be her answer. Her expression turned dark as she hissed coldly, "I murdered someone I knew since my childhood. Someone whom I was going to make a wedding dress for. How do you think I feel?"

Pinkie felt the icy words drift to her. Pinkie was not one to get mad at her friends for any reason. Pinkie growled, "If you keep those feelings bottled up then you will slowly kill yourself, and not the person you murdered."

Rarity sighed aggravatedly and responded, "Noted. Now, can you please tell me where we are going. It's bad luck to keep a lady waiting."

"Should have thought of that before you bit my head off." Pinkie answered snidely.

Rarity ground her teeth tightly together, sounding as if she would break her teeth. She growled through gritted teeth, "Well, you should have shared where you intend on taking us."

Pinkie could feel the anger coming off of her, like an aura of rage rising off of her. A rising tide of supressed fury. Pinkie answered, "Alright. Calm down...we are heading to Zecora's hut. She used to work for my family a few years back."

Rarity knit an eyebrow and asked, "Then why did you react so audibly?"

"Because I did not want her to recognise me," Pinkie answered motioning her hand in the air, "I did not want to put Zecora in a position where she was able to give away where I was. I was protecting her."

"Then why are we going there?"

"Because she can give us shelter for a night or two and she can offer us materials and tools on our continued journey." Pinkie answered swiping a strand of hair out of her face.

Rarity stopped in her tracks abruptly with a shocked look as she mused, "Journey? Where are we going from Zecora's?"

Pinkie's expression turned dark as she remembered the splattering blood of her family. The rising tide of crimson liquid that stained the walls. The screams of horror and terror. The feelings of pure adrenaline and vengeance, against years of hell and agony. That emotion spread on her face. Pinkie looked over at her friend and said coldly, "I'm going to finish what I started."

Rarity's eyes went wide and pronounced over the chilling forest air, "I'm sorry darling can you repeat that? Cause I thought I heard you say that we are going back to your old house!?"

Pinkie shrugged her shoulders and retorted, "What? Did you think that I was going to let a family of assassins hunt us forever? What about the endless amount of patrols that are probably on their way now to arrest us? No. I am not running anymore, I'm returning the favor."

Rarity let her voice raise in volume, "So you are going to give your life away for a grudge!? What will you hope to gain from this Pinkie!? Clarity!? Vengeance!? Peace! Will you kill them all just so you can feel better. Once they are gone what will you do then!?"

Pinkie stepped threateningly towards Rarity and hissed like a snake, "What happened to 'I will always be by your side?' What happened to the friend that would offer her own soul to save her friends!?"

"SHE'S GONE!" Rarity shouted that made Pinkie flinch. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she continued, "SHE DIED LAST NIGHT WHEN SHE FUCKING KILLED SOMEONE!!!"

Rarity let tears come from the corners of her eyes and she continued in a lower tone, "She died with Bon Bon...now all that is left is the soulless husk that used to be Lady Rarity."

Pinkie slumped her shoulders. There it was. The truth. She held that over her head, no doubt. Pinkie clenched her eyes shut as she said, "Bon Bon...was not innocent...she...she was a distant relative of mine...she moved here to get away from the family. Like any sane person would do...she tried to kill you because she was no doubt threatened that otherwise Lyra would be killed."

Rarity slouched as she sat on a log next to the dirt road. She rested her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands. She let the tears flow out and she said through hard breaths, "How...is that...supposed...to make me feel better."

If there was one thing in this world that Pinkie Pie truly felt bad about, it was hearing Rarity cry. It was an unexplained sensation. She sat next to Rarity and rested a tender hand on her irritable friend. She shivered as she let all her tears out. Pinkie Pie soothingly rubbed her hand on Rarity's shoulder and said in a softened tone, "It was not supposed to make you feel better. It was supposed to give you closure. This was your first time spilling blood. You deserved to know that she tried to leave the family but failed."

Pinkie scooched closer to her friend and gingerly grabbed both sides of her face and turned her to face Pinkie. Looking deep into Rarity's aquamarine eyes, seeing and feeling the sadness and remorse of what she did. Pinkie soothed as she spoke, "You aren't a monster Rarity. You are still the generous soul that found me that night. One kill will never change that, unless you let it. If you let that darkness consume you you will turn out like me."

Rarity sniffled and wiped her eyes as Pinkie dropped her hands. Her face was so warm, and distraught. She truly felt bad over what she did. And it was something she would carry for the rest of her life. Pinkie never wanted anything like this to happen to her. She never wanted Rarity to be put in a situation between life and death. Pinkie never wanted Rarity involved in her dark past and, no doubt now, dark future. Rarity let out a controlled breath and she seemed to return to normal.

Pinkie noticed the changed and clapped her hand on Rarity's shoulder and said with a smile, "Okay? We better get moving before..."

Pinkie stood up and froze. Her knees felt really pinchy. Her heart slowed and she slipped into her Killer Instinct. Something was not right. There was someone or something stalking them and Pinkie could sense it. It lurked beyond the shadows of the forest and watched with predatorial eyes. Rarity noticed her friend and said, "Pinkie Pie, what is it?"

"Quiet." Pinkie answered raising a hand to her stationary friend. Pinkie slipped off her pack and drew out her bone knife and reversed the dagger. She knelt in the dirt and felt her knees pinch once more. They pinched three more times and then a fourth. 5 stalkers beyond her field of vision. Four were circling them and the fifth remained stationary. Pinkie focused to try and analyze what she faced. She shuddered as she learned what they were. Shadowcats. Large part shadow part animal creatures that take on the form of a large cat. Like a lion or a tiger.

She hoped that she would make it to Zecora's hut before she encountered any of the wildlife. She considered herself lucky that it was not a manticores or chimeras that stalked them. But these were none the less dangerous. Pinkie took off her sweatshirt, and revealed a white v neck t-shirt. Pinkie knelt on the ground and slowed her breathing even further, making it sound as if she did not breath at all. She sat there as she patiently waited for the first one to pounce. Readying her knife to rend flesh and bone once more.