Thanks everyone for the kind comments and thumbs up. I also noticed a lot of people favorited this story, which is great too. Please enjoy the next installment.

This chapters a bit like "Saw" which was not my original intention, so sorry if it's a bit silly, but it was the only way I could really think of to get what I want to happen to happen.

THE MOTHER OF ALL DEADLY SINS
BY THE YOUNG AND FREE DRAGON

CHAPTER TWO: JUGGLING APPLES

Applejack carried a basket of apples on her back as she made her way towards the library. Also, in her saddle bag, she carried a book Twilight had given her that told how to get rid of a certain pest that had been plaguing the trees of the Apple family farm. The apples that were now free of insects, and delicious as ever. The basket was her way of saying thanks. She hadn't seen Twilight for quite sometime, but then again, she had been busy taking care of the pests.

She knocked at the door and waited. The foul odor that Rainbow Dash had mentioned last week was not present, at least not on the scale that the pegasus had made it out to be. It was true that there was a decaying smell in the air, but she had known Twilight to have Spike make her lunch, and then she would never eat it, too caught up in her studying. She probably left some food out somewhere.

But after a long time, nopony had answered. Twilight was probably hard at work, and running Spike around like a dog. She opened the door and stepped in. She'd just leave the basket and book somewhere that Twilight might find it. She'd know who it was from. But that still left the problem of where. She decided she would just place it outside the library door.

As she neared the library, she noticed that the door was ajar. She peered in and, to her surprise, found nopony inside. Well that was certainly strange, but maybe Twilight was in her basement or something. Applejack stepped inside. She noted that books were scattered everywhere, as though Spike had been neglecting his job.

But there was a pile of books on a desk that were opened and bookmarked, as though they had been recently read. She trotted over, placing the basket on the table. If Twilight had been reading these books, she'd surely continue with them, since it looked like she wasn't done.

As Applejack turned to leave, a title of one of the books caught her eye. It was bound in old, worn leather, and bore a name that set her at unease; "The Art of Tanning Hides". Now why would Twilight want to read a book like that? There was no way she would harm any animal for its pelt and use it.

A sudden acrid smell filled the air, and she felt her stomach turning over. She followed her nose to the basement, where the smell was coming from. She opened the door and trotted down the steps, not being mindful of the creaking sound they produced. But this sound was drowned out as a fizzing sound erupted, as though a giant alka-seltzer tablet had been dumped in a large glass of water.

She froze and stood quietly, listening as the fizzing continued for a few minutes before beginning to die down. It became darker as she continued down the stairs, and as she came to the bottom, she couldn't see anything at all, and so she didn't catch sigh of something hanging over the stairs. She ran right into it and it wrapped around her like a blanket. She let out a cry and she fell to the ground, repulsed by the sticky liquid all over the inside of the cover. She wrestled her way out and when her head was uncovered, she saw the lights come on. She saw Spike standing before her, a large vat of bubbling liquid behind him. His expression was unreadable.

"Spike! What's...?" She began but her words caught in her throat as she glanced down.

The slimy inside of the blanket was red and covered with veins. There was blood all over her from where she had rolled in the peeled skin, and a part of it that was folded over was purple. The outside was clean, lavender, just like the coat of her dear friend, Twilight Sparkle.

She jumped out of the skin and let out a screech. Before she could register her horror over falling into her friend's skin and coat, she saw something else of almost equal horror. Blue legs hung from where there tied to a rafter. Well...they had been tied. The ankles of the legs were crimson and raw from where the rope had been wrapped around them, and the rope was broken. What was now suspending the legs, was a series of large nails, pounded through the flesh and bone of the ankles, into the rafters. The legs were, however, the only truly blue part of the body, the rest was matted in blood. The wings of the body were pierced with hooks and spread like that of an angel. But the rest of the body was far from heavenly.

She was looking at the back of the dead pony, which made what had been done to the body clear. Long, sharp spikes of bone protruded from two gashes, one above each wing. She couldn't tell what they were at firs, until she saw a long spur of bone that looked as though had been connected to the sharp, broken edges of the white spikes. She now realized that what was on the ground was a breast bone, and the ribs that it had been connected to had been pulled out of the back of the body. She realized that the head was an unhealthy distance from the floor- a few inches. The reason, she found was that the neck had been hacked and slashed with a small, swirling, purple tool (it looked like Twilight Sparkle's horn) until only a few strands of flesh and muscle held it hanging from the severed throat. The esophagus was visibly hanging, as though it had been dug out on purpose.

