"Bye, Applejack," cried Apple Bloom.
"Yah be home in time fer supper, ya'hear?" came Applejack's voice.
"Sure thin'."
Apple Bloom trotted down the worn path to Ponyville. She passed the garden, with its multitude of vegetables, the corn field with its acres of harvest-ready produce, and the apple orchards with their endless sea of trees. As Sweet Apple Acres proudly demonstrated, earth ponies had a special bond with plants.
After a brisk walk, she arrived at Carousel Boutique. Knock! Knock! the door swung open to reveal a smiling Rarity. "Hello, Apple Bloom."
"Hello, Rarity," she returned.
"Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are already here," she said, stepping aside to let the filly in. "They're in the kitchen."
A moment later, Apple Bloom was in the kitchen. Her friends were there, and on the counter sat pumpkins.
"Hey," she greeted.
"Hello," said the other two.
"What are we doing today?"
"We're carving jack o'lanterns," explained Sweetie Belle.
"W-we are?"
"It'll be real fun!" declared Scootaloo as she walked over to a pumpkin.
Apple Bloom stood behind a pumpkin. "Wouldn't y'all rather do somethin' else? We could decorate our candy baskets or plan our route."
"Already done," proclaimed Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom hesitantly picked up the knife. It was a long knife, with a blade at least nine inches. The sharpened steel reflected her uneasy appearance.
"Y'all really sure about this?" she asked.
"Yeah," said Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom put the tip of the knife against the skin of the pumpkin. She glanced over at the other Crusaders, who looked at her expectantly. With a deep sigh, she plunged her knife into the pumpkin. It let out a terrible wail of pain. A moment later, the room was filled with two more screams of agony, screams only she could hear. Sometimes Apple Bloom hated being an earth pony.