"What are you doing!?"

The yell caused Sunset's eyes to fly open just in time for her vision to be filled with the image of an incoming fist. The force of the blow sent Sunset flying backwards into the padded wall where she slumped, blood streaming from what was surely a broken nose. Dr. Lemon Drop loomed above her, a wild look in his eyes that Sunset Shimmer had never seen before. It was like his cold as ice personality had flashed violently into hot steam in a single instant.

"NNNOOOO!!!" Screeched the Candy Mare like a banshee as her image twisted and distorted with grief. "I WAS SO CLOSE! SO! CLOSE!!!"

That was when Sunset noticed, for the first time, that Lemon Drop wasn't paying any attention to her but was looking right at the shade of the Candy Mare with a triumphant grin plastered on his sweat slick face.

"Sam! Sam get your useless self in here and put that muzzle back on her," The doctor ordered as he turned his back on the slumped teenager.

But the fact that Sunset was still conscious was not all the good doctor failed to notice. He also didn't see that his violent assault had managed to loosen one of the straps on Sunset's straight jacket. Perhaps more importantly, he didn't see her hide a single piece of candy up her sleeve...

-----

Despite all of Diamond Tiara's worries, their time at Crystal Prep had gone remarkably smoothly. The school fostered an environment of self-involvement so extreme that most students were too invested in themselves and their own achievements to notice one or two students disappearing. It probably helped that it was mostly the survivors from CHS, though when the schools more established alumni started to vanish as well it was met with barely any comment what-so-ever.

That seemed extremely odd to Diamond Tiara. She thought that someone would at least notice that the common denominator in the disappearances was herself and her 'cousin', who had at last settled on a name and asked everyone to refer to her as "Candie". It seemed like a terrible pun to Diamon Tiara, but no one else really seemed ti notice. If anything, the monster posing as a student had become more and more popular as more students had vanished.

Candie had an appetite for knowledge that almost rivaled her more... carnivorous cravings. Once she had learned to read, memorization came naturally to her, and though she would spend hours in lectures and in the school library, she spent tons of time observing and interacting with other students. There was some resistance at first, but if Candie expressed an earnest interest in the activities of these students who were already convinced the world revolved around themselves, it only served to stroke their egos further to have her rapt attention as well.

In short order, Candie was one of the most popular girls in school.

... And Diamond Tiara was furious.

She slammed her locker closed with enough force to shake the entire row. The young teenager was at her wits end. She had thought that it would have been easy to expose the monster and make a get away while everyone was running and screaming, but these Crystal Prep students were so dense they didn't even realize that the interest Candie showed them was the same interest a wolf might show a flock of sheep!

And the teachers! The teachers were the worst! They dismissed any eccentric behavior Candie, or Diamond Tiara herself, demonstrated as if it were just girls being girls!

On the way to class Diamond Tiara couldn't help but muse about how she had once walked all over students and faculty at CHS, but that had been nothing compared to the holy terror she had become at Crystal Prep. Senior students stepped out of the way when they saw her coming and teachers would actively turn and run! Even when someone was brave enough to confornt Diamond Tiara when they finally figure out something was wrong, Candie would be right there waiting. The monster seemed to have some ability to predict these scenarios, so they were always somewhere secluded and ready to jump out, when they occurred.

Like with Twist, Diamond Tiara would try to convince them just to drop it and leave. Maybe she'd try to arrange to meet them later, when she could explain things. She'd even swapped to begging and pleading as time had gone on, dispensing with subtly altogether. Once she had outright screamed at the top of her lungs that her cousin was really a monster and was about to devour them! The student in question had just laughed as if Diamond Tiara had told the most unexpected joke. They'd still been laughing as Candie had crept up behind them and swallowed them whole.

It's this rotten school, Diamond Tiara decided. Everyone is so worried about their own reputations that they don't care about what happens to anyone else.

Principal Cinch was the worst, and Diamond Tiara suspected that the real reason nothing had been done was that she was covering everything up to protect the schools reputation. Whatever line that Principal Cinch was feeding the parents of the missing students seemed to be working so far. No police had arrived to investigate, nor any kind of journalists or private detectives.

If they had Diamond Tiara might have at last had someone she could tell her story to.

Someone who could offer her protection.

Someone who could get her away from "Candie".