The head was turned slightly and she could see and confirm that the mangled body was Rainbow Dash, despite that a large amount of flesh had been removed from around her mouth, as though from a bite, and her eyes were gone, leaving gaping holes in her head. Applejack couldn't tell what wound had been the final one, and she didn't want to. At this point, there was no telling what had been done to Twilight Sparkle.

And then came the loathing. The horror and anger at whoever thought they could do this to her friends and get away with it. And there was only one other being in the room. She turned to Spike, her rage becoming more and more apparent. He didn't look as though he realized what he had done. How could he possibly not? He did Celestia knows what to Twilight Sparkle, his caretaker, employer, and best friend; and tortured and killed Rainbow Dash.

"Spike, what've you done?" She screamed at him.

And what was this that he was doing with Twilight's skin and pelt? She had noticed a pile of bones that could only belong to Twilight. So he skinned her and was hanging her pelt out to dry, preparing to make some sort of artwork or something crazy with it? It was disgusting, disturbing, and all over wrong.

Spike continued to look as though he was at a loss for words, as though he was somewhere between realizing what he had done, and having done it. But Applejack was tired already of his clueless attitude. She tackled him to the ground, pressing her hooves down on his chest, hard enough that she knew he couldn't breathe.

"You killed Rainbow Dash and Twilight, didn't you?" She screamed into his face.

He stared at her, still struggling to breathe, until she eased the pressure a little, now that he looked like he had something to say.

"Get out of here Applejack..." Spike said when he could speak.

Get out of here? Was he threatening her? She had him pinned to the ground and was about to reap her revenge on him, friend or not.

"Not 'til you've been properly punished!" She growled.

An epiphany seemed to strike Spike then. Applejack smiled in slight satisfaction. He was realizing the consequences of his actions. While she didn't plan to do any of the things he had done to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, she was an old fashioned girl, and her rage was creating an "eye for an eye" mood. Spike's eyes then became bright and colorful, rather than fearful. Applejack was taken aback. Was he having fun?

Suddenly, he began speaking in a voice that didn't seem to below to him, though this new insane Spike was capable of anything she realized.

"Would you tell everypony that Twilight and Dash were killed in an accident?"

"What? You mean lie?" Applejack was dumbfounded. She had lied to everypony once and didn't plan on doing it again. Exactly who did he think he was?

"That or you can join them," He said, grinning.

"Spike, if y'all haven't noticed, I'm in charge here."

But her speech was a mistake, leaving her vulnerable as Spike made a lightning-quick move. Applejack had never known the clumsy little dragon to be so fast, and as his mouth sunk into her left foreleg, she was surprised by his brutal attack (despite all the evidence suggesting that it was easy compared to the other things he had done). Even though she had easily jumped to the conclusion that Spike was a murderer, she was barely able to contain her shock that he was attacking. To actually see and feel the pain was something totally different than what she imagined.

She let out a cry of pain and shock, falling backwards, trying to shake Spike off. His teeth dug through her flesh and into the bone of her leg, securing his jaws in her. She shook him and placed her other fore hoof on his shoulder, trying to push him off. She realized it was a big mistake as her strong leg pushed him away, tearing the flesh from the bone, and splitting the white skeleton of her body down to the marrow. He fell back, grinning as the meat of her leg hung from his mouth, drops of her blood dripping from the juicy tissue.

Applejack stared in horror at him and then the wound, feeling her pulse through out her entire body, pumping blood out of the severed artery which spat blood. She looked back up to Spike, and was met by his claws. They tore a gash across her face, sheering her freckles from her skin, and leaving a hot, bleeding fissure. She collapsed to the ground, her torn leg giving out, and her head spinning from the forced that had been slammed across her skull. His claws pushed her hat from her head and wrapped over her cranium.

He seemed to feel the contours of her skull for a moment, like an artist preparing to make a change to his masterpiece, and then he brought her head down onto the cement floor, and continued to do so until she lost all of her senses.

