Gilda and Ridley whispered confused comments to each other as Rainbow Dash led them towards the empty Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse.

"So...what exactly are we here for?" Ridley whispered to Gilda.

"I know about as much as you do," Gilda whispered back.

"Are you two done murmuring back there?" asked Rainbow with a smirk. Gilda and Ridley awkwardly cleared their throats and took a couple steps away from each other. Rainbow opened the door to the farmhouse and let the confused pony and griffin inside. She led them upstairs into an empty bedroom. Rainbow sighed as she entered. It was Applejack's room. Rainbow held the door open as Gilda and Ridley filed in. "I want you two to meet somepony."

"Okay then. Where are they?" Ridley asked. It was at this moment that a dark shadow moved across the window and something landed in front of Ridley. Ridley jumped into the air and then fell back. "What the hell was that?!"

"Did I scare you?" asked a somewhat shy voice. "Sorry about that."

Gilda and Ridley looked towards the source of the voice. It was the filly known as Bellamina.

"So I finally get to meet the infamous Bellamina," said Gilda as she looked at Bellamina and then looked back at Rainbow. "It's about time that you introduced me to her."

"This little meeting was actually her idea," Rainbow admitted. Ridley got up and cleared his throat. He smiled at the young pony and sighed.

"So...who are you exactly? Why have you been so quiet all this time? Why was Rainbow Dash the first pony that you decided to talk to?" he asked.

"My you have a lot of questions. A lot of questions that I don't have an interest in answering," Bellamina replied.

"Well...why not?!"

"I'm just not in the mood to answer those questions. I have my reasons for being quiet. Do you really need to know them?"

"Yes!" Gilda snapped.

"Why don't I just go ahead and introduce you to Susie?"

Rainbow smiled and Gilda stepped back a bit. The curtains on the window began to flutter as a dark shadow slowly began edging its way towards the house from the dome of clouds. The shadow soon took the form of a human girl and glided its way into the room. The shadow solidified and, now, Susie Salmon stood before them.

"It's been a while since I've been here," Susie said.

"So this is what a human being looks like," said Gilda as she walked around Susie.

"You look disappointed. Were you expecting something more...outrageous?"

"Nah. I'm not disappointed. You're certainly unique. That's enough for me."

Susie gave a few giggles as Gilda walked over next to Rainbow. The human girl then sat down on the floor and crossed her legs.

"Well...are any of you going to sit down?" Susie asked. Bellamina sat next to Susie and gave a small smile. Rainbow sat across from Susie and Bellamina and Gilda and Ridley sat next to Rainbow. "That's better."

"So...what are we going to do?" Ridley asked awkwardly.

"Why don't we just talk? That seems to be the appropriate thing to do at the moment," Bellamina stated.

"Okay then. So...what are we going to talk about?"

"Who knows? Let's just start off with a question and just continue on from there," Susie replied.

"How did you two meet?" Rainbow asked. Bellamina and Susie looked at each other and then turned back to Rainbow.

"I was alone for a long time," Bellamina explained. "I was here long before any of you showed up. Susie eventually arrived out of the clear blue one day. Since the day I met her, I've never really had a need to talk to anypony else."

"Is that your reason for being so quiet?" Ridley asked.

"It might be the reason...or it might not. You decide."

"Why can't you just make sense like other ponies?" asked a slightly annoyed Gilda.

"I don't have to make sense. We're dead after all. Is there really a need to go searching for the secrets of others?"

"I have a need to do so," said Rainbow. "There are plenty of secrets that I still want to uncover."

"That makes sense," said Susie. "You've yet to let go of the life you left behind. I was just like you after I was murdered."

"How were you murdered exactly?" asked Ridley bluntly. Ridley instantly began to blush and began to wave his front hooves frantically. "Sorry! I didn't mean to ask that! It just slipped out!"

"Don't feel bad about that. I'm not offended. It's not a really happy story, though."

"Our death stories aren't exactly gumdrops and lollipops either," said Gilda. Susie laughed and cleared her throat.

"I can still remember that day like it was yesterday. Maybe it was. Time has no true stability in the place I call home now. It was December 6, 1973 and I was leaving school. Ray Singh had just asked me out and I was incredibly happy. I was taking a shortcut through the cornfield that was located next to my school. I was walking when I came across...him."

"Your murderer?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes. George Harvey...but I prefer to call him Mr. Harvey. He lived in my neighborhood, though I didn't know him very well, and I had seen him talking to my parents on several occasions. He began talking to me and, eventually, he lured me down into a hut he had built underneath the cornfield."

"You went underground with him? Why?" Gilda asked.

"I didn't really want to go but I thought that to refuse to go down with him would be rude. I only wanted to stay for a few minutes. Once he got me down there things immediately began to get...awkward."

"Awkward?"

"That's the best way I can describe those few moments I had with him underground before he made his move. It didn't take long for him to attack and overpower me. He then proceeded to...rape me."

"He raped you?" Ridley asked as a bulge began forming in his throat.

"Yes. That particular part is fuzzy to me now but I think that's for the best. After he was done, he brought a razor to my throat and killed me."

"Just like that?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes. Just like that. With one swift movement of a knife, I was gone."

"I wish our deaths had been like that," Gilda said sadly.

"That pink bitch had to torture us first," Ridley snapped.

"Yes. Bellamina has told me your stories," Susie said softly.

"I don't remember my time with Pinkie. All I remember is my escape," said Rainbow.

"I think it's good that you don't remember your death. A memory like that is not worth dwelling on."

"Do you dwell on your death memory?"

