//------------------------------//
// Aromatherapy 
// Story: Equine Royale 
// by MemoryLane 
//------------------------------//

	Trixie wasn't doing so well. She felt like doing nothing but vomiting at this point. Her mind was starting to elude her, but lucky for her, she was able to keep her sanity. She felt as if death was just moments away, and it frightened her beyond belief. When she first left the ship, she had no idea what to do first. She didn't have the first clue when it came to things like survival. After she made a big scene inside of the ship, so she had to learn how to, quickly.

She really didn't want to play, much like other ponies in this game. But unlike her companion, Blueblood. He almost killed her on the spot when he found her, but good thing she boasted about winning earlier. Because instead of killing her, he asked her to accompany him, as she would be a "useful asset". Trixie feared about him finding out about her unwillingness to play. 

She didn't even want to encounter Twilight Sparkle, because if she did, she knew that she was going to have to make a scene when she has to kill her, to keep up the charade. She was going be forced to kill at that point.

Trixie looked up at the reflective and indestructible shield that towered over the island and sighed. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this one. Maybe, she would end up winning, somehow.

Blueblood and Trixie were simply walking through the forest, not speaking. The more Trixie spent time around Blueblood, the more scared she became of him. He was just so creepy. And his disregard for other ponies made him more nerve-wracking to be around. Trixie's surprised he didn't just go on a killing spree already. She didn't even know why he needed her in the first place. She as considering attacking him, with her weapon, a rusty, hoof sized gardening spade. But she knew for sure that he would kill her fast with his weapon, a very sharp and long swiss army knife. 

As time grew on, she noticed that Blueblood must not trust her either, since she was usually walking in front of him the whole time. That, or he just liked staring at her flank, which only infuriated her. But she contained her anger, and instead tried to slow down, so they would soon be walking side by side. But the more Trixie slowed down, the slower Bluebloods steps became. It came to the point that Trixie had thought that she was moving so slow that they had actually stopped.

Trixie did not like this at all.

After a little while of walking, Celestia's booming voice came out of no where once again. Did two hours pass that quickly?

"Hello, players!" Trixie wasn't happy with being referred to as a 'Player'. "It has been two hours, and it's time for the daily updates." There was an audible rustle of what sounded like papers in the background, and Celestia cleared her throat. "Only two deaths this time. #5 ,Fluttershy, and #16, Colgate. So sad." Her tone made her sound very insincere, but no one could tell for sure if that was intended. "Once again, I will block off another area. You have 5 minutes to leave the cliffside if you happen to be there. Alright players, keep going and hang in there!" Celestia said before the recording cut. 

"Only two? That says something." Blueblood stated, still behind the blue mare. Trixie sighed as she remembered the stallions presence.

"What does it say?" 

"It means that there needs to be more deaths. Otherwise this game could take days...I haven't got time to waste." He muttered. Trixie got nervous at the way he phrased that.

Trixie didn't even respond, not even knowing how to reply to him. Suddenly, a strange noise filled her ears and she stopped, causing Blueblood to run straight into her rump.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" He said loudly, but Trixie shushed him. She knew what she had heard, voices. As soon as she shushed him out, they stopped and got eerily silent. Trixie peered through the bushes and saw an orange mare, with green eyes and large hair, standing next to another beige colored filly, with a scarlet mane. They almost looked directly at her as they spoke.

"I heard someone! I know it!" The orange one said, hugging her backpack, staring hesitantly into the brush where Trixie and Blueblood resided. The red maned mare looked on as well, standing up and declaring dominance.

"Whoever you are...show yourself!" She demanded, holding up a machete. Trixie didn't dare move. "You have five seconds before I come over there myself!"

"Rose..." The orange one moaned. She didn't want her new friend to leave her here. The beige mare turned toward her.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." She turned back to the jungle.

"One...!"

"Hello!" Blueblood said joyously as he stood up, and gave a friendly smile to the mares. You nitwit! What the hell do you think you're doing?!

The two mares looked at him, and Trixie knew the jig was up, so she stood up as well right next to Blueblood.  "Who are you?" The orange mare asked. Blueblood gasped, hurt.

"You don't know me?!" He fumed. He quickly calmed himself down. "I am Prince Blueblood...royalty among these parts..." He motioned over to Trixie, as a que to introduce herself.

"And I am Trixie! The Great and Powerful!" She boasted arrogantly, and reluctantly. She could have swore she almost saw the scarlet maned mare roll her eyes.

