Applebloom opened her eyes. She stared up at the ceiling. Don't look, she thought. It will be worse if you look at the expressions of everypony else.
She heard a whoop from the colt that had pushed her in here, Pipsqueak she thought his name was, and then everypony was clapping and cheering Professor Sparkle.
Had it worked? Was she okay?
The tank turned upwards and she was forced to look at the joyful expressions on everypony's faces. They are happy. It must have worked, she thought.
She was still buckled into her seat, but Professor Sparkle untied her and she fell onto her hooves.
She looked around. It all seemed unreal. She'd done it. She wasn't dead.
Pipsqueak gave her ribbon back to her. She tied her mane up and the remainder of fabric she tied into a bow.
Professor Sparkle smiled. "It worked!" she exclaimed. "It really worked!"
"How do ya feel?" asked Pipsqueak gruffly.
"Taller," she replied breathlessly.
It was true- before she'd been half the size of these ponies. Now, she could see over all their heads.
She smiled around at everypony as they applauded her, applauded Professor Sparkle.
Suddenly a gunshot.
Professor Sparkle fell.
Applebloom rushed to her side.
"Applebloom..."
"Yes? Professor Sparkle?"
The light faded from her eyes. Twilight Sparkle was dead.
Applebloom sat there for a little while, oblivious to the chaos around her. She tried not to cry. Another gunshot pulled her back into the real world.
Somepony else may be dead.
She jumped to her feet, looked around for the attacker.
A black pony was headed out the door. She galloped after him. He realized somepony was tailing him and ran faster.
The colt, whose name was Shady Spy, galloped outside, and jumped into a taxi.
"Anywhere but here!" he screamed at the stallions pulling the cart.
They began to gallop at full speed away from the facility.
Applebloom saw the taxi pulling away quickly. In a moment of blind stupidity she began to run after he taxi.
She kept pace with the taxi at a steady run, so she decided to push herself. She bowed her head and poured on the speed.
Shady Spy looked behind him to see that bratty earth following him. "Faster!" he screamed at the stallions pulling the taxi. "Faster!"
There was no reply.
The earth was getting closer. "Pull into the traffic!" he yelled at the taxi stallions.
They did as he told them, and they were lost in the traffic.
Applebloom saw the taxi pull into the traffic, and thought, I don't have a chance now.
Maybe not, but I can try.
She turned into the alley next to the road she saw the taxi turn into. Every few seconds she glanced sideways at the carts in the traffic.
No sign of the taxi.
She ran faster, and she knew there probably wouldn't be a chance of catching the spy, but she would try her hardest. She looked up. The end of the alley was drawing nearer. But to her left she could see a hole wide enough for her to run through. But there was a chain-link fence on either side, and a huge hole in the middle.
What the hay, she thought. It's my only chance.
She ran as fast as she could and jumped, stretching out her legs to gain some distance. She'd judged it perfectly and Applebloom landed on all four hooves, just to begin running again. But the traffic, she realized. The traffic!
She squeezed between carts, squeaking "sorry" at all the ponies she touched, until she realized something again: these ponies were slowing her down. In another moment of stupidity, she jumped onto one cart and began running over the roofs of all the carts.
She caught up to the taxi quickly and jumped on the roof.
Shady Spy heard a loud THUNK on the roof and looked up. Damn! He just couldn't shake that brat!
He loaded his gun.
Applebloom gained her balance on the top of the cart and was prepared to pop in the side window when she heard a BANG.
Applebloom was lucky that bullet missed her.
Now that she knew what was going on she moved every time she heard a click. But eventually the spy figured out what was happening and waited for a few seconds before shooting. It became a crazy game of changing behavior again and again.
Point. Click. Move. Click. Whack roof. BANG. Whistle of bullet. Point. Click.
It was a horrible game to play.
The stallions were getting more agitated by the minute at the bullet shots, but Shady Spy couldn't worry about that right now. He shot again.
The steering stallions swerved and Applebloom scrambled to get a hoofhold. She fell off the roof just as it crashed into the wall.
The spy jumped out of the crashed taxi and began to run. Applebloom followed. She recognized the dock. They were at the dock. The colt turned a corner and Applebloom followed. The colt was holding a foal, almost choking.
"Come at me and he dies!"
Applebloom hesitated.
The spy whipped another gun out of his pocket.
Applebloom grabbed a cart door. The spy shot at it but none of the bullets hit her.
She grinned.
The spy knew he was outmatched. He threw the foal into the water and ran.
Applebloom ran towards the water. She looked over the edge, ready to dive in.
"Don't worry!" said the foal. "I can swim!"
Applebloom continued after the spy.
Shady Spy jumped into a getaway submarine and pushed forward the accelerator lever.
A weight on the back of the sub.
Damn that bucking kid!
Applebloom was drowning, surely. She couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything but hold on.
Then the glass compartment opened.
The black colt swam out.
Applebloom bit down on his mane and dragged him up to the surface. She shouldered the semi-conscious stallion and climbed out of the water.
Applebloom slammed the spy down onto the concrete.
"Who are you!" she exclaimed, more a statement than a question. She realized her accent had disappeared.
"I...am but one...kill me...and another shall take its place..."
He huffed.
He was dead.