Another day of school, another lecture to sit through. You’d be hard pressed to find any foal that finds school to be fun, well, in general. Recess is fun, lunch time is fun, but they sure don’t find the classes to be much fun. For this day, it was even worse for the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
For almost a full week, they’ve been hearing nothing but stories about the new filly in town. Despite the hospital’s staff best effort to keep things private, the tales have leaked. Many foals, adults even were talking about her, the filly with a dark past. Such stories always catch the attention of everypony. I mean, who doesn’t love a pony with a mysterious past?
Apple Bloom just couldn’t keep it together anymore. Her legs were constantly moving around under her desk, her mind was somewhere else entirely so much that her friends had to remind her to pay attention, else she’ll be scolded by Cheerilee.
Then, a heavenly sound rang in her ears. The bell, it was time to leave! A horde of foals rushed out of the schoolhouse whilst Cheerilee waved them goodbye. The sun was shining brighter than it had ever did. Apple Bloom could just feel it share her excitement.
“Hey, don’t go too fast!” Sweetie Belle panted. Apple Bloom was running a marathon there, almost leaving the unicorn behind.
Scootaloo looked behind, noticing that their friend was far back. Completely out of breath, she was running with all the grace of a sloth in a 100-meter dash. “We should probably slow down for Sweetie Belle. I don’t think she can keep up with our speed.”
Apple Bloom stopped, running excitedly in place. “C’mon Sweetie, aren’t ya excited to meet mah new sister? Ah sure am!”
“So am I but...” Sweetie Belle kneeled over, trying to catch her breath. “I don’t want to pass out on the way to Sweet Apple Acre!”
“Hey I know!” a metaphorical light bulb appeared over Scootaloo’s head. “Apple Bloom can carry you on her back to her house!”
“How about no? That’s too embarrassing. Especially considering...” Sweetie Belle tilted her head to the side, pointing with her eyes at the two fillies walking behind them.
“Ugh, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.” Apple Bloom groaned. “Ah bet they’ll pick on mah new sister once they see she’s got a blank flank too!”
“These gosh darn hooligans.” Scootaloo said, imitating the Apple twang.
Sweetie Belle giggled. “Think she’ll pick up on your twang? I mean, she’s probably gonna be here for a long time.”
“Hey, whatcha talking about, blank flanks?” The Crusaders froze. “Oh let me guess, the filly with a dark and mysterious past?” Diamond Tiara had approached them without their notice, of course, accompanied by her hype pony.
“Ooh! So moody!” Silver Spoon added. “Hey Tiara, you think this filly’s gonna be all serious and grumpy being all like ‘muh dark past!’.”
“Hey! Knock it off!” Scootaloo shouted. “You haven’t even met her!”
“That’s no way to speak about somepony who’s gone through hardships!” Sweetie Belle added.
“Ya talk ‘bout mah sister like that; yer gonna catch them hooves!” Apple Bloom warned, raising a menacing hoof.
“Make me catch them hooves. Ah’ll tell yer parents ‘bout it.” Diamond Tiara leaned closer, mocking the Apple’s twang.
Apple Bloom gritted her teeth, and her friends feared for the worst. “Yeah whatever, Ah’ve got better things to do anyway. Oh, like maybe brushing my beautiful mane, gazing into a mirror, shining off mah tiara and bein’ a pretty princess.”
Diamond Tiara glared. “I won’t let that one slide, blank flank. Tomorrow, I’ll embarrass you in front of the whole class.”
“Yeah, you better be afraid, blank flanks! It’s going to be so bad that you’ll choose death over going to school!” Silver Spoon added. “One more time?”
Diamond Tiara smirked. “With pleasure.” The two fillies shook their flanks in the Crusader’s faces and shouted in unison. “Blank flanks!”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders watched the two bullies leave satisfied. Once they were far enough, they continued their walk back to Sweet Apple Acre.