Everyday the limo driver, clearly rotting and partially liquefied, would pick the pair up and take them to school. Diamond Tiara would do what she could to ease her tormented father's agony while Candie just watch her go about her activities. All of the servants that Candie hadn't eaten had been dismissed, so Diamond Tiara had gotten used to eating microwave meals every night and having to do things like clean up after herself and change her father's bandages.

With that done, Diamond Tiara would try her best to occupy herself until she was tired enough to sleep. Candie would just look over her the entire time. She knew the creature watched her sleep because she was standing in the exact same spot in the morning as when Diamond Tiara would finally, blissfully, lose consciousness.

Then the day would begin again. Another "wonderful" school day.

The formerly spoiled rich girl had considered simply killing herself to escape the situation. But then she would be leaving her father at Candie's mercy. Worse, seeing what she had become of the limo driver, and what became of the people she had eaten, Diamond Tiara wasn't sure she would stay dead even if she worked up the nerve to commit suicide. The idea of becoming this monsters puppet was about as revolting a fate as the teenager could imagine.

What was worse was that Candie was getting more active the longer the nights grew. As the anniversary of the CHS massacre drew closer, Diamond Tiara just new something horrible was about to happen. Tonight was All Hallows Eve. Though she had no idea what the monster might have planned, it might be her last chance to warn everyone about what Candie really was. Diamond Tiara resigned herself to try one more time, even if everyone laughed at her. Even if they didn't believe her, at least she would have tried.

If only there was a way to get away from Candie. She seemed to stalk Diamond Tiara wherever she went.

As she was pondering this very thing, a fist swung out of her blind spot and connected with a loud 'crack', knocking her out cold.

The world swam back into focus and the first thing Diamond Tiara was aware of was how dry her mouth was. The cloth gag shoved into her mouth didn't just serve to muffle her voice, but had robbed her tongue of all of its moisture while she had been unconscious.

Next, she noticed the feel of cold metal around her wrists. her arms were secured firmly behind her back, wrapped around the back of the chair she was sitting on. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring her arms forward. The rattle of a chain let her know she was handcuffed. Her legs were similarly secured, and must have been for some time if the cramps in her calves were any indication.

It was hard to tell in the darkened room, but it certainly smelled like she was still on school grounds. The scent of chalk dust and pencil shavings was fairly unmistakable. As Diamond Tiara's eyes adjusted to the gloom, she realized that she was in one of the chem labs. A fake skeleton hung grinning in one corner, next to an anatomy doll that had its plastic flesh missing from half of it's body to display the muscles that ran underneath and the system of nerves, veins, and arteries.

Just as the first prickly pins and needles of panic were starting to creep up her spine, Diamond Tiara realized she was not alone. "Oh look, the poor dear woke up!" said a saccharin sweet voice before dropping into a hateful growl, "About damn time." As she stepped out of the gloom, Diamond Tiara recognized the girl as one of the upper-classmen here at Crystal Prep. What was her name? Sour Sweet?

More familiar faces drifted out of the gloom, "Did she piss herself yet? I bet she's peeing herself right now," snickered Indigo Zap cruelly. She was probably the girl that had knocked Diamond Tiara out, given the brass knuckles she was stroking on her right hand like it was some kind of pet.

This only drew a disgusted sigh from another girl, Sunny Flare,"Real nice Indigo. Maybe we should leave you and your knuckle duster alone for a little while, huh?" The short haired upper-classmen leaned down and looked Diamond Tiara in her terrified eyes, "Sorry about her. She gets a little to excited when it comes to the physical side of these little exchanges... I imagine you're wondering why you're here? Just nod"

Uncertain of what to do, Diamond Tiara just shook her head yes.

"Aww, she doesn't know why shes's here," mocked Sour Sweet in baby talk, scrunching up her face and clasping her hands as if she were about to cry. Then, once again, her voice became a lot less friendly and more accusatory, "As if! You know exactly why your here! The 'oh-so-little-miss-innocent' act isn't fooling anyone!"

"She's not wrong," added a girl in pigtails and glasses as she steeped into view. Diamond Tiara hadn't noticed her since she had been standing behind her up until now. Just how many upper classmen were in on this? She hadn't expected Sugarcoat to be involved since she didn't seem to get along with any of her fellow classmates. "Acting like you're frightened after what you've done is pointless. We've figured out what you've been up to. Frankly, it's disgusting."

Serious panic gripped the young teen now. If these girls had figured out what Candie had been doing and thought Diamond Tiara was complicit, covering for her as she'd killed off their class mates one by one, there was no telling what they might do to! No, given the situation she was in, it was obvious that they had already decided to take matters into their own hands. Were they going to torture her to find out what she knew? Would they believe her if she said she was as much a victim as anyone else? She seriously doubted it.

