Apple Bloom’s muffled sobs echoed throughout the basement. At times, her arms numbed, dulling the pain in her wrists. But in an instant, it would snap back—bringing with it a painful reminder of her situation. Diamond Tiara’s bones didn’t help. What was left of her was scattered carelessly over the table.
Apple Bloom bit her lip. Was she going to share the same fate? Surely her friends wouldn’t do that, but then again, were they still her friends?
She closed her eyes and whimpered. No. They’re still in there. I know they are.
The badges still lay on the table under the dim light of the lantern. They wanted her to have them. They wanted her to be with them again. But could she?
Gentle tapping from the window startled her from her thoughts. She glanced up at the narrow slit high in the wall. Something—no, someone—had blocked out the moonlight, and a slender hand slowly pulled the window open. Apple Bloom’s heart pounded until the person spoke.
“Apple Bloom?”
“F-Fluttershy?” She let out a small gasp of joy as she scanned the opening. “Is Applejack there with you?”
Fluttershy shuffled about for a moment. The soft light of the lantern highlighted her pink hair and glinted in her eyes. “She’s… She’s okay. I’ll take you to her. I’m here to get you out.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” Apple Bloom squealed, careful to keep her voice low. “Please… It’s… It’s Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They’re upstairs somewhere.”
“I know,” Fluttershy replied. “I’m…” She paused for a moment before saying slowly and cautiously, “I’m going to try something. Can… Can I come in?”
“Yes, yes. Please!” Apple Bloom said.
“Thank you, and… Um… Could you close your eyes and not open them until I say so? If it’s okay with you, that is…”
“Close my eyes?” Apple Bloom tilted her head in confusion.
Fluttershy only nodded this time.
Apple Bloom nodded and did as Fluttershy asked. Her world descended into darkness and each sound Fluttershy made seemed louder than before. What if the girls upstairs heard her? What if Fluttershy was caught in here too?
She didn’t dare continue the thought.
“Oh dear…” Fluttershy whispered, followed by the sound of shuffling against dirt and brick. She gasped and let out a whimper, then a small yelp followed by a crash.
Apple Bloom winced and peeked out. Fluttershy lay on her back, on the floor of the basement holding a small wooden crate above her. “Um, you can… you can look now.”
Apple Bloom glanced up at the narrow window and then back to Fluttershy. “How did ya fit through that?”
“I… Uh...” She let her hair fall in front of her eyes and averted her gaze. Slowly, she stood, clutching the cate close to her chest. She froze. Her eyes lingered on the bones and her grip grew tighter around her box.
Apple Bloom turned downcast. “It’s… It’s Diamond Tiara.”
She sat in silence for a few moments, only vaguely aware of Fluttershy hovering by her side. A piece of bone caught her eye and the sinking, sickness returned to her stomach. Diamond Tiara was mean, that’s true. But she didn’t deserve this.
Fluttershy placed her crate on the table and had wrapped Apple Bloom, startling her from her thoughts. It would have been comforting if it wasn’t for the spikes of pain when Fluttershy’s cold skin brushed her bruises.
“Oh! I’m so sorry,” Fluttershy gasped, gently releasing her. “Are you okay?”
“I… No.” Apple Bloom glanced to the ropes around her wrists. “Ah… Ah just can’t believe that Sweetie Belle and Scoots…” The words caught in her throat. “Ah’ve got ta help them. Ah don’t know how but Ah must.”
Fluttershy glanced at the ropes and then turned to the shelves. She hurried behind Apple Bloom and rummaged through the shelves before returning with a small hacksaw. “I’m going to try and cut the ropes… If you’re okay with it.”
Apple Bloom nodded.
Fluttershy set to work cutting the thick bindings with the delicacy required to free a stranded animal from a net.
Apple Bloom turned her attention to the small crate. In the dim light, a lump covered by old rags moved up and down with shallow breaths. “What’s in the box?”
“Oh… That’s my friend, Mr Owl.”
“Mr Owl?”
Fluttershy only nodded as the rope loosened.
“Yah mean like a pet?”
“Oh, no. He’s not my pet. But he needs help too.”
The ropes loosened and a spike of pain shot through Apple Bloom’s left wrist. She stifled a scream and pulled her hand back. The skin was black with bruises and rope burn. Blood seeped from small cuts in her skin.
“Ah…” She hissed, squinting the tears back. “Thanks, Fluttershy.” Apple Bloom paused for several moments. She had expected a response but there was only silence. She turned to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy sat back on the floor. Her eyes were wide and focused unblinkingly at Apple Bloom’s wrist as the corners of her mouth twitched.
“It ain’t that bad, Honest,” Apple Bloom said.
Fluttershy stared, her head withdrawn behind her mane. Her mouth slowly opened and closed a few times and her lips trembled.
“F-Flutterhsy?”
This time the world's caught Fluttershy’s attention. She glanced up at Apple Bloom like a deer caught in the headlights. A moment later, a squeak escaped her and she threw herself back against the leg of the table.
“Fluttershy! Are you okay?”
Fluttershy had buried her head in her hands and shivered. She remained like that, taking several deep breaths before slowly uncurling herself like an armadillo. “I… I’ll be fine.”
Somehow, Apple Bloom didn’t believe it.
Fluttershy set to work loosening the last of the rope in silence. It wasn’t long until Apple Bloom was free. As the rope fell away, Apple Bloom winced and held her hands close to her chest. They burned with pain, but at least she could move again.
“Can you walk?” Fluttershy asked. She offered Apple Bloom support as Apple Bloom attempted to stand.
Apple Bloom gasped again when she placed weight on her feet. She whimpered briefly, leaning into Fluttershy. “Y-Yeah… Ah’ll be okay. Ah just need a moment.”
It was a lie. Her legs burned unlike anything she’d felt before. She didn’t dare use her hands to support herself—she wasn’t sure if her wrists could take the strain.
