Hold On Ta This Fer Me, Sugarcube

by DougtheLoremaster

Chapter Four- For Every Dream That's Shattered...

“Then it was you?”
The outburst caused Applebloom to pause, momentarily a semi-bitter smile flashed across her muzzle and just as quickly was gone once more. She gave a slow and wordless nod, before continuing with her tale.
“Mah body crumpled ta th’ ground as mah life ebbed away. Still, Ah stood there an’ watched as th’ scene unfolded.”
Pumpkin fidgeted nervously, staring at Applebloom as the latter told her story. She could swear that Applebloom’s neck was bleeding and it seemed to be increasing as she explained what happened. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light. The way she’s talking...It’s almost like she di- no, that’s silly; it’s probably just for drama’s sake. Still...There’s something unsettling about this story of hers. Wait a minute...Did her dress always have that rose-tinted stain on the chest?
Rainbow’s fur was almost back to it’s brilliant past color. The sharp magenta in her iris shined with a new resolve. She had been listening the entire time, tears dripping onto the table. Her head lay on Rarity’s mechanical limb as the latter cradled her partner, gently nuzzling her.
“Shh, it’s alright Darling.”
Across the room sat Spike. His scales; gray and lifeless as was his mood. In his claws he held his most valuable possession; an old, wrinkled issue of The Power Ponies. It was old, though it wasn’t a special print. It wasn’t a collector comic, just a standard issue you could have found in any comic shop ten years ago. No, monetarily it was worth nothing. Still it was worth more to him than all the precious gems in the world.
He had opened it to the first page, and just sat, staring, lost in the writing on those panels:

His eyes were hooded over with despair, no longer able to cry; having shed tears non-stop since that day. For ten years, he had been invisible; ignored by the creatures of Ponyville. Or perhaps he had fallen so far into the abyss their words could never reach him. His eyes still watered but nothing fell from them.
It wasn’t fair! Twilight; his big sister, his best friend was dead, and he never knew why. Now he sat, day in and day out, drowning in the last memory he had of her. Stay here Spike; I don’t want you to get hurt and I have a feeling this isn’t going to be a simple talk. I promise when I get back we’ll go to Sugarcube Corners for a hayburger; my treat.
He just wanted to know why. Why did she have to die? If only he could know what happened that day; maybe he could move on. Maybe he could feel again. Maybe he could live again.
“Her mane was violet, an' her fur was a shade of lavender…”
Spike looked up, his eyes wide with recognition. Twilight? He began to listen as Applebloom continued her harrowing tale, the faintest hint of color starting to show upon his scaly tail.
Pinkie sat there, stunned as the memories flooded back. The whole scene of that moment, hit like a cupcake to her empty stomach; hard. Holding her head in her hooves, she began to whimper.
“We didn’t know. I’m so sorry Applebloom; we just didn’t know.”

Any semblance of possible Diplomacy was thrown to the wolves as the seven entered the cavern. Rainbow and Rarity sat down in numbed shock, their eyes staring at the mutilated corpses of their loved ones.
“Scootaloo...Nonononono-”
“S-Sweetie? Sweetieeeeeeeee!”
Pinkie watched as the two broke down in hysterics, but she didn’t focus on them for long; she was fighting her own demons. There on the wall were strewn what was left of Mr. and Mrs. Cake. and Maud. Her throat went dry, it had suddenly gotten harder for her to breathe.
“Not her. Not her. NOT HER!”
Twilight stood stock-still as her eyes stared up towards the mutilated form of her mentor. It was hanging like some macabre three-pronged chandelier comprising of hers, Discord’s and Luna’s slain bodies. Starlight stood nearby and watched as the tears welled in her eyes and reached out to her.
“Twilight we-”
“No.”
Twilight shook her head as the tears fell, her voice conveying her pain, but her words were firm with resolve.
“You always have to be right don’t you, Celestia? Just once, couldn’t you be wrong? Couldn’t you be wrong just once, for me? No of course not, the good of all and all that. Now is not the time-”
Glaring at the smirking form of Chrysalis before them, Twilight continued her thoughts in an almost snarling tone.
“That comes later. Pinkie; you and-”
“Applebloom!”
Twilight moved swiftly. As Applejack tensed to break into a run, the unicorn stepped in front of her.
“You and Pinkie take the left tunnel to the side. Rainbow and Rarity will take the right tunnel. Head to the dungeon and see if any survivors are still there.”
Applejack stared in disbelief at Twilight.
“Ya’ can’t be serious mah sister-”
She found herself cut off as Twilight barked at her. The unicorn’s eyes held a fury that Pinkie had never witnessed before.
“I gave you an order. Pinkie is going to need muscle and you’re the strongest we got. Now move your flank. Fluttershy, Starlight and I will see to Applebloom.”
“But-”
A deep exhaling of breath caused Pinkie to turn and look at Starlight. The lilac colored unicorn stepped towards Applejack and spoke in a soft voice. “Do you not trust us?”
“Ah do Mrs Starlight, but-”
“But nothing. The mission comes first, and you have your orders-”
Starlight’s eyes softened. “Applejack, you don’t want to go over there. Trust me.”
Applejack turned to look at Twilight, only to see tears falling down her face as she stared at the dirt.
“Please AJ, go with Pinkie. We’ll take care of her.”
Applejack was in tears but as a member of the Special Forces, she was an elite first and foremost. It took everything she had to stop her from charging forward. Starlight was right, though; the mission comes first. Her throat suddenly dry, Applejack managed to swallow her impulse and instead gave a shaky salute.
“Yes Ma’am. Pinkie, on mah six.”
Twilight still stood, head lowered; tears dripping onto the dirt as the two left. Rainbow and Rarity had already started their reconnaissance. As Pinkie started down the stone corridor steps behind Applejack, she heard Starlight whisper to Twilight.
“You know she’s already-”
Twilight’s reply was the last thing Pinkie heard before venturing down the tunnel.
“Yeah, I know Starlight, but I couldn’t let AJ see that. We were too late. To save any of them. My heart feels like it’s been ripped from my chest and right now, I feel like breaking something-”
Twilight looked up with a broken smile at Chrysalis and laughed hollowly as she finished.
“You wanted our attention, Chrysalis? I have some bad news for you. You got it.”