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Applejack awoke with her head throbbing and her face burning. She tried to open her eyes, but only one would open. The other was swollen shut and was covered by a bandage that also covered two cuts in her face. As she looked down her nose, she saw that small rivulets of blood dripped from her nostrils, and the throbbing in the base of her "sniffer" (as she used to call it as a filly) that it was broken in at least one place. As she glanced backwards at her body, she noticed that her back legs were held in metal shackles and sharp metal slats dug into her thighs, which were suspended by a sort of machinery that wrapped around the back portion of her body.

She noticed that there were cuts and bruises all over her body, though they and the laceration in her leg that should have killed her were dressed and stopped from bleeding. It seemed as though Spike had continued attacking her body after she had fallen unconscious, though he had fixed her up. So he was planning to save her for something else. She didn't intend to be a part of it. But as she moved her legs, the metal slats that were secured tightly around her thighs drew blood, causing her to shiver in pain, since she was trying not to cry out. Why were they so tight?

"I see you're awake," Spike said, appearing in front of her. "Good, now we can begin."

"Begun what?" she spat. "What is this contraption?"

"Something Twilight was working on before I got... bored," He said. "Note the treadmill that she borrowed from the pony body builders. Note the tight slats that are almost cutting off your circulation. Note how, they are movable, only whenever I activate the treadmill."

"Why would Twilight make these things so sharp?"

"Oh, well that was me. That modification alone has turned her blood pressure machine into my challenge for you. Well, my test for you."

"What test?" she hissed.

"If you pass, I'll be happy to let you go and allow you to tell all of Ponyville about my 'crimes'. If you do not succeed however, I will have to bring you closer to your friends."

Applejack was against the idea of playing this game with him, but on the other hand, she knew deep down that she really had no choice. It was her only chance at escaping him and avenging her friends.

"What do I have to do?" she asked.

"I think you'll get the hang of it soon. But for now, let's just do what this machine was made to do."

He attached a stethoscope like thing just behind her knee, and turned on the machine. The slats began to move, as did the treadmill. The slats moved in the motions her leg would have to follow to walk normally, and were at a rather slow pace. The machine began feeding results on to an endless strip of paper, telling Spike her blood pressure.

"Twilight had originally intended this for health reasons, so that ponies could do daily check ups of their blood pressure. However, it will never fulfill that purpose. And now, here is your first test." He went around and picked up a heavy sack that emitted a clattering sound from its contents. He placed it on her back, strapping it on and turning up the speed of the treadmill.

She began panting and sweating. Her back was weighed down by the bag, and the extra speed was causing the slats to wear on her legs. The didn't draw blood though they did seem to dig into her bone. He came back around, looking at her readings and looking back to her.

"Good, good. Your strong legs are more than suitable for this challenge," he said. "So let's turn up the heat."

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Applejack was panting heavily and struggling to breathe but still managing to carry the weight of the bag. Spike applauded her and took it off her back.

"The first part of the challenge is complete. You held up well, and if you keep your resilience, you'll be able to avenge your friends."

The country pony wouldn't admit that she didn't understand some of these big words he was using, but she was glad to have the bag off of her, and was feeling ready, despite herself, to continue. Spike slowed the pace of the treadmill and then brought the bag to his side, huffing after carrying the heavy load but he turned to her and smiled.

"Now that you've passed the physical test, it's time you did the psychological one," Spike said, moving a book, hoping that she did not see the title, so that she wouldn't know he learned most of these techniques from it. "Let's begin."

He opened the bag and poured out the contents. The machine began feeding higher readings, as Applejack turned red with anger. The bag had been full of bones, now dry. The skull had a break in it where a horn had once connected. They were Twilight's bones.

Blood was beginning to draw from the slats as she walked faster, her body trying to release its anger through some sort of physical means, and she now wanted to reach Spike and give his behind a beating until it bled.

"Take it easy," Spike said, grinning. "If you wish to avenge your friends, you're going to have to show the same mental strength and discipline as you did while carrying these."

He picked up one of the bleach white bones, and began picking his teeth with it.
"You know, Twilight was delicious. Her flank was especially tasty," He teased.

"You didn't!" she screamed.

And she felt a painful pop in her leg and blood running faster, which brought fear to her heart.

