Five days had passed before they made it through the forest.  Making it to the fat outskirts of town they camped out and first thing the next morning they left, taking only their cloaks and some snacks and a couple knives, hidden in their saddle bags.  

Covering the cart with foliage they set out.  Glad to be leaving the accursed forest .

The sun had set and the town was quiet.  Approaching slowly they entered town and began making notes of where the police and patrols were … only to find none.  They went down the side streets and noticed a lot of closed signs and boarded up windows.  It looked as though the town was dying, if not completely dead in some areas.

Disregarding their earlier plan to stay hidden they cautiously entered the main road.  There were no police, the station sat dark with broken windows and the door was off.  The lights were not working in some street lamps and there was a sense of gloom in the atmosphere.  Walking down a sidewalk the saw the library in the distance, it looked disheveled.  

The leaves were brown, the windows were broken and it looked like no one had lived there in a while.  They had heard Twilight went crazy but wondered where Spike was, he was supposed to watch the library.  

They made their way to the bake shop.

The shop was obviously closed, having not been maintained since they had left.  They went in, the door creaking heavily and dust falling on them, making them cough from under their hoods.  They entered and looked around.  Oddly the banner was still over the door and the table was still setup.  One cupcake was left on the table with a plaque that read,

To all the victims of the Bloody Mares:

You will be missed

You will all be loved

You will all be avenged

Looking at each other they contemplated what that meant.  They looked at the secret door to see it closed and they approached it.  Pressing the button a bright flash of light nearly blinded them before the door popped open.  They went on guard, brandishing their knives.  

No one was there.  

What was the light then?  Keeping the knives in their mouths they opened the door with a heavy creak and they started down stairs.  It was pitch black when they got to the bottom.  They went to turn on the light but there was no power so they couldn’t see anything, but the smell reminded them of home.  They smiled and turned to go upstairs, bumping into a wall.  

“That’s a might odd, I coulda swore the stairs was here, Pinks.”

“It should be, sis.  I lived and worked here for years and the stairs should be right over here.”

“Maybe on account of its so dark we got turned around, lets just feel the walls around here to get out.”

“Hmmmm.  Okay!” Chirped Pinkie.

“Ya know, Pinks, I like you when you’re all happy like this.  Its like when we was younger and you’d always make everyone happy all the time.”  She smiled recalling their intimate night the previous week.

“Doncha think you feel better like that too?”

…

Silence.

“Pinks?”

Her voice echoed.  Only her hooves could be heard and she started breathing heavier, “PINKS? Pinkie? PINKIE PIE? Oh Celestia, where are you, I don’t like the dark, where are ya!?!?”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA” screamed Pinkie, giving her sister nearly a heart attack, bringing her to tears she scampered away as the shout echoed, mixed with Pinkamenas psychotic laughter, Applebloom ran into the middle of the room clamoring over several soft in the room.

“C’mon silly beaver, it was just a joke.  Where’d you go to?”  Heavy panting and breathing echoed as Pinkies shrill voice reverberated off the walls.

“Eh, Pinks?  We need to get out of here and get some light, I think something’s wrong.”

“What do you mean, silly?”

Sensing her sisters sincerity she thought that this whole thing was feeling a bit odd.  Suddenly her tail twitched, she tried to listen to the darkness at what could be wrong and saw a blinding flash of light, then everything in the room went dark again before she could adjust to the light.

She awoke some time later.  She looked around there was a light source coming from somewhere, she tried to focus her eyes against the shift in light and saw movement in the distance at the far end of the room.  Looking at the center of the room she saw what looked like a small pile of bodies.  

She tried to move but couldn’t.  Her limbs tightly but poorly strapped at her hooves.  ‘Not bad, I can’t slip out, but I’m not going to be hurt just laying here.’  Asking aloud,

“What’s happening?  What’s going on?  Who’s….” She chuckled out loud. ‘So that’s what they felt’ she thought to herself.

The world coming back into focus for her she saw the outlines of at least five ponies in the center of the room, the looked like fresh kills but they were done by some pony inexperienced, the cuts were jagged and the coats had cuts on them that ruined most of their uses.  While most were earth ponies there were a couple of Pegasus, she could tell from the wings, still attached.

She heard a faint squishing sound and a whimper in the distance, straining her neck to the far corner she could see someone working on another mare, the silhouettes dancing and muffled screams from the victim.  Smiling evilly she imagined the cuts, and the blood splattering the walls, the intestines spilling on the floor from the shadows’ movements.  

There was a sparkle of purple light as the shadows came into view then disappeared.  Shocked and sickened Pinkamena:  Applebloom was dead, tortured and disemboweled by her once best friend Twilight Sparkle.  There was a glow around Appleblooms body, then it was dark again.   Twilight opened her wings and flew over to the pink mare.

“You’re, you’re, an Alicorn now? It’s so great to see you again!  I’m glad you aren’t crazy anymore.” Choked Pinkamena.  Looking at the glowing horn of her once friend approaching her, illuminating the floor as she sped closer.  The bodies in a pile briefly coming into view, poorly cut up and still baring their cutie marks Pinkamena snorted at the sloppy work.

Readying herself for a long winded talk and explanation on what was happening Pinkamena steadied her gaze.

Twilight’s horn pierced Pinkamenas shoulder. Yelping in pain she breathed in some of her attackers hair, coughing instantly.  Purple and black hair filling her sight, she felt the horn twisting in her arm, she screamed loudly.  Shocked by the sudden attack.

“What kind of game is this?  I can’t play if I don’t know the rules!”  

Another gust of wind and the purple pony spun in a complete circle, stabbing through to the table.  Then a bright flash of purple light engulfed her and she was gone.  Catching her breath she looked at her arm, to see nothing was wrong.  No hole, blood or even a scar.  What had happened?  She was still strapped to the table, there was a purple light, filling the room, but no magical mare casting it.