Tears started pricking the edges of Diamond Tiara's eyes.

"Oh my god! She's crying! She's actually crying you guys!" cried Indigo Zap, laughing and pointing. "For someone who acts so tough you're really just a big baby aren't you? Does baby want a bottle, hm?" The older girl brought her fist up to the side of Diamond Tiara's face, the hard metal of the brass knuckles cold against her cheek. "Or maybe you need me to give you a real reason to cry, huh?"

"Knock it off Indigo!" commanded Sunny Flare, clearly under the impression that she was in charge. "That's not how we do things here at Crystal Prep... So long as she cooperates with us, that is."

Diamond Tiara was confused. If they knew what had been going on, what could they possibly expect her to do? It was clear they wanted something from her, but she couldn't imagine what. If there was a way to avoid any more pain she'd be more than glad to accommodate them.

Sugarcoat must've read the look on her face, because she stated mater-of-factly, "Your cooperation wouldn't require you to do anything you haven't done already. You and your cousin have been eliminating any student that gets in your way, driving them to drop out of school while making it look like they have simply 'disappeared'."

Sunny Flare nodded, mistaking the disbelief in Diamond Tiara's eyes for surprise. "It wasn't hard to figure out that you were busy eliminating the competition for the princesses crown at the annual Halloween Hop. While it would be unusual for an underclassmen like you to take the crown, since your cousin is getting so popular she'd be a shoe-in. Since the dance is tonight, I imagine the pair of you thought you were home free."

"We figured out that we were likely to be next on your little list," added Sour Sweet, "Since we're the most popular and accomplished girls in our year. I'd be flattered if I wasn't so ticked-off at the audacity of some little CHS freshman coming in here and thinking she could take the crown from me!"

"From us," corrected Indigo Zap. "The winner shouldn't be a former CHS student or some rich foreign exchange student. It ought to go to a Crystal Preper that's actually put in the time and paid her dues!"

"So here's what we're going to do," said Sunny Flair as she pulled out an electric razor and flipped it on, eliciting a harsh buzz from the tiny device. "We're going to make sure you're not in the running this year by giving you a little make over. Nothing too severe, we're just going to make sure you're following the schools dress code by giving your hair a little trim."

"She's going to shave your head," deadpanned Sugarcoat. "And one of your eyebrows."

Sunny Flare glared at the other girl before she continued. "Someone with your kind of money can probably afford a wig, so after that we'll be taking a few pictures of you."

"In the nude!" laughed Indigo Zap.

"And if you don't want those lovely snap shots getting passed around school," added Sour Sweet. "You'll be sure to stay out of our way tonight."

"Oh, and don't worry about that little cousin of yours," smirked Sunny Flare, waving the electric razor in front of Diamond Tiara's face. "She's going to be getting the exact same treatment you are. Lemon Zest will be bringing her along any minute, and then we can really get this party started."

Diamond Tiara's shoulders shook. It seemed like she was sobbing at first. Who wouldn't be in her position? But then they heard something they didn't expect. The gag muffled Diamond Tiara's voice, but it did a poorer job containing her laughter. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, however it was clear it was from the waves of mirth that were shaking her small frame.

How could these girls be so stupid!?

"I don't get it, is she laughing at us?"

"It would appear so."

"This isn't exactly a laughing situation."

"Her little face is so cute! It's... really creeping me right the hell out..."

With a groan of frustration, Sunny Flare reached up to the duct tape that held the gag in place on the young girls face and, with a merciless jerk, ripped the tape off. "What's so funny, huh!?" Diamond Tiara just kept laughing despite the blood trickling down her face where the tape had torn off a layer of her skin. That only infuriated Sunny Flare more, driving the older girl to lash out, slapping Diamond Tiara hard enough to knock over her chair,"Spit it out!"

The rich girl stopped laugh for a moment to spit out a wad of blood on the floor as she looked up at the four upper-classmen. "You. All of you! You're just so funny!" answered Diamond Tiara. "And completely and utterly screwed!"

"What is she talking about?" asked Sour Sweet, perhaps thinking she'd missed something. This girl was bloody and on the floor, hand-cuffed and at their mercy. So how exactly were they the ones who were screwed.

