ALTERNATE UNIVERSE
Across the road, Pinkie Pie watched as two Earth ponies threw a loose brick through the window of a store before rushing inside.
Twelve seconds later, she heard a shriek.
Eight seconds later, that scream was cut short.
Pinkie Pie shuddered and turned away from the window. Less than six hours ago, the Leaders of Equality had sealed her and the other twenty-nine Earth ponies inside of Testing Town. Already close to half of those inside had been killed.
And to think, it had only been six months ago that unicorns and pegasi became oddly curious as to what made Earth ponies just so special. Their answer? A random thirty pony fight to the death inside a town built specifically for the occasion. To show just what made Earth ponies tick.
“You can do this, Pinkie,” she mumbled out as she traced circles around her room. “Maybe they won’t find you. Maybe they’ll all finish each other off without even noticing you!”
She closed her mouth with a hoof as something exploded near the edge of town, sending bits of brick, hay, and debris soaring into the air. Another bloodcurdling scream followed.
Pinkie sank to the floor to glare at her unopened box.
What’s in the box? she asked herself. Knowing my luck, it’ll be a spoon.
Each participant within Testing Town had been given a box at random. The two ponies Pinkie had glimpsed breaking into the store earlier each held a carving blade and a hammer. The explosion from across town must’ve been caused by some unicorn artifact the Leaders of Equality sometimes allowed inside the games.
It was only when Pinkie Pie heard a trio of hooves from downstairs that she ripped open her box.
And found a rolling pin.