"Well, leave. We don't want to be associated with you." She said, before turning away from the two. "We wish to have nothing to do with you." She swished her tail. Blueblood looked like he was going to explode at the mare for her rudeness, but decided against it. Wow, he's really good at holding in his anger...

"Wait...Rosie come here for a second..." The orange mare said, hobbling a ways away from Blueblood and Trixie. Her friend obeyed. With her injured leg, she knew that if she was going to make an attempt to move, what she has to say must be serious. They walked far enough way so their visitors couldn't hear them, and even still, they didn't take any chances. They leaned in close and whispered to each other. "Look, I think you're being rash about this..."

Roseluck shot her friend a determined stare. "What!?" Carrot Top was intimidated, but didn't back down. 

"I think we should give them a chance. Let them hang with us for a little b-"

"Are you crazy!? They'll both kill us!" Roseluck argued. She sighed loudly. "Carrot Top...I suppose you weren't there when she was called on the ship. She was right after you and bragged about how 'she's going to win this' and that this'll 'be too easy'. She's playing the game just like the rest of them." She exclaimed. Carrot Top didn't know how to respond at first, until she just let her feelings do it for themselves.

"I have a feeling that says we can trust them. I have a feeling that the blue pony is faking anyways. No one can be that arrogant." She said, smiling. Roseluck face hoofed before finally giving in.

"Ugh...fine..." And with that Roseluck was about to walk away, but almost forgot her friends condition, and helped her back to the campsite to and awaiting Trixie and Blueblood.

"Sorry about my friends rudeness." Carrot Top stated. Roseluck just huffed.

"Oh it's quite alright," Blueblood assured, a generous grin on his lips. "And if you don't mind me asking, who are you two lovely mares?"

"This is Roseluck," the orange mare pointed to her friend, and then to herself. "I'm Carrot Top. Nice to meetcha!" She laughed. Roseluck almost pitied her friends lack of understanding and common sense.

"Likewise." Blueblood said. Trixie watched on silently. Carrot Top almost shoved Trixie and Blueblood(Who put up a good fight when being touched. Especially when her hooves touched his "Luxurious" mane.) to the campsite. Which was fairly small. It was nothing more than the mares' sleeping bags around a campfire, which was crackling loudly. At this moment, Trixie noticed how late it has gotten. It seemed to be about 5 pm.

Carrot Top was pleased with how well she thought everything was going to turn out. She was glad that she was able to get through this, and also that she had Roseluck to help her. She couldn't do much on her own, especially with her leg. It hurt even to put just a little pressure on it. She had recently broke her leg in an accident caused by a root in her garden that she tripped on. It had healed since then, but it still hurts, nonetheless. When she left the ship she was overjoyed when she found Roseluck, and she offered to help her out, and flabbergasted when she found out they both had a love for gardening.

As night dimmed down, and the stars came out to play, everyone sat around the campfire for warmth, even Blueblood, as the night's chill effected everyone equally.

Everyone was partaking in idle conversation, such as life back home, their occupations, and such. But eventually, things just got awkward.

Trixie was not one for awkward conversations, so she excused herself into the restroom. 

"I'll go with, to make sure every things...alright." Roseluck added. As much as she didn't like Trixie nor Blueblood, she didn't want them to get killed because they went into the woods alone, and at night. Carrot Top seemed a little concerned, but Roseluck comforted her.

"I'll be fine, and so will you. I'll only be gone a few minutes." She assured, before her and Trixie disappeared into the woods, leaving Carrot Top and Blueblood alone near the fire.

After a few seconds went by, and Blueblood knew they were alone, he scooted closer to Carrot Top and smiled coyly. 
"So, just for the sake of conversation...are you a virgin?" Carrot Top blushed immensely and gave Blueblood a look of disgust.

"What!? No!" She lied. She didn't want to just blatantly say it, also she didn't want to talk about her love life, which in all honestly wasn't much...

"Oh really?" He got inappropriately close to her face and whispered in her ear, "I know when you're lying." He stated. Carrot Top tried to stand up and run away, but Bluebloods magic held her down. He also used his magic levitate out his swiss army knife. Carrot Top was afraid for her life now. Blueblood released the spell holding Carrot Top in place, as he was sure she wasn't going anywhere out of fear. "No, stay with me a while. Won't you?"

Carrot Tops heart started to beat faster as Blueblood made his way on top of her, his weight almost crushing her. 