“Now, how are we going to get out of here…” Fluttershy murmured as she glanced around.
“Ah ain’t going anywhere,” Apple Bloom said. Fluttershy glanced back at her from behind her hair. “Ah mean, Sweetie Belle, Scoots, they’re my friends and Ah have to help them.”
She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. “At least, Ah have ta try an’ help them.”
“Apple Bloom,” Fluttershy said tentatively. “Are you sure? What if they hurt you even more?”
She already knew that was a risk. The burning pain in her ankles and the throbbing in her wrists served as a reminder of that. She fell back against the table and bit her lip. “They… They’re mah friends. Ah’ve got to do something. Ah can’t… Ah just can’t leave ‘em alone, or let ‘em hurt anyone else!”
Fluttershy rested a hand on Apple Bloom’s shoulder and smiled solemnly. “I know that you want to help them. I want to help them too. But, you’re hurt and they are dangerous. Applejack and the others are also… They need our help too—”
“Applejack’s hurt?” Apple Bloom cried, louder than she intended. The two girls froze, wide eyed as they listened out for any sound. After several moments she asked again, quieter this time, “Mah sister is hurt? What about Granny Smith, or Big Mac or the others?”
“No, not hurt,” Fluttershy said. “At least, they didn’t look hurt. Sweetie Belle just did something to them.”
They couldn’t have? Could they? Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hurting her own family just to get to her...
“How are we going to get out? Ah don’t think I can fit through the window…” Apple Bloom frowned. It was barely big enough for the crate to have slid through, and while she may be able to squeeze her way out, it would be a painful one at that. “Then again, ya managed to get through an’ yer bigger than me.”
Fluttershy glanced away. “W-We can’t go back out that way,” she said, nervously fidgeting with a bang of her hair. “B-But they aren’t watching the stairs at the moment… I mean, the people upstairs. We could sneak out that way...”
The uncertainty in Fluttershy’s voice did little to fill Apple Bloom with confidence. Apple Bloom glanced back at the table, eyeing the pair of badges that still lay on the dull wood. Almost instinctively she reached out and scooped them up; running her fingers over them before pinning one to her jacket and placing the other her pocket.
Fluttershy lifted Mr Owl’s crate and cradled it in her arms before she slowly snuck up the stairs. The wood didn’t even creak under her light steps as she approached the heavy door at the top. She placed an ear against it and waited.
Her hand shook as she reached for the handle.
Apple Bloom held onto the banister as she slowly followed Fluttershy, wincing with each painful step and creak of the stairs.
Fluttershy glanced back, gulped, and then twisted the door handle.
The door didn’t budge as heavy locks clanged on the other side.
Apple Bloom froze and the breath caught in her throat. She silently cursed to herself. Of course the door would be locked! A tense moment passed as her ears strained for any sound; fortunately, none came. She glanced up at Fluttershy and met eyes, wide with fear.
They were trapped.
Applejack’s hands tightened around her shotgun as she stared at Rarity’s house. In the darkness, it was almost impossible to make out the details, but its shadow still loomed over the small cul-de-sac. In one window—the living room, if she remembered correctly—the faint flicker of candle-light flittered, the only sign of life in the whole street.
“So… Rarity isn’t here?” Twilight asked.
Applejack turned to her and Sunset, who was shaking her head. “No, she’s not here… But, Sweetie Belle is. Sootaloo too was hanging around when I last visited.”
“And you didn’t help them?”
“There isn’t much I could do, Twilight. They’ve… They've gone mad. It’s best just to leave the mad alone,” Sunset replied. She tightly rubbed her left shoulder.
“And Sweetie Belle has a pet monster she kidnapped mah sister with?” Applejack asked.
“A nightmare,” Sunset corrected. “It’s got to be. If we wait until morning, then we would stand a better chance—”
“We ain't waitin' that long, Sunset. Apple Bloom and Fluttershy may not have ‘til mornin’!”
Twilight tilted her head and asked, “Why would we have a better chance then?”
“Nightmares only come out during the night,” Sunset explained. “They burn up in sunlight.”
“Or UV light,” Applejack added. “We used ta have some big ones set up back at Sweet Apple Acres.” She paused. A pang of sorrow gripped her and she bit her lip.
The lights worked for a while, until the generator failed. It was the pigs they got to first; she could still remember their squeals of terror. The shotgun trembled in her hands. “If that nightmare is doing anything to Apple Bloom…”
“We’ll find her, Applejack,” Sunset said. “We just need a plan.”
“Going into the house will be really dangerous,” Twilight said. “Especially if this nightmare is there along with a mad Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.”
“That’s right. That’s why I’m going in alone,” Sunset said.
“What? No, you ain’t! Ah’m going in to get mah sister out,” Applejack snapped, keeping her voice low.
“Rarity's house doesn’t look that big,” Twilight said, squinting at the shadowy building. “How will you be able to sneak in without getting spotted?”
“Ah ain’t letting Apple Bloom, Fluttershy too if she’s there, spend a moment longer in there.” Applejack turned to Sunset with a firm gaze. “Ah’m going in.”
A cold breeze ruffled her hair as Sunset stared back, the moonlight glinted off her eyes as she frowned. “Fine,” she said after a moment. “This will go bad, and fast, so we need to be ready.”
“Ah ain’t leaving that house without them.”
“Yeah, I know you won’t.” Sunset turned back to the rest of the group. “Big Mac, stay here with Twilight and Granny Smith. If we get in trouble… Just stay back and get to Wonderland in the morning. Just keep going north, you can’t miss it. Just don’t try to help us.”
“Now wait just a gosh darn minute,” Granny Smith said. “We can help too.”
“Granny,” Applejack said. “Ah can do this.”
