//------------------------------// // A spark in dark places SweetieBelle and Scootaloo // Story: The Source Of Our Chaos // by Pinkieshyrose //------------------------------// Sweetie Belle point of view We were just at the barrier where Sweet Apple Acres met the town. Never have I felt that it was wrong to leave somepony, but she looked so hurt, both inside and out, that there had to be a better way. Maybe adult intervention. Maybe we weren't the only ones in Ponyville who weren’t raw? Maybe there was still hope. But all hope was crushed when I saw some of Ponyville. The normally warm, welcoming, blissful kind town of Ponyville looked like a hollow copy of its former self. Most of the houses had been broken, like they had fallen down like dominos, only not as graceful. Some of the trees in Ponyville had small branches that had snapped down or looked partially burnt. Hopefully nopony had been hurt. All of this had happened because of the storm that had shook and broken are Cutie Mark Crusaders tree-house. Even the landmarks of the town where Rarity’s friends lived were affected. Sugarcube Corner’s cupcake top now looked like a burnt cupcake, likely because of a lightning bolt. The tree-house library that Twilight Sparkle lived in had somehow gotten a window on the top floor broken, likely from strong wind. And that wasn't the worst of it. The “big ponies” of Ponyville were all unconsciously walking in circles, drained of some of their color. Though I wasn't as good at noticing simple details, but the expressions on there faces looked half-alive one minute, and the next, tragic like all of them, like they had been robbed of something important. They all looked like Applebloom’s family. I recognized a couple of them, but I didn't see my sister her friends or my parents. I realized that my mind had wandered. With the apocalyptic feeling, I had probably walked around the town in circles, not keeping track with my friends. They were probably around town. I breathed in a gulp of fresh air. “I hope, at least.” I muttered under my breath. I then stopped running to catch another breath. I'm not very used to running so long without stopping, even if I had a lot of energy. For a moment there was a feeling of breeze, then a mild painful impact. That sometimes reminds you that you're alive. I had realized in all my looking around that I had run into somepony, or some dragon, or better yet, a dragon with a familiar cute bunny on his back. “Sweetie Belle? You're not like them?” He asked in disbelief. Both him and the bunny seemed like their normal selves, yet shaky. “Spike! You're not like them either?” I asked in shock. I snapped out of looking at the broken town, and the guilt image of leaving Derpy. “Twilight’s gone, as well as all of her friends!! I was just sleeping when it happened. Now everypony left is crazy! Whatever this is, it seems to only affect ponies.” Spike explained. “Maybe this is just some kind of spell. Derpy did say whatever it was had an S.” I ecstatically mentioned. With this new enthusiasm pumping through me, I forgot for a moment that Spike had no prior knowledge of my time in the barn. “Derpy Hooves? What does she have to do with this?” He questioningly replied. “Oh, she saved us from our tree-house, which crashed somehow, and him-…” I trailed off. Something felt wrong. “And we…we abandoned her!” I squeaked. My voice had a habit of repeating my thoughts, and this was no exception. Spike seemed to not notice. As much as I understood, there was no other way. My mind lit up with ‘what if’s. The worries were like Rarity’s dramatic exploits. They would not stop coming until it was through, or like a musical with really bad singers. The worst thoughts were, “What if she’s in a condition where she couldnt get anything to eat?” Or that if the S thing could make this storm so strong that even the rough Sweet Apple Acres farm house would cave in, making it not just terrible for Derpy, but Applebloom’s family. “I'm going to write to Princess-…” He stopped in mid-sentence. “You got your Cutie mark?” I blushed a bit. I had forgotten that I had gotten it in the obscene events that had taken place recently. “Yeah. It’s kind of strange though.” Then I checked it myself, because I had almost forgotten that I had gotten it anyway. The cutie mark seemed to be flashing randomly in epilepsy, causing rates, but mostly it seemed to be red and green. Angel bunny, which judging by the cute bunny’s expressions, confused me. Angel’s patience had run thin. He ran and pointed to Twilight Sparkle's library, and we both followed willingly. __________________________________________________________________ Scootaloo Chapter “When did we split up?” I asked myself, muttering aloud. As a pegasus reflex my neck craned suddenly, admittedly looking at the sky, which was now bland like all of Ponyville. The sun was there but there was just a faint glow like something very bright being shielded, like with wax paper or grey tinted glass. Rainbow Dash had shown me her trademark Sonic Rainboom, and the sky desperately needed it. The sky also needed her and the other pegasi’s cloud-kicking abilities to get rid of the hurricane-like storm that seemed to be wild and free with nopony to control it. Of course, the storm was a creature that started with an S, but couldn't Rainbow Dash handle that by being extra heroic? In short, Ponyville needed her, so I had to find her. As I optimistically daydreamed, Applebloom’s presence stopped me. “Scootaloo, there you are! I was runnin’, and must of lost track of you and Sweetie Belle.” “Yeah, me too.” I said while staring at a green bush. “Huh. I don't remember putting my scooter there.” I withdrew my scooter from its hiding place in the burnt streaked hedge. The scooter had been unusual to say the least. After the camping incident it had just shown up next to my house. My parents hadn't even paid for a new one, because they didn't have that type of money. So I was glad that someone had given it to me. But I often wondered who had been so kind; it even looked exactly like the old one. “Where do you think Sweetie Belle went?” Applebloom wondered. “Rarity’s?” I pointed out more as a fact, and not a guess. Her parents were having another vacation, so that could only be the place where she was. “That’s kind of far from here.” She replied worryingly. Normally it would be fine, but the storm through we had successfully ran from was imitating. “Maybe we should keep going in any direction till we find her?” I suggested. “That sounds good.” She exclaimed, staring at the storm clouds in the distance that we were outrunning earlier. We walked up north in the town for a while. There was more damage there, even the gravel walkways seemed badly damaged, but the colors seemed a bit less diluted, strangely. We were almost near the train station when we discovered something. A rough oval fissure with scorch marks had formed in the ground. Three familiar heads peaked out, and their color was not changed.