“We can always count on these two bullies to kill the mood.” Scootaloo glowered.
“Let’s forget about them, we’ve got a new member of the Cutie Mark Crusader to greet!” Sweetie Belle said on a more positive note.
“Sure, but we’re runnin’ there.” Apple Bloom informed.
“Oh come on! Can’t we just walk?” Sweetie Belle protested.
“Hmm... well-”
A catchy jingle caught their attention. Closeby, there was a stand with a vendor standing at the counter. He was accompanied by a radio which played a nice tune.
“Press those lips against the only one that truly moves you. Speed Cola speeds up your life!”
“You’re drinking this, Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo bluntly said.
“What?”
“Now, Ah’m gonna need ya to hold still, sugar cube.”
Inside the bathroom, Applejack sat the filly down on the carpet. This was the moment she was most nervous for, changing her daughter’s bandages. A delicate process that could easily hurt the poor filly if handled poorly. Understandably, she was a little hesitant to do it at first.
Thankfully, Olive listened to her every command without any reluctance present in her expression. That at least took some stress off Applejack’s shoulders.
“Ah’m gonna start with the head. If this hurts, just let me know, okay?”
The filly nodded nervously. She never really liked pain, although she was quite resistant to it.
So, Applejack got to work. She started taking the bandages off when Olive groaned, closing her eyes in pain.
“Ah! Ah’m really sorry! Ah’ll be more careful from now on.” Applejack blurted out. This time, she gingerly took it off. Much to her surprise, there was no wound in sight. Her head was perfectly fine, except for the obvious pain the filly was feeling. She smiled, grabbing a nearby mirror to show her daughter the good news. “Hey look! It’s all better now!”
Olive smiled, happy to finally have the bandage off for good. She caressed her now freed forehead. Now, Applejack had to move onto the worst one yet, the side area. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she got to work removing that bad boy. The earth pony feared what she would find once the bandage would be off. A large nasty open wound drenched in blood was what she expected, but thankfully the sight was marginally better.
On the filly’s side lied a nasty pale scar indicating that a shanking took place in that area. Olive noticed the strange looks Applejack was making and began to worry. “Is... Is it bad?” she croaked.
Applejack’s eyes widened slightly. “Uh, well... it’s better than Ah expected. Ya should take a look.” She oriented the mirror in a way that the filly could see her side. She stared blankly for a couple of seconds, then a look of horror drew on her face. Covering her side with her tail, she lowered her head sadly.
“What’s wrong?” Applejack gingerly asked.
“It’s ugly. I look ugly with this.” Olive complained out of shame.
“Yeah, Ah know this doesn’t look pretty, but at least it’s not bleedin’ anymore.” Applejack said, trying to sound positive.
“I can’t let anypony see this, I look disgusting with this!” Olive said, raising her voice in distress.
This behavior was reminiscent of Rarity, a thought that amused the orange mare. She gave her daughter a reassuring smile. “Okay, how ‘bout Ah patch it up until it goes away? That way, nopony will see it.”
Olive nodded rapidly, a gesture that looked adorable to her mother.
Applejack grabbed a nearby roll of bandage and looked at it for a few seconds. “Ah ain’t the greatest at first aid, but Ah promise Ah’ll try mah best to patch ya up.” Applying the bandage, the mare noticed that it caused the filly much less pain than the one on her head. “Hey, do ya get headaches often?”
“Yes.” Olive responded.
“Do ya want me to give ya some painkillers?” The filly shook her head immediately.
“No, the painkillers are bad. They make me see things that aren’t there.”
Applejack blinked, forgetting that she was in the middle of wrapping the bandage around her daughter. “Wait, what do ya mean by; see things that aren’t there?”
Olive’s lips quivered. “Wel- Uh... D-Daddy always comes back when I take these.” she stammered, pointing at the bottle on the sink.
“H-Hold on now.” Applejack slid back to look at her daughter in the eyes. “Did ya by any chance take the painkillers before ya left the hospital?”