Applejack could feel Granny Smith’s glare on her, even in the inky darkness. Her grandmother let out a soft sigh and rested a reassuring hand on Applejack’s shoulder. “Fine, but y’all better come out in one peace, ya hear.”
Sunset whispered something to Twilight while Applejack hugged her grandmother and brother. “Ah will, Granny. Ah’ll get Apple Bloom out, Ah promise,” she said.
She turned back to the house and frowned in determination. They could do this. They had to. She turned to Sunset and both nodded silently to each other before slipping out from behind the car.
They swiftly crossed the street. Applejack winced as her boots hit the asphalt, each footfall sounded louder than the last. They pressed themselves against the wall, just out of sight of the windows.
She tightened her grip around shotgun. She paused; a lump swelled in her stomach. Would she have to use it? This was Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo they were facing. She couldn’t hurt them! But what if she had to?
She gulped as a sickening unease rose within her and let out a shuddered breath. They had Apple Bloom. She would do anything to get her back.
A tap on her shoulder jolted her attention. Sunset pointed to the front door and Applejack nodded in return. They hurried by the darkened window and stopped by the entrance. Sunset paused a moment before she tried the door handle.
Applejack’s heart pounded in her chest. She quickly wiped the sweat off her brow.
The door swung open with a surprisingly soft creak. They waited for a moment, senses on edge for even the slightest sounds. There was movement inside: a creak of the floorboards and the odd knocking of wood and glass. But there was no great rush to the door, nor any indication of surprise.
Sunset poked her head around the corner before carefully slipping inside and Applejack quickly followed her.
Even in the darkness, the hallway looked distantly familiar to Applejack. The walls were painted a clean white with purple highlights and photographs still lined them in neatly arranged clusters. A staircase was to the left, leading up to the landing above as the hallway continued on to a closed door at the far end. Moonlight fell through the open door to its right, the kitchen if Applejack remembered correctly.
The air was stale and heavy with the stench of decay. Applejack almost gagged as she buried her face into her jacket. Sunset merely pulled her bandana over her mouth.
Applejack carefully turned to the first door on her right. The door was slightly ajar. Dark vines covered in a thick tar had crept over it, covering it like veins and digging into the wood.
Applejack pushed open the door. It creaked slightly as the darkened living room came into view. A pair of couches sat silently in front of a lopsided, dead television. Against one wall a cabinet of tarnished trophies—Rarity’s dad’s most likely—stood under a thick layer of dust. Applejack shook her head and moved on towards the end of the hallway as Sunset explored the left side of the house.
The kitchen was next. The room was bathed in a silver light that cast long shadows over the wooden floor, stained by a dark scar of foul mould or rot. The table in the middle of the room was lined with unwashed plates, bowls and glasses. Each stained by a foul thick sludge that attracted only flies. The air was worse in here. Applejack gagged again before she slipped inside.
There wasn’t much more to the room, the fridge had been left ajar for so long its contents had festered to nothing but dark stains that seemed to join the creep that clawed its way across the floor and up the walls. In some places, the black vines were cut away, leaving only darkened shadows in their place.
The soft sound of footsteps sent her hair on ends. Applejack shot her head to the door. They were growing closer. Her heart hammered in her chest as she threw herself behind the far side of the refrigerator, hoping that in the dark she would be hidden from the door.
Just in time too. Sweetie Belle entered the kitchen humming gently to herself as she skipped over to the worktop on the far side. Applejack held her breath and watched the girl move in the shadows.
Sweetie Belle hummed cheerfully as she lifted a knife and began chopping vigorously at whatever substance stained the counters. “If she didn’t like that cake I’ll just have to do better.”
Applejack didn’t wait for a second chance. With slow, deliberate steps, she backtracked towards the door, wincing at every sound. A cold sweat fell from her. Her eyes refused to turn from Sweetie Belle. Was it really her? She had grown since Applejack last saw her, but that was to be expected. Her cheerful tune stung at Applejack’s ears—it was the same one that Sweetie Belle had used to put her to sleep, the same tune that she used to kidnap Apple Bloom! Applejack’s hands tightened around her shotgun. Friend or not, if she had hurt Apple Bloom—
Something crunched under her boot. It felt as her heart stopped for a moment as both her and Sweetie Belle tensed. “Opalescence? Is that you?” Sweetie Belle said as she slowly turned her head.
A hand wrapped around Applejack's mouth. Before she could yell or twist from the grasp a single thought ran through her mind. Relax. And despite the screaming in her mind her shoulders sank and she let out a quiet breath before being yanked out of the kitchen.
She was pulled against the wall in the hallway, held tightly in Sunset’s arms as they stood in absolute silence.
“Silly cat,” Sweetie Belle giggled before she went back to chopping.
The hand was released from Applejack’s mouth and she twisted around to glare at Sunset. After a moment, she let out a sigh of relief, nodding thankfully.
Sunset returned the gesture. She pointed to the staircase and then up.
Applejack frowned, but nodded.
The stairs creaked under them and Applejack kept her eyes glued to the end of the hallway, hoping that Sweetie Belle wouldn’t come out to see what was going on. She quickly wiped the sweat from her hands before returning them to the shotgun. They were taking too long. Every moment Apple Bloom could be suffering. The thought was sickening. There was nothing more she wanted than to rush through the house and find her sister. But Sunset was right about one thing: These girls weren't the same as the girls they once knew. After all, one of them was able to sing her to sleep. Who knew what else they could do if they wanted to fight?
The hallway at the top of the stairs spread to either side of them. To the left was Sweetie Belle's room, Applejack recalled. The floor was cracked and warped as it headed to the right. The walls too were dented as if a large mass had forced its way down the hallway and through the door at the far end. Rarity’s parents room.
The air grew colder there, as if all the heat was sucked away leaving only a biting chill that seeped out from behind that distant door. The black vines had grown up the walls and twisted onto the ceiling, looking more like limpets then any sort of plant. They stretched towards the master bedroom like it was their destination, or perhaps source.
