Events are heading toward a final confrontation in my Equestria dreamscape. With Applebloom's Close Friend now in complete control of her body [link] and its one immediate threat Applejack now heading into town it was time for it to plan its next move. With any luck Twilight would be coming back with Applejack. Good! Now it just had to wait.It considered eliminating the three ponies who remained behind at the farmhouse but decided against immediately consuming them. It didn't want cause any alarm when its main prize arrived, and besides there would be plenty of time to kill them later. Why after it had truly fed it might be able to eliminate that mare Applejack who was able to inflict such pain upon it [link] . Still it must not lose sight of the final goal, the Vortex of Heaven [link] . After Twilight was dealt with it would be able to make preparation for eliminating one of the two controllers of the veils that surround this world, Celestia and Luna. Once it had removed one of them it should be able to finally tap into the Vortex. A short while ago it felt presence of the Royal Sisters and had heard the concussive rumbles of their magic through the night air [link] . Yes, they were dangerous and impressive opponents, but it had a few tricks left to play. After that the rest was a piece cake. Hmmm, cake. It needed a snack.Another trip to the barn was possible [link] , but as it sat in Applebloom's room a sound caught its attention and another possibility presented itself. The old farmstead was silent. Only the sharp ticking of Applebloom's alarm clock and the occasional creaks and groans that old houses make on windy days provided any constant source of sound. However there was another sound. Every once and awhile one could hear it coming from the ceiling. The muffled sound of scurrying little claws in the attic. Rats had sought shelter from the winter in the attic of Sweet Apple Acres. Applebloom's Close Friend slowly looked to the ceiling and a grin slowly spread across her face. Yes they would do. Not the best meal, but satisfactory. Now how to get them?The locked doors and windows were a laughable attempt to contain it, but at the moment it was willing to play along with the charade. As it eyes followed the sound of the rodents up in the attic it noticed something in one corner of the ceiling. Almost directly over the armoire dresser there appeared to be a panel or trapdoor. Then it remembered something Applebloom had once said.Years ago one of Applebloom's ancestors had gotten the idea to install an additional wood stove downstair in the kitchen. For whatever reason he had decided to run a chimney flue right up the middle of the house and out the roof. Before saner heads could prevail the old codger had succeeded in cutting holes in second story floor, ceiling, and the roof in preparation for this half-baked idea. The family was left with this legacy decided to make the best of it and simple sealed it on the second floor and roof. However they installed a simple trapdoor/ hatch to the attic that could be used as flue to sweep dirt and debris out of the attic when it got cleaned every few years. The Apple Family at the moment had completely forgotten about this seldom used hatch.Applebloom's close friend went over and tested the dresser. It was heavy and very stable. Quietly it moved a stool over to it and then cleared the collection of random items that littered the top of the dresser. Once that was accomplished it had little trouble climbing on top of it. Standing on its hind legs it placed its front hooves on the panel and pushed. At first it feared some dumb pony had placed a pile of crates or junk on top of it. With greater force it pushed. Suddenly the hatch started to move; apparently the settling of the house and damp winter conditions had made the hatch hard but not impossible to move. However it made an alarmingly loud groaning sound. Afraid that it might alert both its watchers and its prey Applebloom's Close Friend stopped pushing. Taking a moment it formed a spell of silence and placed it on the hatch, then it resumed pushing. The hatch now silently swung out of the way.Slowly it peeked its head up and looked around. The attic had a floor simply finished board. It was dark and full boxes, crates, trunks, derelict furniture, and shadows. Lots of shadows. Perfect.Climbing back down from the dresser, Applebloom's Close Friend went over and retrieved a leftover biscuit from its lunch and clenched it in the filly's teeth. With practiced skill it silently pulled the filly up into the attic. Once there began break the biscuit into small pieces and started placing them out on the floor. Once that it had placed its bait. It flowed into the shadows and waited. Within a few minutes it had its first snack. It would've liked to stay but it knew its watchers would make periodic scheduled visits to check up on it. So predictable. Still it now had its own little hunting ground to keep it from getting bored. The best part was that if you impaled a victim right through the throat it can not make much noise, and the rats were small enough that it could easily lift them off the floor. That way not even the frantically flailing of their limbs would make a sound. Over the rest of the day it slowly and methodically hunted down every rat it could find in the attic. To be continued.