“Y-Yes...” Olive croaked, avoiding her mother’s eyes. “I-I saw him replace Pinkie Pie when she sang to me.” the filly already knew where the mare was going with this.
“Aw, ya poor thin’. “Applejack nuzzled her daughter. “Ah’ll try to get a different prescription for ya. One with a little less side effect.”
Feeling the affectionate warmth of her mother, Olive giggled. “You’re the best mother ever!”
“And yer the best daughter ever, sugar cube.” Applejack complimented. She felt a different kind of joy and pride, one that she never could have received before, and it was all thanks to this filly.
The door swung open, and three fillies trotted in. Each looked terribly excited for this fateful meeting. Sweetie Belle opened the trash can and threw her bottle in, but the sugar overdose brought by her drink caused her to miss, forcing her to do it again but slower. Granny Smith was sitting on her rocking chair, calmly reading a book. On the radio, a song was playing. The three crusaders already heard it plenty of times before. The famous love song of the great musician Jolly Melody. His tunes often played on the radio in the afternoon. Sad how he went missing many moons ago.
“Howdy Granny!” Apple Bloom greeted, tapping her hooves repeatedly against the wooden floor. “Where is she? Where is she?”
Granny Smith put down her book. “Now slow down there, youngin’. Y’all see ‘er when she’ll be ready.”
“Heh, that’s alright. We can be patient.” Scootaloo scoffed. “... but seriously though, where is she?”
The old mare grumbled. “In the bathroom with Applejack, but tha’ don’t mean to rush to ‘er just ye-”
Too late, the Crusaders set out to reach their new objective as quickly as possible. Celestia knows almost nothing can stop them when they've got their minds set on something.
“Eh- Be gentle with ‘er gals!”
Stopping before the divine bathroom, the three fillies paced around in anticipation. “What are they doing in there?” Sweetie Belle asked, unable to keep it to herself. The pitter patter of their hooves made the floor creak repeatedly. In their current state, they were little balls of excitement, bouncing around in place.
“I don’t know, Applejack’s probably teaching her something like how to wipe herself.” Scootaloo guessed.
“Ew, Ah don’t wanna see this.” Apple Bloom responded. “But Ah doubt that’s what they’re doin’.”
Something came back to Sweetie Belle’s mind, and she decided to share it with her friends. “I heard from the other ponies that she blew up a bathroom at the hospital.”
“What?!” Scootaloo screamed. “Are we about to meet a weapon of mass destruction?”
“Oh right, Ah nearly forgot ‘bout tha’.” Apple Bloom muttered.
“Forgot?! How can you forget something like this?” Scootaloo got up in her face. “I wasn’t told your sister was this violent!”
“W-Well Applejack told us it was just an accident.” Apple Bloom responded, her head pulled back.
“Apple Bloom? Are y’all waitin’ by the door?” The Cutie Mark Crusaders froze and stared at the door. Applejack undoubtedly heard them. Alongside the voice of the mare, they could hear a soft young voice, around their age, speak out to the earth pony.
“Is Apple Bloom my sister?”
The yellow filly smiled, her eyes beaming with excitement to the point that you could see literal stars in them. “Yep! That’s me! C’mon, Applejack, let us see mah new sister!”
“Sure thing, but ya might wanna take a few step back, Ah know yer pressin’ yer face against the door.”
Apple Bloom moved back, waiting with bathed breath as the door slowly opened. Applejack left the bathroom and waited for Olive to finally show her face to the Crusaders. A pearly white mane, a beautiful rose coat, a freckled face and with olive-colored eyes to boot, she was the most innocent being they’ve ever laid their eyes on.
"Uh, you sure this filly destroyed an entire bathroom?" Scootaloo asked.
Sweetie Belle looked in the filly's eyes, mesmerized. "Woah, she has beautiful eyes..."