Applejack gulped and took a step towards it. Sunset had turned to check out Sweetie Belles room and was now following Applejack with a concerned frown.
She stopped outside Rarity's room. The door was closed and the crystal-like door handle had cracked and tarnished as the dark mold clawed into the wood. She gulped as she gripped the handle and slowly turned it.
The door opened with a creak and she poked her head inside. The room was, surprisingly, just as she remembered it. The large four-posted bed in the centre was still neatly made, seemingly unblemished by time. Mannequins wearing dresses in several states of completion stood around the room like silent ghosts as neatly organised rolls of fabric and threads lined the shelf next to her sewing desk that sat under the large window. The moonlight rolled through and glistened in the gemstones and mirrors that lined the walls sending a spectrum of light around the room.
But the room was empty. There was no sign of Apple Bloom.
The door at the end of the hallway swung open. Sunset quickly pushed Applejack into the room and closed the door behind them. Applejack stumbled forwards and listened as footsteps hurried through the hallway. “Sweetie Belle? Is that you creeping around?” Scootaloo called.
“It’s Opalescence.” The reply was muffled by the distance.
After a moment, the sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs echoed through the hall. “The cat?”
Applejack let out a sigh of relief.
The air in Rarity’s room was stale but was free from the lingering stench of decay. She took a closer look around her, switching her flashlight as she did so. The light caught a photograph on the bedside cabinet. It was of Applejack and her friends smiling brightly outside the front of the school.
Applejack swallowed a heavy lump in her throat. What she would give to go back to those times.
Sunset too had noticed the photo. She wrapped one arm tightly around herself and held her other hand to her mouth. Applejack reached out a hand to place on Sunset’s shoulder, but Sunset flinched away.
She turned to the showing desk and placed her hands firmly against it, tensed and gulped a few times as she stared out of the window.
Applejack lingered for a moment before turning back to the rest of the room. At the far end, a skeleton of a cat lay in its bed, a diamond encrusted collar still sitting around its neck.
Her jaw tightened. They were here for a reason.
Applejack too a deep breath before speaking, “Sunset. Listen, Ah know how you feel—” Sunset shuddered and hands tensed around the table, “—Ah really do. But now isn’t the time. Rarity ain’t here, ya said so yerself. But Apple Bloom and Fluttershy are. We need to find them. We need to save them.”
Sunset took a few deep breaths before nodding. She cleared her throat. “Y-Yeah… Sorry, I… I just needed a moment.”
“It’s fine,” Applejack said. She walked to the door and grabbed the handle. “But we’re running out of places to look. Where else could they be?”
“They’re not in the room at the far end.”
“How do you know that?”
Sunset scrunched up her face and glanced away. “If they’re in there… Then there’s no way that we can get them out. It should be the last place we look.”
Applejack let the words hang in the air as the door handle crumpled under her hold. “Right… Yeah. So, where else?”
“I haven’t looked in the garage or the basement yet.”
“Then let’s get a move on.”
She opened the door and after checking that the coast was clear crept towards the staircase. The former-crusaders were downstairs now, and either one of them could spot them. The sounds of cooking—if it could even be called cooking—continued to echo from the kitchen. Each footstep on the staircase seemed louder than before. Surly they would hear them?
Scootaloo was sitting in the living room, cross legged in front of the television. She stared up at it, glued to the screen, as she munched on something from a popcorn bowl. Applejack swiftly passed the door and hurried to the end of the hallway. To her right, Sweetie Belle’s shadow still danced around the kitchen.
The door at the end of the hall opened without a sound and Applejack slipped into the back of the house with Sunset close behind. They closed it behind them and continued along the rear hallway past a neat pile of boots and a rack of unused coats.
The basement door was here, and judging by the heavy bolts and chains that had somehow been fixed onto it, the girls were right behind—
“Applejack!”
Applejack almost yelped, spooked by soft voice that called through the door. “Fluttershy? Is that you?”
“Yes. Apple Bloom’s here and we’re okay. But we can’t get out.” Fluttershy’s voice was almost inaudible behind the thick wood and metal.
“Well, don’t ya worry ‘bout that. Ah’ll get ya both out.” She glanced over the several locks and bolts on the door. “Just as soon as we find the keys…”
The door to the kitchen flew open. Applejack twisted wide eyed to face Scootaloo who stood in the doorway glaring up at the two. “Hey! Get away from our friend!”
Applejack’s grip around her shotgun tightened, but she didn’t dare move it.
Sunset placed a hand out in front of Applejack. “I’ll deal with her,” she said. “You get the door.”
“Ya don’t have to tell me twice.”
Twilight watched Applejack and Sunset enter the house. Her eyes lingered on the door for several moments and, after nothing happened, she let herself breathe again. It was risky, for sure, but she trusted Sunset—Sunset knew what she was doing.
Besides, she had her own job to do. “Big Mac, Granny Smith. We need to be ready to act if things go wrong,” she said as she turned to the two Apples. “Sunset said she’s counting on us being ready to act.”
“How are we gonna do that, Twilight?” Big Mac asked.
“Ah may be fit for mah age, but if that Nightmare Shows up Ah don’t think Ah would be much use,” Granny Smith added.
Twilight thought for a moment. “Yes, if the Nightmare is as bad as Sunset says it is, then we will have to have a plan.”
“Oh, I know,” Spike said with an enthusiastic tail waggle. “How about we set a trap for it? Like, we could dig a big hole or… or maybe a net?”
Twilight smiled at him. “If I had my magic, that would be a good plan. But I doubt it would work without it.”
She turned to the street. A cold, silent breeze flowed around them as the moonlight highlighted the buildings with silvery glow. The remains of cars stood in driveways as what little plant life remained clung to the darkest corners of the buildings. “I’m going to have a look around. There must be something useful around here somewhere.”
