The Other Side (Part Two)
After what felt like an eternity, Apple Bloom spoke.
“S-Sweetie, we… we need t-to keep movin’. What… Whatever did this might still be around, an’ it’s getting dark…”
Sweetie could only nod in agreement.
“We should… We should go to mah house, get inside until mornin’. C’mon, Sweetie…”
The two fillies made their way over to the house, barely noticing the characteristic state of disrepair as they pushed open the rotten door.
They collapsed on to the wooden floor, all their strength sapped from what they had just experienced.
They were just beginning to recover, when…
Creak.
“Did ya’ll hear that?” Apple Bloom whispered.
Creak.
Sweetie nodded, then added, “It sounds like it’s coming from upstairs!”
Creak.
“Quick, we need to hide!”
“But what if it’s Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom whispered back.
“What if it isn’t?”
Creak. It was on the stairs now.
“We can hide in the pantry. C’mon, let’s go!”
Careful not to make a sound, the two fillies walked as quickly as they could into the kitchen, then into the pantry. Sweetie left the door slightly ajar, as closing it would have given them away.
A scent of decay filled the air. Peering through the crack, Sweetie got her first glimpse of their assailant.
It was Applejack, she knew that much. There was no mistaking the farmer’s athletic build, or the Stetson she wore on her head.
Upon closer inspection, however, the similarities ended.
Unlike the honest, dependable cowpony, this thing was as grey as the rest of this world. Her hide was mangled, entire strips of flesh torn from her legs and torso. Her face was covered in scars and lacerations. As she spoke, the unicorn filly caught a flash of jagged, pointed teeth.
“I can smell ya’ll,” the thing said in a raspy voice. It raised its head into the air, sniffing out its prey. “I can smell you. Your fear.”
The thing turned its head towards the pantry, its pitch black eyes staring into Sweetie’s own green ones.
“It’s delicious.”
The thing continued. “It’s too bad, I already ate today… but I guess a snack before bed never did any harm!” It began walking towards the door.
Panicking, Sweetie turned to Apple Bloom. “It’s coming this way! What do we do?”
“Alright, ah have an idea. Right before it opens the door, slam it open, then run. Hopefully it’ll surprise it, and we can get away!”
Sweetie waited until the thing’s rotten hoof was just a few inches away from the door handle, and then shoved the door open with all the force she could muster. Just as they had hoped, the not-Applejack was startled for a moment, giving Sweetie Belle a chance to escape.
However…
“S-Sis?”
Apple Bloom, seeing the resemblance the creature before her had with her sister, hesitated for a moment.
That moment was all it took.
Sweetie could only look on in horror from the other side of the room as the thing recovered. Pinning her friend to the ground with her forelegs, the not-Applejack bit down into the earth filly’s flesh. The screams of her friend shocked Sweetie out of her paralyzed state.
There was nothing she could do.
Turning, the filly ran out of the house, the blood-curdling screams of Apple Bloom cutting through the silence of the night.