The rain was coming down heavily and the cart was moving ahead slowly.  Applebloom was sleeping in the back, the heavy cart being slowly pulled ahead by Pinkamena; her hooves stomping with each step she wanted to get as far away from the town of Ponyberg as possible.  Already miles away and with no reason to believe they were being followed; she pressed on.  

Nothing was going to stop her and she was never going to be caught, she smiled between pants, she was going to die an old lady in a rocker chair made of bones, wrapped in the hide of princess Celestia out in the country, a house with a roof of tanned hides and skulls.  The interior decorated for the greatest party every, with dozens of her playmates taxidermied and posing, forever happy.

Losing her footing she fell chest first into the mud.   She felt the dirt and mud coating her body, the weight of the yoke heavy on her back pushing her deeper, she pulled free and stood in the cold rain, thunder could be heard in the distance.  

‘How long would it be until the real Pegasus’ showed up and clean up the clouds?  We’re close to the Everfree forest, they probably won’t be coming.  I like the rain.” Looking up she enjoyed the water washing away the dirt, she felt her troubles going too.

Walking around the cart making a quick lookout she slipped the cloak off and felt the rain wash her clean.  Closing her eyes she lost herself to the sensation, sound and scent of the area around her.  She hopped into the wagon and laid down.

She rolled over and opened her dresser, removing her family, frozen in candy.  She began to play with them and work out her problems, after a short time feeling better she hugged her sisters and put them all back into their spots.  Turning over she looked at her dress.  She checked to make sure she was alone in silence and lifted the front flap, exposing Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Twilights cutie marks.

She had kept them and sewn them into her dress without any others knowing, and rarely looked or thought about them.  A couple nights ago, when Applebloom had gotten drunk and made a scene, Pinkamena had started to miss her old life.  She didn’t want to finish Twilight anymore, after finding out she was mentally broken, she knew her work was done with her.

Maybe she could… No.  She couldn’t go back just like that.  But, to see her old friends’ homes, and see what happened to the city.  After so much time she was sure she could blend in with Applebloom and make a walk through, just once.  And they could see their old sugar cube corner!  The bakery that had meant so much to her: did they tear it down, or did they leave it to rot?  MAYBE IT WAS A MUSEUM!  

A triumph to her work and the work of her sisters.  They could have decorated it with red paint and moved the downstairs up and any dead ponies in town were used to decorate the walls.  She smiled and giggled.  It wasn’t possible, but the thought made her happy, she started kicking her feet and rolling around.

Sitting up, Applebloom grabbed a bushel of fresh food.

“Yum yum yummy yum in my tum tum! This is so good.  Is this from the shop?”  

“Yeah, you know they were such a nice town.  It was a good time, Pinks.  Only…”

Stopping her meal and finishing her mouthful she looked up, to the top of the wagon and reached over, pulled a string and opened a small vent-window and looked at the stars.  “Let’s go home for a day or two.  We’ll be safe, and stay covered.  I’ll stay calm and you just be you.  We’ll sleep outside town in our wagon and limit ourselves explore only.

Looking at each other with a kind of excitement they both smiled.  Having spent years together they had developed a language without speaking.  Looking at Pinkamena Applebloom cocked her hear to the side, “Where’s your necklace? I haven’t seen you take it off in months.”

Shocked, Pinkamena grasped at her neck and felt her bare coat and her eyes widened, than she darted for the door nearly knocking her sister over.  Her eyes darting around the ground, she began hopping around and digging, trying to recall where it could have fallen off.  Joining her Applebloom began searching as well.

For almost an hour they scoured the area; the darkness of a rainy night obscuring their view they slowly retraced her steps, focusing on where she fell, trying to gently dig into the moving soil.  Hanging her head Pinkamena slowly walked into the back of the wagon and lay down.  For the first time in years, she began to sob.

The clothing she had handmade were her most cherished objects.  A piece of each victim was memorialized in her clothes and she would remember them and how they died in respect.  Now, how would she remember the seven she killed?  Six horns and the flesh necklace, would she remember them in a year, a month?  Would their memory fade sooner?  

Approaching her sister, Applebloom lay next to Pinkamena and let her emotional wall down, and together they cried, for a long time they cried.  They awoke to warmth around them, it was after sunrise, the rain had stopped and the wagon was warm and cozy.  Neither mare knew which was awake first and neither wanted to move, they had cuddled together and had truly felt love like they never had before for each other throughout the night.

Sitting up Applebloom yawned and looked up at the open vent the clear blue sky above.  Looking down she took Pinkies sight in, a beautiful naked pink mare, soft hair and panting as she lay in the warming wagon.  Both stared at each other for a moment, recalling the night.  

Applebloom went out the back and stretched, lowering her head she felt her back crack and from under the cart she saw the necklace.  Her heart jumped and she dove under the axel and grasped the necklace and yanked it, hearing a crunch her heart sank again.

Slowly tugging it out four horns came out and only shards of the others popped up.  Slowly backing up she was leaving the undercarriage as Pinkamena was exiting, naked and her hide shining a bright pink, her mane soft and light, her eyes opened wide and she screamed in joy louder than she had in years, echoing for miles and causing Applebloom to jump, hitting her head and dropping the necklace.

Her ears ringing she stumbled out from under the wagon standing on her hind legs he held her head with her arms and tried to regain her equilibrium.  Suddenly she was tackled and knocked to the ground, her mind reeling she felt Pinkamenas mane in her face, she was being squeezed so much she started to lose her breath.  

“Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you Applebloom!  You’re the best sister ever and I’ll never forget this I’ve never been so happy and I love you and thank you thank you thank you!”

“Ughhh, whacha doin Pinkie?”

“You found my NECKlace!  YAY!”

“Oh, yeah, “she started gathering herself, “Most of it anyway.”

“I don’t care, you FOUND it!  My necka-necka-necka-lace!”

After a moment Applebloom pushed Pinkie off of her and saw the mare bright pink, and extremely happy.  Her eyes large, her mouth small and her beaming white teeth sparkling as she held her necklace to her chest.  There was an obvious change in her; Applebloom didn’t know how to react yet.  

Looking at Pinkie she noticed that for once she was actually naked.  No dress, no bows or pins in her hair, no necklace: even the paint on her cutie mark had rubbed off the during the night and she never let anyone see it anymore.   She was truly a gorgeous mare.  Applebloom felt a strange feeling seeing her sister revert back to her old self.

Picking up pieces of the broken horns Pinkie hopped into the wagon singing ‘The fun never ends.’  Seeing the cover open partly she knew pinkie was going to bake something?  She stayed on lookout, time passed slowly.  The sun was high overhead when she emerged wearing her necklace.  Two candy orbs hang from the necklace where the broken ones were.  

‘She candied them and put them back, that’s actually really smart.’  Applebloom thought.  Often forgetting Pinkamena was quite clever at times.  

“Whelp, what’s the plan, Pinks?  We going to Baltimare like planned?”

“Ponyville.”

“…Ponyville?” Gulped Applebloom.

“We’ll go for one night, just to see the old places.