//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: Stranded // by EternalShadow54 //------------------------------// STRANDED Ch.16- "Sui...cide..." Sweetie Bell choked. "But... why...?" she asked. "I could take a guess..." Apple Jack stated. "Oh, I'm awfully sorry about your sister Apple Jack..." Rarity said with a soft, calming voice. A scream was heard in the direction Twilight took off to. "Sounds like there's still trouble." Rarity implied. "Come on, we need to go help. Who knows what's going on over there." "Y'all go on ahead... Ah'll catch up..." said Apple Jack. "Let me... at least bury her..." "Of course. Sweetie Bell, let's go!" Rarity said tugging at the filly unicorn who seemed rather reluctant. "Let's go Sweetie Bell!" Rarity urged. Sweetie Bell gave a final look of sadness and disbelief at Applebloom's body before turning to go with her older sister to see what all the screaming was about... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pinkie dodged left. Cut. Pinkie jumped right. Slash. Pinkie rolled back. Jab. Pinkie was trying her best to fend off Fluttershy, but was taking inflictions in doing so. Every time she made a move there was Fluttershy's spear, either being thrust or slashed at her. Pinkie had many small wounds covering her entire body which at the time made little difference, but those wounds add up. Pinkie was losing blood quite rapidly because of her constant motion that kept her heart rate high. Soon the pink party pony was no longer her color. All the cuts had bled out so much that Pinkie Pie was completely crimson red for head to toe, except for the occasional pink blotch. Pinkie's pace was finally slowing down and Fluttershy's attacks were hitting her more effectively. "Oh come on now Pinkie Pie. You're making this too easy." Fluttershy joked. Pinkie had dropped the stone early in the fight and had no way to defend herself except to dodge her relentless attacks. Pinkie's energy was finally spent. After fending off Fluttershy for what seemed like forever, she finally collapsed on the ground. Fluttershy stood over her with the spear pointed directly at her heart. "I'm gonna rip your heart out and smash it right before your eyes. Just like you did me." She chuckled. "Tell Twilight I said hi." She lifted the spear. BAM! Fluttershy found herself knocked to the ground by some small figure. She felt a rather large pain in the side. She looked to see Sweetie Bell with her horn in her side. Fluttershy was taken aback by the thought, much less the actual happening of it. Sweetie Bell pulled her horn out and jumped again at Fluttershy with intentions of impaling her chest and hopefully, her heart. Fluttershy quickly snapped out of her confusion and back-hoofed the small filly as she was in mid-air. The impact almost broke Sweetie Bell's neck. Fluttershy walked over to the small filly and whispered in her ear. "Bad move." Fluttershy looked around her and saw Rarity staring with mouth agape at the scene before her. "You should have stopped her when you had the chance, Rarity." Fluttershy turned to meet the two back hooves of Apple Jack that sent her 5 hooves in the air. "Apple... Jack..." Sweetie Bell coughed out. "Don't worry, Sweetie Bell. Ah won't let this monster hurt ya." Apple Jack spoke with a sense of nobility. "Now..." Fluttershy spoke with a cold voice, "I'm mad..." Fluttershy drew her spear to the side and pointed it directly at Apple Jack. "You're going to throw your life away to save some filly?" the psychotic Fluttershy asked. Apple Jack didn't respond. She just stood there with a cold stare. "Silly Apple Jack, did you forget that I can stare too?" It was to late before she realized that Fluttershy had been using the stare on her the whole time she was talking. Apple Jack was frozen. "Now, how about you move out of the way and let me finish what I started, hmmm?" she said rather sweetly. Apple Jack had no control. She unwillingly moved to the side and watched as Fluttershy drew her spear above little Sweetie Bell. "Any last words?" Fluttershy joked. Sweetie Bell could hardly choke out a noise. "That's what I thought." She pulled the spear up. "No..." Rarity whispered. "NO!!!" she screamed. She raced towards Fluttershy with her head down, ready to try what Sweetie Bell intended on doing in the first place. Fluttershy smiled. "Too late." JAB! Fluttershy had expertly placed the spear right between the eyes, just under where the brain should be as to make her suffer and refuse a quick death. Fluttershy grinned as she knew she had no time to turn around and face Rarity before she got to her. She stood there ready to face her fate with a smile. BAM! Rarity's horn struck right into Fluttershy's spine. Fluttershy didn't yell. Instead, what she did struck fear into rarity's heart. She merely laughed. Laughed in the face of death as she quickly gave way to his call. Fluttershy was dead in seconds. Rarity pulled her horn from her former friends backside and went to check on her suffering sister who was losing the battle of life ever so slowly. Apple Jack was now able to move of her own free will and she immediately joined Rarity in seeing to Sweetie Bell. Sweetie Bell was taking short breaths and was in tremendous pain. "Can we..." Rarity started in hopes Apple Jack could tell what she meant. Apple Jack just shook her head no. "Are you sure..." she asked with a sense of any hope. Again, Apple Jack shook her head. Tears came to Rarity's eyes as she watch her sister struggle with the pain. "Rarity... dontcha think she has suffered enough..." Apple Jack started, putting a hoof to her friend shoulder. Rarity was softly letting the tears fall. She nodded. "Ya may wanna turn your head for this... but it's for her sake..." Rarity simply got up and left, walking towards where Pinkie Pie was laying. "Do... what you must..." Rarity choked out. "I'm... going to take Pinkie... to the beach... meet us there when... you're done..." She picked Pinkie off the ground and carried her away in that direction. Apple jack looked deep into the eyes of Sweetie Bell and her heart sank once more. She knew what had to be done. "No filly should suffer this." Apple Jack whispered to herself. "Nopony should..." Apple Jack drew the spear from Sweetie Bells head and directed it at where her heart would be. "Don't worry..." she cooed. "It will only hurt for a second." As she pulled the spear back Sweetie Bell was able to cough out one final phrase. She spoke. "Thank... you..." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rarity and Pinkie were at the beach for a short time before Apple Jack came out of the horrible jungle. "She's..." Rarity started. "She didn't suffer long..." Apple Jack spoke. "What do we do now?" asked Rarity. "Now... Ah don't know Rarity, Ah don't know... but at least it's finally over..." "Yea... it's finally... over..."