“Ah don’t know, Twilight. Any of these homes could have a Nightmare or some poor mad folk in them,” Big Mac said.
“I can sniff them out,” Spike said. “At least, I think I can. I’m still getting used to the nose.”
“I won’t go far, but we need to do something other than sitting and waiting.”
Big Mac and Granny Smith glanced to each other. “Fine,” Granny Smith said. “But if ya get yerself eaten, don’t yer go blaming us. We’ll keep an eye out for the girls.”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac added. “But cry if ya need help.”
The house behind them was similar to Rarity’s: Two floors, with a large garage and white paint peeling off the bricks. Twilight slid along the side of the building and into the back yard. Spike went on ahead, sniffing around the yard. The yard itself was nothing special. A wooden playset still stood in one corner, the once green plastic slide had reduced to a off-white. The cracked ground merged into the sandpit like two desserts coming together.
The windows were shut up tight and the back door was locked. Shining her light inside, Twilight couldn’t make out anything of value in the still, dead house. She frowned. The kitchen looked much like any kitchen back home. There were still breakfast bowls on the table along with a rat-eaten box of cereal. Who would have lived here? What were they like? Twilight paused for a moment as a third question passed through her mind. Were they safe?
Focus, Twilight, she told herself. They needed to save Apple Bloom and Fluttershy. She had to find something to help.
“T-Twilight!” Spike hissed.
Her assistant stood rigid, his tail out flat and his ears pulled back as he stared off in the distance. “S-Something’s out there…”
Twilight followed his gaze to a dead hedgerow at the side of the yard, beyond it was the next house over, the one directly opposite Rarity’s house. A low creak filled the air as the back door of the house slowly opened.
Twilight kept it in her light. A cold shudder passed up her spine as a grey shadow moved by the doorway
“We should go back to the others,” Spike whispered.
“I… No, Spike. I think we should investigate.”
“What? B-But Sunset said it’s dangerous!”
“I know,” Twilight replied, and she certainly did, but there was something familiar about that shadow. Even in the dim light, the flash of grey was much like the grey of that woman in the school. “But I think they’re trying to help.”
“How do you know that?”
“I don’t.” Twilight was already walking towards the hedge. She carefully clambered over its remains and into the next yard. Her eyes scanned the windows, checking for any sign of movement as she approached the door.
Her heart hammered in her chest. Was this really a good idea? What if she was wrong and it was a madman or a nightmare? She took a shaky breath and rested her hand against the doorframe as she peered into the darkness.
The house looked quiet. Only a thin layer of dust sat over the kitchen counters; otherwise, it was clean.
“I don't smell anything anymore,” Spike whispered from her feet. His tail was tucked between his legs as he peered in. “But something isn’t right here… I can feel it.”
There was a chill in the air when Twilight entered. A still silence engulfed her, her own heartbeat was smothered to a low murmur. Flakes of dust caught in the light of her flashlight as she scanned the kitchen.
Spike’s paws tapped against the tiled floor as he sniffed around. “This place smells bad… But none of the smells are fresh,” he whispered. “Why are we here, Twilight?”
“I don’t know, Spike. But let’s look around.”
There wasn’t much to look at. Photographs of a smiling family lined the walls. In the front room, a chair had been pulled up against the window and a pair of binoculars were resting on the windowsill. Upstairs, clothing was scattered carelessly into abandoned suitcases. The beds were all a mess apart from the master bedroom.
The sound of footsteps broke through the silence. Twilight froze, the breath catching in her throat.
Spike was whimpering under her feet while Twilight peered down the hallway. The footsteps were descending the staircase. Twilight frowned. No, she wouldn’t let them get away this time, she wanted answers.
She launched around and ran to the top of the stairs. “Stop!”
Her flashlight lit up the staircase. There was nothing there.
“Twilight! Wait!” Spike called, but she didn’t heed his advice and she almost jumped down the stairs and quickly scanned the rooms—All of them were empty and untouched. “No… Why? Where did they go?”
“Twilight!” Spike gasped running up under her. “Please, let’s just get out of here. I don't like this place.”
Twilight crouched down to him and rested a hand on his back. “Spike, I’m sorry. It’s just… I just want to do something. I’m fed up doing nothing to help.”
He shook against her leg. “But, why are we in here then?” Spike whispered. His ears were on point as he scanned the darkened hallways.
“Because someone has been following us ever since we’ve first got here,” Twilight said. “I want answers.”
A clang startled them both. Twilight jumped and fell back and twisted around to the rear of the kitchen. A door creaked open, one she hadn’t spotted before. After a few deep, steady breaths, she rose to her feet and peered into the darkness.
There was a warmth to the darkness—Something that prickled at her skin. The silence once again became deafening as she crept forwards. She threw a glance to the exit. The door was still wide open and Big Mac was hopefully still just around the corner.
She peered inside. It was the garage. Shelves lined the walls, full of boxes of assorted bits and bobs. One of the shelves had collapsed, scattering a large tool box over the floor. On closer inspection, the shelf’s joints had turned to nothing but rust.
Twilight frowned. “I guess that explains why it fell.”
“S-So it wasn’t a ghost?” Spike asked.
“There’s no such thing as ghosts, Spike. And I doubt there would be so here too.”
Twilight scanned the remainder of the garage with her flashlight. A few hefty locked boxes and machinery of some sort and large metal cans, heavy with some strange smelling liquid sat around the room. Several lamps were set up around the front door of the garage, like they were ready to point outwards.
There was less dust in here, but no sign of anyone having visited recently. She sighed and leaned against a table, her eyes ran over the books and documents scattered on it: A few technical manuals that she doubted she could comprehend with her sleep-deprived mind. and a note book, opened up to a time aged page.