"For a school with such a grand reputation, all of you "Crystal Prepers" couldn't be any more dense! You think that thing is my cousin!? She's a monster! You're buddy is bringing her to this nice, secluded, dark spot... And then you're all going to threaten her!" Diamond Tiara couldn't suppress another fit of laughter. "You're all going to die!"

The older girls didn't know how to react to that. This wasn't how things were supposed to go at all. When words failed, however, there was always the language of violence... That was a dialect Indigo Zap was fluent in. The young athlete pulled back her leg and kicked Diamond Tiara as hard as she could right in her stomach. The younger teenager thought she felt something burst, and her lunch was quickly disgorged from her throat.

But even that didn't stop her laughing. The truth was she was on the verge of hysteria just thinking about what was about to happen.

There were two short knocks, followed by a pause and three longer knocks.

"That's probably Lemon Zest. Guess that's your bluff called underclassman," smirked Sunny Flare, although the seeds of doubt were sewn in her words. "Stop messing around and go let her in Indigo."

"Fine." Pulling down her goggles, as if they would somehow hide her identity, the blue haired athlete unlocked the door to the chemistry lab and pulled it open just a crack. She might have been something of a muscle head, but she could be discrete when she needed to be. The silhouette of a girl with long yellow and green hair and a pair of headphones perched on her head stood in the doorway. Indigo Zap stepped back and opened the door the rest of the way, "About time Zesty. Come on in."

For a moment the teenager just stood there, stock still. Then her head tumbled forward, splattering blood as it bounced twice on the tiled floor and came to rest inches away from the girls would be victim. The expression of abject horror frozen on the older girls make-up caked face only made Diamond Tiara laugh harder.

As the headless corpse slumped to the floor, another girl stepped over the corpse with a wide grin on her face. Candie's smile contained far more teeth than should be able to fit in a human girls mouth. Her hands were coated up to the elbow in blood, but that didn't stop her from closing and locking the door behind her as she stepped into the dimly lit room.

"I thought we were playing hide and seek, but this looks more like ring around the roses, a pocket full of poses, ashes to ashes..." the 'foreign exchange student' giggled. "We all fall down!"

All pretense of humanity was lost in that moment. Her arms split into several long spiked tentacles as her body swelled and burst out of her dress, hundreds of mouths opening on the gelatinous surface of her pseudo flesh as one huge maw opened wide and bit off the front half of Indigo Zap's body with a horrific crunch. The cross section of the girls body, her innards clearly on display was a sight that would make anyone lose their lunch, as several of the teenagers quickly did.

As the teenagers guts sluiced down to the floor, the girls that weren't doubled over disgorging chunks from their own innards were quickly backing away in horror. Even so, they didn't scream... How could they? The creature that slithered before them, slurping up their classmates entrails like they were spaghetti was too horrible, too unreal for them to accept. This had to be some kind of nightmare.

They were going to wake up soon.

Any moment now, right?

Right?

The teenagers may have hesitated, but "Candie" didn't. As her tendrils lashed out and the screaming finally started, Diamond Tiara closed her eyes tight. She could feel droplets of blood raining down, pattering against her dress and face. Bits of flesh and chips of bone fell like sleet on the tile floor as the girls tried desperately to escape. The horrible sound of gnashing teeth and scraping claws was almost indistinguishable from their bones popping and their fingernails scrabbling on the tiles. The sounds of their struggle for survival were all too brief.

When Diamond Tiara opened her eyes, there wasn't a trace of blood or viscera left. Even Lemon Zest's severed head and slumped body were gone. Candie alone smiled down at Diamond Tiara as she retook her previous form. It was hard to imagine how she could fit the bodies of five teenagers inside her diminutive form, but she managed it somehow.

Candie then leaned down and began to lick the blood off Diamond Tiara's face with a long orange and black tongue. The slimy sensation made her shiver, but she only winced when the snake-like tongue moved down the length of her body effortlessly cut the chains that had bound Diamond Tiara to the chair. "Don't worry," she crooned in Filthy Rich's voice, "As long as I'm around I'll be saving you... for later." The creature laughed darkly as Diamond Tiara curled into the fetal position, hugging herself.

What was she going to do? How could she ever hope to escape?

The door to the chem lab unlocked, and the lights flickered on. "Oh, there you girls are! I've been looking all over for you!" Dean Cadance wore a look of concern on her face. "I don't know what you two were doing in here in the dark, but we can talk about that later. Right now, I need to see you in my office immediately Diamond Tiara!"