"No! Go away!" She struggled, but her injured foreleg prevented her from properly removing Blueblood off of her. "Don't!"

Blueblood was patient, but her incessant struggling was beginning to annoy him to the point where he pinned her down using his magic once again, causing Carrot Top to scream loudly.

About a half mile away, Trixie and Roseluck heard the screams.

"Carrot Top!" Roseluck shouted as she began to run back to the campsite, fear hitting her. Trixie wasted no time following her, she didn't want to be left back there in the dark, after all.

Blueblood, meanwhile, heard Roseluck's shouts for her friend. He analyzed the situation thoroughly, and he knew that he must not let the orange earth pony live, or risk giving away his and Trixie's charade. He levitated out the swiss army knife and with one quick magical jab, stabbed her in her throat.

He released his magic when her blood squirted all over him, getting on his face and mane. Carrot Top immediately covered her neck with her uninjured hoof when he removed himself off of her. She let out an agonizing wail full of pain and sorrow at being tricked, and almost used.

"Rose...!" She cracked, the blood wetting her chest and the soft grass below her, a darkness tried to overwhelm her, but she forced death away from her. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, but unfortunately exited out her knife wound. At that very moment, Roseluck shoved her way through the brush, only to see what was going on.

She saw Carrot Top, blood and tears stained her face, and an appalled Blueblood on the other side of the campfire, a mock look of shock and fear on his face.

"She attacked me! She tried to kill me! I had to do it!" He wailed in desperation in another attempt to fool Roseluck, who didn't believe even a single word. She ran over to Carrot Top, and knelt by her, hoping to speak to her one last time. But it was too late, she had passed.

"You...! You can't just...." Roseluck was fighting back tears, she was on the verge of breaking down.

"She attacked me!" Blueblood repeated. But Roseluck still didn't listen. She looked up from her dead friend, and glared at the prince. Her face contorted into a look of pure hatred and she screamed into the sky unintelligible words of frustration. Trixie backed off into the brush out of fear.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" She screamed, tears ran down her face, but her face still remained devilish. "She trusted you! I trusted you!" 

"But she-" 

"No she bucking didn't!" Roseluck argued. "I know her, she wouldn't attack you! She's the one who convinced me to trust you too!" Roseluck yelled, looking over at Trixie, who ducked down back into the brush. "You really expect me to believe that she attacked you with her injuries?!"

Blueblood was dumbfounded, he hadn't known any of the previous information about the mares conversation, and didn't put it into thought. His eyes widened as he knew what was going to happen if he didn't figure a way out of this fast.

"B-But it's true, honest!" He argued.

"You're a prince, since when are you ever honest?" Roseluck said, taking out her machete. Before Blueblood could get up from his position on the ground, Roseluck was on top of him. In an instant, she took the machete and began to slash his stomach, all the while screaming with fury. Blueblood screamed as his insides where being tore open, blood from Carrot Top mixing with his own. He groaned in anguish as he felt one of the slashes tear into smaller intestine. As Roseluck kept blindy cutting, Blueblood's screams began to die down, until Roseluck finished him off by jabbing the machete into his heart. After the attack when the mare decided to catch her breathe, the prince died.

Trixie watched on, disgusted and afraid by what she had just witnessed. She didn't know what to do, and was away that'd she'd be next. She was glad that Blueblood was gone...but he didn't have to be massacred like that...

Roseluck got off the stallion. Blood stained her already red mane, along with her face, and most of her body. She got up and stared at Trixie intently, whom ducked back down into the brush. Roseluck silently walked over to her and hauled her out of the brush by her mane, still hate filled.

"I better not see you for the rest of the time I spend on this island. If I see you, I'll come after you next." Roseluck said, dropping the blue mare. Trixie nodded. "Good, now go!" Roseluck shouted. Trixie hesitated, before walking away from the scene of Prince Bluebloods and Carrot Tops murder. She heard footsteps as she walked away either headed towards Carrot Top, or the jungle itself. Trixie didn't know what to do this. This is her first time being independent ever since this bloodbath started. She was clueless.

Trixie heard Roseluck's scream as it echoed throughout the entire island, a sound full of anger and serendipity, but she didn't dare turn back.

Meanwhile, Pinkamena picked up Roseluck's already bloodied machete and slipped it onto her own backpack. She cackled silently to herself. Oh, how this is my favorite kind of game...


#24 Blueblood, dead
#7 Carrot Top, dead
#10 Roseluck, dead

19 to go