Apple Bloom wasted no time jumping on the occasion to hug her new sister like a plushie. Olive jerked back out of surprise, but after being caught in the earth pony’s embrace, chose to reciprocate the hug. The unicorn’s hug felt oddly mechanical, unsure, but the gesture was there nonetheless.
“Howdy! Mah name’s Apple Bloom! Ah’m your sister now!” The earth pony gave her a hoofshake, forgetting to be careful with her strength as she was practically lifting the unicorn up and down.
Olive blinked, not knowing what to do. A quick gaze over to her mother told the filly that she should probably introduced herself, even though she didn’t understand why she should. Apple Bloom already know who she was, so what was the point? “Uh... I-I’m Olive.” she sheepishly said after a while, her cheeks turning a little red before all the attention she was receiving.
The white unicorn trotted forward. “And I’m Sweetie Belle!”
“And the one with the totally rad scooter is Scootaloo!”
Scooter, Scootaloo. “Ah, I get it.” Olive mumbled incoherently.
Applejack smiled. “Well, considerin’ ya’ve got nothin’ else planned for the day, Ah suppose Ah’ll let ya get acquainted with yer new friends!”
“My new friends?” the filly questioned innocently.
“Yeah, we’re your friends!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
“Already?”
Scootaloo looked confused. “Well, yeah. I mean, you also have a blank flank, just like us. So, we’ve got something in common.”
Meeting somepony with a blank flank equals new friend, got it. “Oh, that makes sense.”
Applejack giggled, the fact that kids can start long lasting friendships over the littlest things was just so endearing. She knew that Olive’s kindness and consideration for others would let her get along just well with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Who knows, maybe she has a taste for adventures too? “Well, Ah’ll be goin’ to work. Olive, if ya need me for anythin’, Ah’ll be outside.”
The orange mare trotted away, looking back at the unicorn one last time. She wasn’t chasing after her like she’d expected. In fact, she looked perfectly fine with it. A good thing, that should make her first experience at school easier. Applejack thought. So, as long as her daughter knew where she was, there should be no problems.
Scootaloo smirked. “Hey Olive.” The unicorn looked at her with fisheyes. “Want us to show you something cool?”
The Cutie Mark Crusader’s clubhouse, their most prized possession. Olive was pleasantly surprised when she looked at its outside. It was clear that they had some help with older ponies to build such a beauty. Simple in design, cozy in appearance, it looked like the perfect hangout spot. “I know, pretty cool right?” Scootaloo pridefully said. “We build it ourselves!”
“With Applejack’s help.” Olive responded.
“Uh, was that a question or a statement?” Sweetie Belle asked, confused.
“Both?”
Apple Bloom was the first to hop on the ramp leading inside. “Since ye’ll be stayin’ with us for a while, we’ve got ta show ya somethin’.”
Olive’s curiosity peaked. What were they going to show her? She rarely got any surprise before, so it felt exciting to her.
On the inside, it looked even better than before. It did show its age on a few spots where the paint was missing, but in general, it looked inviting. Most interesting were the podiums on the other side of the clubhouse. Olive stared at them for a while, which clued the three other fillies to get in position. Standing behind each of the podiums, the three fillies dawned on their cool cape. The new filly stared at them, not knowing what’s going on. She had about as much knowledge of the situation as a golf ball in a sewage canal.
“Now that yer officially an Apple, it’s time ta start yer ini-thiay-tion.” Apple Bloom started.
“Ini-thiay-tion?” Olive questioned, tilting her head to the side.
Apple Bloom nodded. “Yes! Ye see, the three of us have started a secret society-”
Olive’s ears perked up. “You burn down buildings too?”
“What? No, we don’t! Where did you get that idea from?” Sweetie Belle responded, sounding a little horrified.
“I thought that’s what secret societies do.” Olive bluntly responded.
Scootaloo gave the earth pony a disapproving look. “Is she gonna start some trouble?”
Pressed to prove that her sister was no monster, Apple Bloom asked her a question. “Uh, were ye part of a secret society before?”