“I had never seen anythin’ like it. After fightin’ tooth an’ hoof, th’ purple Unicorn an’ th’ yellow Pegasus found themselves helpless against Chrysalis’s magic. Th’ stone had negated the Unicorn’s own magic and soon they found themselves down a pony; Starlight lay upon th’ stone floor. They were being quickly overwhelmed; it wouldn’t be long until they too would fall. With desperation in her eyes, th’ purple unicorn turned towards th’ pale yellow Pegasus an’ apologized to ‘er, before telling ‘er-”
Pumpkin sat there, morbidly enthralled by the sad tale. As she listened, that gentle voice; that quaint accent, it took her there. She could almost see it happening; that awful day and the events that unfolded.
Unbeknownst to her however, outside the window two pairs of furry ears were listening now. They weren’t considered citizens of Ponyville, but ten years ago they were beloved to the point of being well known. Angel bunny and the only survivor of Fluttershy’s cabin; a bear sat beneath the window sill, listening to what had become of their Pegasus Pack Leader. Their proud Mama. Like those previously encaptured by Applebloom’s words, their eyes welled with tears and their fur was dingy and dull. Their eyes held no life.
They had been trudging by when their overly sensitive ears heard her voice and so they sat down to listen to Fluttershy’s fate, something they desperately desired to know; no matter how much it could hurt.

Twilight had turned to grab Fluttershy’s head in her hooves and she whispered tenderly to her.
“I’m so sorry, there’s no other way, please forgive me on the other side Fluttershy.”
The eyes of Fluttershy watered in fear as Twilight’s gaze hardened, forcing the Element of Kindness to stare into her eyes.
“Your brother, mother and father are dead.”
Her words were cold and harsh, but carried a matter-of-fact tone about them. Fluttershy trembled as she heard them. Twilight wasn’t done, however.
“The lovely animals you nurtured since birth; your babies are dead. Their fur and bones now lay as decorations on that cavern wall.”
Fluttershy’s eye began to twitch as she attempted to pull herself free of Twilight’s grasp, to no avail.
“Stop it! Stop it Twilight!”
One more. Just one more thing would set her off, and then-
“Fluttershy-”
Grabbing her friend's muzzle, she forced Fluttershy to stare upwards, into the unseeing eyes of the one she loved more than life itself.
“Your fiance, Discord; the one you finally opened up your heart to, the one who finally proposed-”
“Nononono…”
Twilight’s words cut like a knife. Right into her heart.
“Is dead. And that laughing, grinning Changeling over there, killed them all.”
Letting go of Fluttershy, Twilight stepped back and the Pegasus began to spasm; her eyes twitched and narrowed, her glare full of her unbridled rage.
Chrysalis had stood there in morbid curiosity watching as the scene had played out and now began laughing haughtily.
“Are you so broken by the loss of your dear Princess that you would break your own team mates heart before you die? You ponies are so pathetic. Hahahaha-"
And she was still laughing, when the enraged hoof of Fluttershy shattered her muzzle.