//------------------------------//
// 3 
// Story: Rift in Ponyville 
// by xnaturalblue 
//------------------------------//






…And the potion worked. It summoned a wise spirit of the afterlife, who advised her to add a strand of her mane to the potion in order to see her parents.


…And, she believed him.






Fire Bolt's hooves pounded against the stones of the path as she sprinted towards Sapphire Swirl's cottage. Panic welled up inside her, urging her to run harder and reach her sibling’s home as quickly as possible, still too shaky to spread her wings and glide the rest of the way. The weight of the young colt's lifeless body haunted her thoughts, fueling her determination to uncover the truth behind this horrifying ordeal. Nopony had died yet. Not one. In three years, not a single Ponyville resident had been killed or passed from natural causes, let alone a colt. The injustice of the situation made Bolt feel even more choked up, realizing there would be parents needing to bury their young colt. Something despicable in its own right.

As she approached the quaint, paint-splattered cottage, Bolt noticed a peculiar stillness in the air that she had previously ignored out of what she thought was bravery. Now, she felt that it was just ignorance, and she wanted to kick herself for endangering her life. Even the air seemed heavy with an unnatural silence, devoid of the usual sounds of nature. The usual vibrant flowers that adorned the garden had withered, their petals wilted and lifeless, and the stench of even more rotted life made her take a few steps back and turn to vomit in the dirt, coughing and hacking grossly as her lunch forced its way from her throat. She wiped her mouth off with disgust, hoping that nopony saw her. Pushing open the old creaking gate that Sap always swore to fix, Fire Bolt hurried to the front door and pounded on it with an open hoof. "Sapphire! Sapphire, it's Bolt! Please, open up, come on!" She called out with what was meant to be urgency, but it sounded more like a cry, and it was jarring to hear her own voice laced with absolute terror.

Not even moments later, the door whipped open, revealing Sapphire Swirl's concerned face. The normally cheerful and eccentric pony looked weary, their vibrant mane disheveled with a look of pure anxiety replacing their usual cool and neutral appearance. "Boltie, what happened? Why are you in such a panic?" They hissed out in a whisper, their voice filled with a mix of confusion and concern.

Fire Bolt's eyes shone with tears again as she struggled to catch her breath, choking on her gasps. "Sapphire, something terrible has happened.” Her voice cracked as she tried to force the images out of her mind of a young child with open, lifeless eyes. “I found a young- a young, he was just a baby colt... he was... he was... torn to shreds! We have to do something! Ponyville is in danger! Right now!” She stomped her hoof in emphasis.

Sapphire's eyes widened in shock with each word, their vibrant magenta and orange eyes reflecting their horror of the situation. Without a moment's hesitation, they motioned for Fire Bolt to enter the cottage immediately. Inside, the air felt heavy with an unsettling aura, almost matching the ominous atmosphere that had fallen over Ponyville, but not quite. 

Their personal items had been strewn across the living room. It wasn’t too out of the ordinary, but it looked like several weeks of various trinkets had piled up beyond the point of damage control, and Sap meekly motioned for Bolt to come further inside so they could slam the door shut and lock it. After lighting a small oil lamp, the two ponies settled in the study to talk in comfort.

“How did you even get here? Don’t you feel that… that thing?” Sapphire looked worse than they did just a few moments earlier, now fully in a state of panic and terror as their voice shook.

Bolt’s confusion must have been evident on her face as she stared silently and when Sap opened their mouth to continue, she finally spoke up. “I felt something weird when I left the cottage, but it’s nothing but a little anxiety! I mean, I stupidly thought so.”

“No, look! Everypony went inside at the same time. We all could feel… something is looking at us. It’s seeing us. It’s watching.” Sapphire sounded frantic, just on edge of crazy, but nothing could truly be seen as crazy anymore. “Now tell me exactly what you saw.”

She took a few more deep breaths, looking around the room to gather her scattered thoughts. “I got home a few minutes ago. Sonar told me the news.” Sapphire grimaced, looking the other way, and Bolt took that as a confirmation that her sibling knew what she was talking about. “I thought it would be best to get you home, to my house, just so we could stay together, in case we-” Bolt hiccuped suddenly, realizing that she needed several more moments to calm down before continuing. “I flew most of the way but started to walk from Daisy Street, but I looked down, and there’s just…” She broke into a sob, feeling pathetic as Sapphire soothingly pushed her mane from her face. “He’s got these huge claw marks all over his body. It’s just… there’s blood everywhere! It’s horrible!”

Bolt and Sap sat in stunned silence as she sniffled and tried to pull herself together. The two were barely comforted by the dimly lit study, their expressions a mix of grief, gut-wrenching sorrow, and fear. The weight of the recent discoveries hung heavy in the air as they simply stared at each other, hoping that the other would be able to magically make sense of the tragic events that had just unfolded.

Swirl's voice trembled as they broke the silence, their eyes searching Fire Bolt's for reassurance with painful desperation. "We can’t ignore the patterns, Boltie. The way both Princess Celestia and the colt were… killed… we can’t pretend it’s a coincidence just because it feels safer."

“Something that could kill the most powerful alicorn in Equestria is in Ponyville. Around average ponies. And it’s proven that it won’t stop at princesses.” Fire Bolt agreed, and Sapphire nodded with rising concern. “Or children.”

“Let me get you something to eat, okay? I, erm, I heard you throwing up outside. I don’t want you to pass out, too.” Sapphire stood and trotted to the kitchen, ignoring Fire Bolt’s full-body cringe as they passed her. Bolt sat trembling for a moment, listening to the shuffling and clattering coming from the cabinets before it slowly drowned out into a low hum and she started to sweat. Her sight started to get obscured by static as her blood  rushed from her head to her beating chest – Bolt was going into shock.

It felt like hours, but only moments passed before her sibling pressed a cold rag to her forehead, shaking her lightly. “Hmm? Hmm?” Was all she could hear, and her blurred vision made her squint until it hurt.

“Wh… huh?” She tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come.

“Boltie? Bolt, can you hear me?” Their words were intelligible now. “You need to breathe with me, okay? Take some breaths, ready?” Sapphire took in a lungful of air with their hoof on Fire Bolt’s chest, guiding her to do the same until her fuzzy vision clarified. “You’re okay, you’re fine, just keep breathing, alright?” She nodded, taking a sip when a cool glass of water was guided to her mouth.

“Thanks, I’m fine.  Just… not enough food in my stomach before seeing a body, I guess. I’m good now,” Bolt said before the panic of realizing that Sonar was home alone settled in. “Fuck, we have to go!” She stood up too fast, her hooves failing her as she sat back down again. 

“I know we do, alright? Just eat these crackers, and I’ll pack my saddle bags. You’ll be okay, just breathe.” Sapphire stood after placing a hoofful of the salty snack into her lap, which she gratefully took and started to nibble on. Only a few minutes passed before she felt more than okay, her nerves jittering as she trembled with the need to move.

“Do you feel alright going out there?” Fire Bolt asked, feeling like it was a stupid question.

“We’re sitting ducks in the middle of town. If you could ignore the Nightfall, so can I. I think I’ll die if I don’t.” Bolt tried to ignore the fact that she solemnly agreed. Sapphire was already almost done packing their bags, reaching for a wooden spear, a water jug, and some first aid supplies.

Bolt blew out the oil lamp, and they both faced the door for a moment before Sapphire huffed out a breath and kicked the door open with a hoof.