Olive looked uncomfortable. “N-Not exactly, my dad formed a secret society of his own. He called it ‘The Anarchists’.”
Sweetie Belle leaned close to the yellow filly. “Should we be concerned about this?” she whispered.
“Yes, but let’s just finish the ceremony first.” Apple Bloom whispered back before turning her attention back to the newcomer. “Anyway, we formed our own ‘club’ reserved to foals who don’t have their Cutie Mark yet, like you!”
Olive gazed at her flank.
“We are... the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”
“Will I get a cool cape?” Olive said with excitement in her voice.
“Of course you will! I can ask my sister to make a new one just for you!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, proudly showing off her cape.
Olive looked around her sides, still covered in bandages. “Is it okay? I don’t have any money on me.”
“It is!” Sweetie Belle quickly answered. “She’ll gladly make it for free!”
“Even if she gets nothing out of it, she’ll make it?” Olive couldn’t wrap her head around it.
“Yep! That’s because she loves to make clothes!”
Olive’s mouth opened. “Oh, I think I get it.”
“Can we stop getting' sidetracked, gals? We’ve got to finish our ini-thiay-tion!” Apple Bloom said, banging her hooves on the podium to get everypony’s attention. “So, our goal is to find our Cutie Mark together! We’re really happy to count you as our fifth member!”
Olive rapidly looked around the clubhouse, spinning around in circle. “I’m the fifth?”
“Yeah well, our fourth member, which is mah cousin by the way, she lives in Manehattan. She sadly can’t be here to welcome you in.”
“Ah...”
Scootaloo hopped over her podium, moving towards their fifth member. “Welcome to the club.” She exclaimed, playfully hitting her side. Olive strangely rubbed the exact spot she was touched afterward.
“We’re gonna have so much fun!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, joining the two.
“So, when are we going to start our next adventure?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Saturday, which is the day after tomorrow.” Apple Bloom answered.
“The day after tomorrow?” Olive tilted her head to the side.
“Will you stop doing that?” Scootaloo said.
Olive blinked. “Stop doing what?”
“Stop repeating everything we say!”
“Repeating everything you say?” Olive looked at Apple Bloom. “I do that?”
Scootaloo facehoofed. “Yes! Ugh!”
The other fillies, however, found it funny. “Ah can tell we’re gonna get alon’ just fine!”
Apple bucking season just started, and now with the filly now safely at home with the other crusaders, Applejack could get to work on collecting her apples. On her way to the first apple tree, she looked up to the sky, noticing some clouds were starting to form. The pegasi did say there was gonna be a bad storm tonight. That was none of her business, and the storm wasn’t going to affect her or her family in any way, so she put her mind to the task at hoof.
“Aj!” A familiar voice caught her attention, it came from the sky. At the speed it was approaching, it certainly wasn’t Rainbow Dash.
“Twilight! What brings ya here?”
The alicorn landed near her and stopped to catch her breath. “I... heard, oof, about what happened in town...”
“Oh that?” Applejack bucked the tree with all her might. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, the problem’s already been solved.”
“Oh... Well, I’m sorry for disturbing you right as Apple bucking season start.” Twilight stretched out her wings, preparing to take off.
“Hold on.” The alicorn closed her wings. “While ya’re here, can we talk ‘bout Olive?”
“Uh sure, what do you want to know in particular?” Twilight asked.
Applejack bucked another tree. “Doctor, hmpf! Hoof wanted ya to search for what’s wron’ with mah daughter’s magic. Ah just want ta know how yer gonna go about it.”
Aw, she’s already calling this filly her daughter! Twilight thought with a smile before going to answer her friend’s worries.
“For that, I’m gonna need to use the same machines I used to decipher Pinkie’s stranger powers. Of course, I failed that time but I’m certain I can find a root cause for Olive’s magical outburst.” Twilight proudly said. "It's been a while since I've pulled them out."