Twilight frowned and re-read it a few times. The book carefully detailed, hour by hour, the comings and goings of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The last entry was only a few months old.
She paused as a entry caught her attention.
UV lights arrived. Have set up in doorway in case Mom comes near. They have been reportedly useful as a deterrence.
She glanced back to the door for a moment before turning to the lights. UV?
“Spike, I have an idea!”
“That’s great, Twilight… What is it?”
She rushed over to the garage door, after a moment of examination she carefully slid it open. Rarity’s house was still silent, as was the street. Twilight quickly slipped out and beckoned Big Mac over. “These lights are UV lights. If that nightmare comes out we can use them against it.”
Big Mac frowned as he looked the lights up and down. Finally, he nodded. “Eeyu—”
A sudden shriek filled the air. Twilight slammed her hands against her ears as the wail rocked through her. She glanced up through narrow eyes at the source.
Sunset Shimmer fell backwards out of Rarity’s house, her hands pressed against her head. Standing over her, mouth wide-open and face red, was Sweetie Belle. She stopped, her nostrils flared as she glared down at Sunset. “Get out! Get out of my house!”
“Sunset!” Twilight cried as she rushed halfway across the street.
Sunset rolled onto all fours and shook her head. She wobbled her way upright and held up a hand to Twilight. “Stay back.”
Twilight skidded to a halt. Her feet shifted against the cracked road as she threw a glance to Big Mac who stood by her side.
“Go!” Sweetie Belle yelled. “Get out! You’ll wake Mom and Dad!”
Sunset faced Sweetie Belle, her eyes darting into the darkness of the house as she held her arms out and shifted from foot to foot. Sweetie Belle frowned, snarled and lunged forwards, throwing a fist at Sunset’s chest. Sunset took the blow and threw her own hand to Sweetie Belle’s forehead.
Before she could make contact, Sweetie Belle let out another ear-splitting scream.
Twilight slammed her hands to her ears. The unnatural scream slammed into her like a wall. She had never heard such a sound before, and surely nothing natural could be making it!
Sunset fell back again, screaming as she held her hands against her ears.
When Sweetie Belle stopped, Twilight looked back at the door to the house. If Sweetie Belle and Sunset where outside, then where were the others?
There was a sudden crash and a yelp as Applejack flew out of the door, narrowly avoiding Sweetie Belle, and crashed to the front lawn next to Sunset. She held a heavy chunk of crumpled wood and metal like a shield.
Applejack gasped in pain and rolled herself upright before adjusting her hat. Scootaloo appeared in the doorway, a pained look on her as she clutched her right fist. She snarled at Applejack. “That hurt! Why do you have to be holding that thing?”
Scootaloo stepped out of the door and circled Applejack.
Big Mac was breathing deeply as his rifle shook in his hands. Twilight threw a glance back at the garage. The lights were still there, if that nightmare were to appear…
Fluttershy and Apple Bloom emerged from the doorway of the house. Apple Bloom winced and leaned against Fluttershy for support. Fluttershy held a small, wooden crate tightly against her and glanced fearfully at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.
Scootaloo’s head snapped up to Apple Bloom. “You’re running away again, Apple Bloom? We thought you were our friend?”
“Ah am your friend,” Apple Bloom croaked out.
“If you’re our friend then what are you doing with Fluttershy?”
“We’re all friends.”
Sweetie Belle turned from Sunset and yelled, “They stole you from us, Apple Bloom!”
Apple Bloom clung tightly onto Fluttershy. Her eyes watered and her lips trembled. “Please… Ah just want to help you two. Ah want us to be friends again. Ah don’t want ta fight.”
“Help us?” Scootaloo scoffed.
“Yeah, we don’t need any help. It’s you who needs our help! You… You traitor!”
By now Sunset and Applejack had clambered to their feet. Sunset and Applejack rushed forward. Applejack grappled Scootaloo and, Sunset placed her bare hand on the back of Sweetie Belle’s head. “Sleep!”
Sweetie Belle wobbled for a moment before collapsing back into Sunset’s arms. Sunset caught her limp form and gently lowered her to the ground.
Twilight let out a sigh of relief and rested her hand against her hammering heart. It was over. They were subdued—
Scootaloo kicked off against Applejack and with a whip-like crack, shot into the air until she was roof-height with the house. Applejack yelped and stumbled back, her hat having flown off somewhere.
Twilight’s jaw dropped open as Scootaloo hovered there for under a second before shooting back down to the ground, faster than Twilight could blink. The girl landed with a deep thud, cracking the ground and kicking up the dust.
“Oh, you shouldn’t have done that,” she said.
There was a moment of silence before the wall of Rarity’s house exploded. Twilight lurched back with a yelp as a large, blackened monstrosity fell from the building and hit the ground with a tremor. Its arms snapped into place as it turns to them. It had two faces protruding from its warped flesh—Twisted, human-like faces—that snarled the group like a manticore would snarl at trespassers.
The nightmare!
Twilight backed up, unable to take her eyes off the nightmare. She reached out and grabbed hold of Big Mac’s sleeve, pulling him with her as she struggled to find her breath. “L-Lights.”
The nightmare let out a deep inhuman roar and lunged at Sunset who barely managed to dodge its sweeping arm.
Applejack yelled something to Fluttershy. Fluttershy nodded then turned and ran with Apple Bloom still clinging to her side.
Twilight turned to the lights and looked them over. There had to be a switch or something! They weren’t that big, she could probably carry one. But how did they work? She threw a look to Big Mac who had grabbed a fistful of wires and was stumbling to plug them into the backs of the lights.
Twilight would have kicked herself is she had the time.
There was another crack in the air and a rush of wind. Scootaloo appeared in front of Fluttershy and Apple Bloom, glaring up at them with a snarl. “You’re not getting away! You’ll stay with us forever, Apple Bloom!”