"Honestly, no. I may still remember it but I have no need to dwell on it any further. I've moved on, my family's move on, and Mr. Harvey has received his judgment."

"So he was caught?" Gilda asked.

"No. He was never caught. My sister, Lindsey, almost got him caught. He escaped the judgment of Earth but couldn't escape the judgment of the world beyond. He eventually slipped off a ledge and fell to his death after an icicle fell on his head."

"Serves him right!"

"I guess. At first I was angry with him, but now I feel sorry for him."

"Why would you feel sorry for your killer?"

"Think about it. It must be an incredibly sad existence, to live as a murderer. To live as a person, or pony, who can only feel happiness and joy by causing pain to others. Some people and ponies accept their curse and grow to enjoy it. Some, however, loath their uncontrollable lust and seek to destroy it. Mr. Harvey was a poor soul indeed. He had an itch that he could never successfully scratch, no matter how many times he attempted to get rid of it. Pinkie Pie is also a killer that I feel incredibly sorry for. You should feel sorry for her too."

"Why should we?!" Ridley snapped.

"My sister isn't the pony who killed all of you," said Bellamina. Rainbow, Gilda, and Ridley turned towards the gray filly.

"What did you just say?"

"My sister didn't kill you. Somepony else did."

"Wait, who's your sister?" Gilda asked.

"The pony you all despise. Pinkie Pie is my older sister."

"What?!"

"You mean you don't know? I assumed that Rainbow Dash had told you."

Gilda and Ridley turned towards Rainbow. The cyan pegasus gave a forceful cough and laughed awkwardly.

"You knew? Why didn't you tell us?!" Gilda asked.

"I...I don't know. I guess...I didn't see the reason to tell you that at the time," Rainbow replied nervously.

"Well it would have cleared some things up for us," said Ridley as he gave Rainbow a light shove. Gilda snorted and turned away from Rainbow.

"So what exactly did you mean when you said that your sister isn't the one who killed us? Pinkie Pie killed us all!" Gilda said angrily.

"I know my sister. Pinkie Pie isn't the pony that killed you...and yet she is," said Bellamina.

"What do you mean by that exactly?" asked Rainbow.

"The Pinkie Pie who was your friend, Rainbow Dash, the Pinkie Pie who was my sister, the Pinkie Pie who loved to make everypony smile is not the Pinkie Pie who murdered you."

"What do you-"

"It'll all make sense soon enough."

"Listen to the voice," said Susie. "Listen to the voice and it'll all make sense."

Then they were gone. Both Bellamina and Susie disappeared into thin air. There was no sound, no flash, and no smoke. They had simply disappeared.

"I hate it when they do that!" said Rainbow angrily. Suddenly, Rainbow felt a massive tug behind her naval and was flung into an abyss of darkness. She wanted to scream but she couldn't emit any sound whatsoever. Rainbow peered into the endless darkness and a saddened Pinkie Pie soon appeared.

"D...Dashie?" stuttered Pinkie as Rainbow found herself landing on an invisible surface. The pink pony ran towards her and wrapped her up in a big bear hug. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for what I've done! I'm sorry! I know I'm a horrible pony! I never meant to hurt anypony! It was her! I would never do anything like she has done! Please, Dashie! Please don't hate me!"

Rainbow shoved Pinkie away from her and cocked her head. What was this? This was completely out of whack. Who was this Pinkie? Where were they? How had she traveled to this dark abyss? Questions continued to float through Rainbow's mind and Pinkie raced forward for another hug.

"Pinkie...why?" Rainbow asked with a somewhat confused tone. "Why did all of this have to happen? Why did you kill me?"

"I'm so sorry, Dashie! I know that you probably hate my guts right now! I hate myself too! I wish none of this had ever happened! Oh! If only I had never met Rufus! If that had never happened then Bella would still be here! Everypony would still be here!"

Pinkie slowly began to disappear as she curled up into a ball of tears and sorrow.

"Pinkie," said Rainbow as sad pink pony disappeared. Rainbow felt the ground fall out from beneath her and she fell down into an endless pit of darkness. Then she hit something. She felt a massive jolt rush through her body as the darkness disappeared and was replaced by the interior of a train car. Rainbow looked and saw Stormflower and Joan sitting next to each other. She approached them and, as usual, they didn't react to her sudden appearance. A few rows back, Sunkick and Scootaloo were sitting next to each other. Rainbow smiled at Stormflower and then walked back towards her brother.

"How long will it be until we reach the rock farms?" asked a bored Scootaloo.

"I don't know. I've never visited them before," Sunkick replied. As Rainbow approached him, she could tell that he could sense her presence. "Dash."

He sat up and looked around the car. Rainbow stopped right next to where Sunkick was sitting and brought her face up next to Sunkick's ear. The connection wouldn't last for long. She had to tell her brother what needed to be said at the moment.

"It was Pinkie Pie," she said. Sunkick's ears twitched as he turned to where Rainbow's face was. "It was Pinkie Pie."

Sunkick's eyes widened. He could hear her voice clearly. It was still a whisper but he could still make it out nonetheless.

"Pinkie Pie," he breathed.

"I love you, Sunny."

The connection then broke and Rainbow felt another tug behind her naval. She flew up through the ceiling of the car, up into the sky, past the stars, and back into the dimension of the dead. Gilda and Ridley were waiting for her back in Applejack's room.

"What the heck just happened?" asked a surprised Ridley.

"You just disappeared for a moment there!" said Gilda. Rainbow regained her balance and took a few deep breaths.

"Sorry," she said. "I..I just had a message to send."