Hearing about how Pinkie was strapped to all sorts of machinery from the pink pony herself made the mare feel unsure about this method. Applejack gave her an uncertain look. “Ah’m... not sure Ah’m okay with that.”
“I promise it won’t cause her any harm. Please Aj, I was asked by Doctor Hoof himself to work on this. I can’t afford to disappoint anypony, not as the Princess of Friendship.” Twilight promised, holding a hoof to her chest.
Applejack sighed. “Fine, Ah’ll allow it, but if somethin’ goes wrong with this, Ah’m gonna forbid this machinery thingamabob approach.”
Twilight Sparkle nodded. “I’ll make sure that won’t happen. I know how much she means to you, and I’ll try my best to help in any way I can.”
Applejack scoffed. “Help in any way ya can? Ye can start right now if ya want.”
Twilight blinked. “R-Right now?”
The earth pony lightly tapped the tree behind her, a sly smile forming on her face. “Apple buckin’, if ya don’t mind.”
The rest of the day flew by incredibly fast for Olive. One moment, she was in her sister’s clubhouse chatting with her friends and the next, she’s in bed. Applejack said she was going to have her own room, but that it wasn’t fully prepared just yet. As such, she’ll be sharing the room with Apple Bloom for the night and judging by the look on the yellow filly’s face, she was absolutely thrilled by this turn of event.
The sky outside was dark, cloudy and foreboding, but its eeriness didn’t reach the two sisters as they were more interested in talking. Applejack trotted in the room, turning off the lamp. The only source of light left came from the hallway that the orange mare stood in.
“Welp, goodnight ya two. Ah hope yer not gonna have any troubles sleepin’ together.”
Olive waved her hoof around. “Goodnight, mommy.”
The door closed, leaving the bedroom in complete darkness and silence were it not for the giggling of a filly. “That’s the first time Ah ever anypony call mah sister, ‘mommy’.”
Olive remained silent, trying to decipher whether it was meant to be a bad thing or a good thing.
“Anyhow, Ah’m super happy ya’re finally here. Ah thought Ah would be stuck as the youngest Apple forever!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.
“I’m the youngest?” Olive asked.
“Well, Ah’m not sure, actually.” Apple Bloom admitted, her legs swinging around underneath the blanket. “Ah just assumed ye were younger ‘cause yer new.”
“I’ve always been the youngest pony in every group I’ve been.” Olive said, the longest sentence she’s spoken to them for the entire day. “The only pony who was close to my age was my best friend, Aurora.”
“You have a best friend?” Apple Bloom asked, her smile growing larger. “When can we meet ‘er?”
Olive frowned, turning her head away. “I don’t know.”
“Ya don’t know? Where is yer friend? Do ya know where she is?”Apple Bloom asked in rapid fire succession.
“I don’t know, and the answer to the last question is still no.” Olive answered sadly. “She promised me she’ll come looking for me once I’ll be in Ponyville... I haven’t seen her since.”
“Maybe we can look for ‘er tomorrow? If yer not busy that is.” Apple Bloom proposed, kindness and consideration shining through her voice.
This forest will be your tomb. Nopony gets away with betrayal, traidor.
Aurora’s dead and I’m laughing. Ha!
Olive rolled around in the bed. “I don’t think we’ll find her, well... maybe she'll come back one day. J-Just save yourself for the trouble and forget about it.”
Apple Bloom looked devastated. “D-Did Ah say somethin’ wrong?” she asked in a slight panic.
“N-No, I appreciate it. I just don’t want to make you feel sad around me.” Olive admitted, her voice hitching. “I make too many ponies miserable when they talk to me.”
“That’s not true and ya know it!” Apple Bloom protested, rolling her sister around so she could look her in the eyes. “Ya made us all happy back at the clubhouse. Ah’m sure we’ll have lots of fun!”
Olive gave her a thankful smile as she turned her head around to gaze at the stars. “You’re going to school tomorrow?”