“Get away from mah sister!” Applejack cried, but the nightmare roared and swung a large, bulbous arm at her. She barely had time to raise the half-broken door as a shield before the arm slammed into her, knocking her through the air and into the side of a car. A short gasp escaped Applejack before crumpled to the floor.
“Applejack!” Twilight screamed.
Big Mac dropped his wires and rushed towards his sister, unslinging his rifle from his shoulder. He let out a cry of rage as he took aim at the nightmare.
“No, wait!” Sunset cried, but the gunshot had already cracked through the air.
Twilight jumped at the sound while she struggled with the last of the wires. She glanced back up, the Nightmare turned to Big Mac and took a swipe at him.
Big Mac fell back and hit the ground, narrowly dodging the swipe. He quickly rolled to the side as the nightmare slammed a arm down where he had landed.
Fluttershy and Apple Bloom were having little more luck. Wherever Fluttershy turned, Scootaloo appeared in front of them in a gust of wind and a crack of air. Scootaloo snarled at the two. “Let Apple Bloom go!”
“Get away from mah granddaughter!” Granny Smith yell interrupted them. She rushed forwards brandishing a long stick as a weapon, sweeping it at Scootaloo who effortlessly stepped aside.
Twilight clicked the last wire into its socket, but still no light came. Twilight stared blankly between them. “Why won’t you work?” she yelled.
“Twilight!” Spike looked up to her. Under his paws were the other ends of the wires, their plugs lying on the floor.
Oh, come on!
Twilight dived forwards, lifting the connectors and frantically scanned the room. “Spike, help! Where do they go?”
“I don’t know!”
Twilight scrambled around in the dark, her flashlight scanning the floors for anything to connect the wires too. Her heart thundered like a speeding train as she threw glances back outside.
Applejack had stumbled to her feat. The Nightmare took another swipe at Big Mac, but Applejack was there first, delivering a hard punch to the nightmare’s side. The nightmare staggered back, taken off guard by the force of Applejack’s fist. She punched again and again, each time delivering a bone-braking blow to the nightmare's side.
The hard, blackened, skin-shell of the nightmare cracked under the pressure, a thick tar-like liquid ooze out.
“Twilight!”
Spike’s cry pulled her attention back. She looked down at a row of sockets that matched the cable connectors. Twilight didn’t waste a moment. She dived forwards and clipped them together and glanced back at the lights. They still weren't on!
Scootaloo had managed to snatch the branch out of Granny Smith’s hand. She let out a primal cry, her face blood red as she raised the branch towards Granny Smith.
“No!” Apple Bloom divided between the two. “Stop! Please just stop, Scoots!”
“Don’t call me that, you trator!” Scootaloo lunged at Apple Bloom, grabbing her by the neck and throwing her to the ground. “You’ll stay forever. You will!”
Apple Bloom let out a shrill cry as she kicked and at Scootaloo. But Scootaloo didn’t even flinch as she pressed harder around Apple Bloom’s neck.
Fluttershy and Granny Smith jumped at Scootaloo, struggling to pull her off. The girl fought against them with an unnatural speed, but with a sharp heave from Fluttershy, she was dragged to the ground.
Twilight turns back to the row of sockets and followed yet another cable to the bulky piece of machinery by the cans of strange smelling liquid. Some kind of power source? She frowned. Yes, it must be! But how does it turn on?
Twilight swiftly examined every inch of it under the dim beam of her flashlight. There were no buttons, switches or dials, but there was a pull cord. She glanced back outside. “Big Mac! Lead it here!”
Big Mac nodded to her and shouted the command to his sister. Applejack glanced back from the nightmare, only for the nightmare to slam an arm into her side, knocking her to the ground.
The nightmare let out a roar as it's cracked skin stitched itself together with black tendons and vines. It swooped around and took another swing and Sunset who was dragging Sweetie Belle away from the fight.
Big Mac raised his rifle and fired again. If the bullet even hit the nightmare, it had no effect other than getting its attention. He backed away slowly towards the garage. He fired again.
Twilight winced at the bag. The bullet disappeared into the darkness.
The nightmare roared as it lunged at Big Mac. It swiped a claw-like arm at him.
Big Mac jumped back and rushed for the lights. The Nightmare took the bait.
Now!
Twilight pulled hard on the cord, the sweat made it slip in her hands and the machine only let out a small splutter. Her eyes widened, she pulled again.
The machine choked.
The beast was almost upon them. It took another swipe at Big Mac, he fell to the ground, arrow missing the bone claws. “Twilight!” he cried and fired yet another shot.
Twilight jumped at the sound and pulled on the cord with all her might.
The machine spluttered into life.
The nightmare screamed. It shielded its eyes as it squirmed back from the blinding blue lights.
“Ah-ha!” Twilight cried. She fell back in euphoria; her heart almost jumped from her chest.
The nightmare screamed and thrashed as it threw itself back. Whiffs of black smoke sizzled from its skin. Its arms lashed out wildly, slashing it towards the lights. And towards Big Mac.
Twilight’s joy died in an instant as she feet a shower of dampness hit her. Big Mac was thrown backwards and landed at her feet, his face twisted with pain. His shredded shirt grew dark with blood.
“No—” Twilight gasped. She had to do something. She jumped forwards and could only stare down at him. Her mind raced to remember every medical textbook she had read, but would that even apply to humans?
“Big Mac!” Applejack cried. She sprinted towards him, only for the nightmare to almost strike her with a wild swing.
The nightmare howled and pushed back from the lights. The sizzling of its body stopped as it retreated into the shadows.
Applejack’s face turned beat red as she snarled at the creature. “You… You varmint!” She grabbed one of its flailing arms and with a anguished yell, dragged it back into the light.
She slammed her foot down on its arm, snapping it like a twig.
The nightmare wailed in pain. Its two heads almost roaring at her as they burned in the light.