"Ha, take it easy Applejack. I didn't eat her. I was only teasing. She had rotted far too much to eat when I finally uncovered her body."

He was teasing her. And she had to tighten the muscles in her legs to keep from bursting into a gallop at him. He was getting satisfaction from this as well. If he knew he could cause this much torture to her so far, he would keep it up until she would break. She had to show strength. He dropped the bleached bone and walked out of her field of vision.

"While you were 'sleeping,'" he said, as the sound of scraping of nails sounded as though he were removing them from wood. "I was able to finish what I was doing with Twilight's hide. I think it came out nicely."

He returned to her vision, he was wearing a hairy lavender cape and she grit her teeth, trying not to show her anger as she realized what Spike had made from Twilight's pelt. He turned stylishly, showing off his new cape to her.

"I can now blend into twilight even better, and it helps remind me of the good times I had with Twilight Sparkle."

How could he be so...so...? There wasn't a word. He was a hypocrite, plain and simple. He killed his best friend, and made clothing from her body, and talked of liking it because it reminded him of the good times he had had with the life he had ended.

"The blend should be good if you fail. I'll be able to easily get to sweet little Apple Bloom," He said.

She swore under her breath. The little...he wouldn't get away with this. Not with these words, and not with his actions.

"I wonder how her 'bloom' tastes," He said, smiling at her and she prayed to Celestia that he was teasing her again, especially with what followed. "I hope it's sweeter than Rainbow Dash's. Hers had turned quite sour from all that attitude."

The nerve. The nerve! He was insulting Rainbow Dash, after killing, and possibly having done things to her that Applejack shuddered even to think of.

"She wasn't a bad pony," Applejack hissed, her legs shaking as the blood flow sped up for a second.

"Oh, she was. You remember the whole 'Mare Do Well' incident, don't you? She scared the scales off of me, as well as on Nightmare Night. I guess you could say I got her good, didn't I?"

"You're going to pay, Spike..." She growled.

"What was that? I didn't catch it."

"You're going to pay."

"I'm sorry, I can't hear. I'm imagining if Apple Bloom will scream like your other friends did."

That was it. Applejack broke, giving a cry of rage and galloping, making her final mistake. The slats tore into her flesh and she fell to the ground as she lost her balance, which finished the job. The tendons, muscle, and skin twisted and tore, the bones snapping and splintering over the slats, and she was left on the ground, with bloody stumps for back legs.

She was left crying, and Spike smiled down at her. She had failed. She had given in to her anger, and now... now she had doomed her friends and her sweet little sister to the murderous claws of this...psycho dragon. But her blood loss quickly put her out.

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Applejack awoke again, surprised that she had. Was this hell? Hell paid for her failure...? But as she looked around, she saw an angel like corpse hanging inches from her. She looked up to see that she was suspended by the stumps of her haunches. Her attention was turned to a purple dragon, cloaked in the cape of one of her other friends. He was holding a fork as he calmly ate ice cream, while looking over his work. He stood as he saw her awake and put down the ice cream. She wondered for a brief second why he had used a fork instead of a spoon, but pushed the stupid thought away.

"I'm being too nice to you, Applejack, but I'm going to give you another chance," Spike said as he stepped up, so his hot breath could blow in her face.

She perked at the idea of another chance. She might not survive the loss of her back legs, but she could save her friends.

"All you have to do is say what I want you to say."

That was easy, she could do that!

"Just say that you don't love your friends and that you're glad I've knocked off two of them."

Well... no that wasn't easy. On the one hoof, all she had to do was say those things and she'd be home free... But they were lies... Pure and simple lies. She couldn't, not again...

"No Spike... I can't say that-..." She began but was cut off as the fork was embedded into her forehead.
She let out a scream as Spike tore it out and slammed it back in, ripping out small chucks on flesh as he stabbed her.

"You...are...just...no...bucking...fun...!" He huffed as he brought the utensil down as hard as could.

One slash landed in her throat and when he tore the fork out to the side, which slashed her jugular, causing blood to spill out on to Spike's face. He thought for a moment before opening his mouth and tasting it briefly... It wasn't very good. But it gave him an idea... As for Applejack, she was gone now, knowing now that her failure was complete, and this was in, fact, hell.

This chapter was very weird, and a bit time consuming to write, but I hope you've enjoyed.