Apple Bloom sighed. “Yeah, like all colts and fillies in town.”
“I’ve never been to school. What’s it like?”
Apple Bloom cocked her head back. “It’s alright, Ah guess... It’s fun when ya get to play outside with yer friends, but the classes are often borin’. Trust me, ye weren’t missin’ out much.”
Olive looked back at the stars, her legs nervously swinging around, even touching those of her sister. “I’m scared to go to school. I’m nervous around other foals.”
“Huh? Why’s that?” Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve been around adults all my life, I feel like I know how they think, but I understand nothing about ponies my age.” Olive responded.
Apple Bloom hugged her, letting her feel the warmth of her body. “Don’t worry ‘bout it! Ye’ll be goin’ with us Crusaders! Ya won’t be alone at school!”
Olive answered by hugging her sister back. "Five seconds of love!"
Light suddenly lit the room, making the two fillies pull back in surprise. “Aw, Apple Bloom.” Applejack cracked a smile before the adorable affection on display. “Ah know it’s exciting to be sleepin’ with Olive, but ya should chat tomorrow. Ya’ve got school tomorrow, remember?”
“Yeah, Ah know.” Apple Bloom said, disappointment filling her voice.
“And ya also got a big day ahead of ya, Olive.” Applejack continued. “Ah don’t want ya two ta be sleepy.”
Olive nodded. “We’re going to sleep now.”
“Alright, sugar cube, see ya tomorrow!”
Out in the streets of Canterlot, the air was still. There were no signs of life in the dark. No sound even until a couple of rain drops hit the floor. Then, it intensified, growing into a small rain, then into hard rain. Now, it turned into a thunderstorm as lightning struck the world. It was pouring down on the beautiful capital of Equestria, scaring the last remaining ponies outside into taking shelter. All of them? No, there was only one still walking out in the storm without a single care to give.
“He he he he... Heuah ha ha ha ha!”
A dark stallion laughed in the heavy rain. The rain only got stronger alongside the accompanying thunder. It was as if nature herself was expressing her sadness for tonight, death came to Canterlot.
Screen Saver heard the rain colliding with the roof of his shop, it produced an unbearable noise that will prevent him from getting any sleep if it keeps on going. Opening his door, he poked his head out just enough for it to get absolutely soaking wet. Grumbling, he changed the sign outside to read ‘CLOSED’ before returning inside. The shop closed early, but it’s not as if any customers would be stupid enough to come during a thunderstorm.
Knock knock!
Or... maybe somepony is just that stupid. Screen Saver stopped and remained still, sighing. “I swear to Celestia, Looking Glass if it’s you again I’ll throw you out immediately.” Trotting over to the door, he opened it just enough to see through the crack. Purple fur. That’s... not Looking Glass.
A dark hoof suddenly grabbed the door and pushed it into the stallion’s face. Taken aback, he jumped away from the slamming door as lightning struck the earth. A pearly white grin illuminated the growing darkness after the lightning strike.
“He he he he.”
His eyes widened; he had no idea who this stallion was, the same went for the behemoth of a pony standing behind the intruder. “Wha- Hey! Who in the hay are you?” he shouted, trying to sound intimidating, but it clearly had no effect. The stallion before him was wet to the point that his mane was practically sticking to his coat. A large grin formed on their faces.
“Hu hu ha ha!”
He took a step forward; Screen Saver took a step back. Then it repeated a few more times until the pegasus bumped his flank against the counter. That’s when he made the mistake of taking his eyes off the intruder. Looking back, the dark pony lunged at him, grabbing him by the neck with his fetlocks. The larger stallion walked in, every step he took shook the ground. He slammed the door shut, silencing the rain.
Anarchy slammed the pegasus’s head on the counter. “Wh-What are you doing?!” he shouted, his fear now clear as day.
“Ha ha ha ha ha ha.... Huah ha ha ha ha ha!”