Applejack screamed back, her face blood red as she raised a fist and threw it at one of the heads.
There was a deep crush. Twilight’s stomach jumped at the sight of Applejack’s fist disappearing into the nightmare’s head, a cloud of black gore flying from it.
The nightmare jumped back, falling out of the light and curling around itself as it clawed at the missing head. Applejack herself stood there, stunned still as she stared down at the beast.
Behind her, Sweetie Belle screamed. “No!” She gave Sunset a sharp jab to the stomach and broke free. She jumped onto the nightmare and held on tight. “No… Mom! No! No, please no…”
The nightmare groaned and quivered as it slowly dragged itself away from the lights. Its skin was already beginning to stitch itself back together, albeit more slowly this time.
Twilight turned to Applejack and screamed her name, knocking her from whatever trance she was in. Both Applejack and Sunset rushed to Big Mac’s side.
“Hold on, Mac, you’re gonna be okay,” Applejack said. Her voice was strained and she pulled at her hair. “Sunset! What do we do?”
“We have to get him to Magicland. Now!” Sunset said. She glanced around the garage before rushing over to the table and pulling down a green bag. She quickly dug out some bandages and began to tightly wrap them around Big Mac’s chest.
Big Mac whimpered and groaned in pain with each move.
“AJ, can you carry him?” Sunset asked.
“Ya bet Ah can.” Applejack straightened her hat before lifting her brother.
Sunset grabbed Big Mac’s rifle and slung it over her back. “Come on, we’ve got to go.”
“What about the others?” Twilight asked, she hurried to the door.
“We’re here!” Granny Smith replied. She ran over with Apple Bloom tightly clutching her side. Fluttershy followed at a short distance, her head had retreated behind her hair as she glanced back at Scootaloo.
Scootaloo had curled into a tight ball and stared fearfully up at the group.
What happened? Twilight wondered. She didn’t have time to linger on it as Sweetie Belle looked up from the nightmare. Her face was red and stained with tears.
“Get out of here!” Sweetie Belle screamed. “Just go! Go away!”
Sunset grabbed Twilight’s wrist and pulled. “Come on! We’ve got to go!”
Twilight didn’t look back. The cold air stung at Twilight’s lungs. Her legs burned, threatening to give out at any moment. But she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t.
“Twilight!” Spike barked. “There’s something following us!”
“Just keep running!” Sunset ordered. “Don’t stop!”
Twilight glanced behind her. Something quickly darted by in the shadows, scurrying across the ground and leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
Twilight only ran faster.
The shadows grew closer. Their snarls and unnatural cries echoed around and the more they ran the more of them there appeared to be. No two were alike. Some moved like predators, stalking from the shadows and rooftops, others lumbered unsteadily behind them.
The houses gave way to low, flat-roofed buildings and opened parking lots. The nightmares surrounded them.
Twilight and the group rushed between long lines of dead cars. The barks and the snarls grew ever closer. Twilight’s body burned. Her head grew dizzy. How much longer? What could they do?
She had to keep going. She couldn't stop.
Something roared. Twilight glanced just in time to see a flash of shadow jump at her.
Teeth!
Twilight fell to the ground. A car window shattered above her, showering her with glass. She gasped and scampered forwards. The nightmare’s hot breath brushed against her ankles.
Sunset ran over, her boots offering hope.
Twilight jumped as Sunset fired the shotgun. The nightmare screamed. It was down, but quickly it was back on its feet. Twilight was sharply dragged upright. Sunset fired again and pushed her onwards.
“Go!”
The nightmares grew closer, jumping from car to car. One nightmare—a dog-like creature— landed in front of Applejack only to be kicked against the side of a car, crumpling the bodywork.
“Turn left!” Sunset screamed.
A light appeared in the distance. A single sign, lit up with dull orange glow. ‘Canterlot Mall’, it once said, but the words had been painted over by big, silver-sparkled letters spelling out “Welcome to Magicland.”
The mall appeared up ahead. Lights shone behind its glass entranceway, offering a spark of hope. It wasn’t far. It was just a parking lot away. The nightmares were on their heels. Twilight’s breaths were ragged as her legs threatened to give out beneath her.
The lights where there. Just a bit further. The nightmares snapped at her feet.
Apple Bloom tripped and Granny Smith stumbled with her, falling against the side of a car. Twilight twisted to try and help, only to hit the ground herself. The nightmares were there—swarming like a pack of hungry timberwolves.
The world was engulfed in light.
The nightmares screamed and howled as streams of dark smoke wafted from them.
There was a shout from the mall and suddenly the air roared with gunfire. The cracks of bullets shot over head and slammed into the nightmares, pushing them back like a wave.
Twilight slammed her hands against her ears and pushed herself against the ground.
Someone grabbed her under her arms and dragged her towards the light. The nightmares backed off into the darkness.
Everything was a blur. She was pulled to her feet and carried through several metal gates, like the gatehouse of Canterlot castle. They were slammed shut behind them. Twilight squinted as the light brightened.
She was placed down against a wall that felt as soft as a pillow. Her heart still hammered. Her gasps didn’t slow as her body trembled. She trembled like that of a great fever had suddenly come over her. All around her, her friends sat and strangers ran around—armed strangers.
The one who placed her down rested her hands on Twilight’s shoulders. “Hey, Twilight. It’s okay. You’re safe now. You’re safe.”
Twilight didn’t recognise the woman. Her mint green hair was cut short, she had golden eyes kind smile.
Safe. Yes, the woman was right. They were safe now.
Big Mac was placed on a stretcher and carried off. Apple Bloom collapsed into Granny’s arms. Sunset fell to her back and panted as she started up at the ceiling.
But Twilight couldn’t stop shaking. Her breaths grew quicker.
We are safe.
Her eyes grew heavy and the world around her darkened.
We are safe.