//------------------------------//
// Nine. 
// Story: One by One 
// by DreamWings 
//------------------------------//

Twist had given up. It was clear to her that the pony she was calling for was not inside of the dark house. There was something inside of her that couldn't help but be extremely depressed and, in some ways, worried. It was dark now, she didn't dare try to walk home without any light to guide her. It was probably safer just to stay on the doorstep until the mare came home and could comfort her in the cosy house. There was only one problem; it was freezing cold. If she stayed outside then her already asthmatic chest could become too tight to breathe, she needed warmth right now, not later. 

She peered through her red rimmed glasses to the wooden door in front of her. Surely, surely her friend wouldn't mind if she waited for her 'inside' of the house. In fact wouldn't her friend want her to do it? She had always been so kind and considerate to the young pegasus, this would be just like her friend would be returning an old favour surely? Twist shook herself; her conscience battered against her skull, yelling at her the few pros and cons which must be weighed up in order to come to an accurate conclusion. A light flickered behind her and her attention turned back to her surroundings once again.

It was so dark, so so dark. The maneiac that was killing all of these ponies was figured to do most of his killing during the nighttime, when no lights would show his face to any passers by. And now, here was Twist, all alone on a long street in blinding darkness all expect for the one flickering streetlight near to her head. Even the fireflies inside of them seemed to feel nervous as of what could happen to the earth pony; Twist was as keen on the one light as she was the darkness. She shuddered. It was a light that had killed Cheerilee; the same Cheerilee who had been her own teacher many years ago. Cheerilee had always been so helpful to her, if it hadn't been for her she could have felt far more friendless then she actually was. She'd been friendless for a while now... No. That wasn't comepletely right, she had Scootaloo. Her and the pegasus were the best of friends weren't they?

Her mind felt eased at the thought of the friendship the two lonely mares had formed. Scoot had cried so hard when Sweetie Belle had left, Twist remembered, she hadn't liked to see the tough orange pony cry. Growing up Twist and Scootaloo didn't spend any time together, and they hadn't wanted to either. As much as it upset Twist to admit it, when she was a filly she hadn't liked either of the two blank flanks for their cruel stealing of who she considered to be her friend, her dear friend Apple Bloom. She had been so happy before they had rudely taken her away from her... But that was all over now. Scoots wasn't an enemy anymore, she was the best friend that she had. Not only that but Twist felt happy that she could devote so much time to helping the pegasus through the turmoil of losing everything she knew. Twist knew what it felt like to lose somepony, it wasn't nice at all.

A bark sounded through the musty air. That's it, she had to get inside, it was too frightening to be all alone outside with a killer on the loose. She shook on the door handle. Strange, the door wouldn't open at all. But Scoots always left her door open? Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom persuaded her to have an open door policy, and the pegasus had always stuck to that even when they'd left. Twist knew that the door was always open; Scootaloo left it open just in case one of her friends came home and wanted to wait for her in her house. Why would she have shut it just now when Twist, her friend, needed it most?

A rustle came from the bushes nearby. Twist flinched. This was ridiculous. She had to get inside, she just had to. Maybe...Maybe a window was open somewhere. Another bark echoed through the stars as she began to wander around the cold, empty house. She walked around once and returned to the front door, shaking on the handle just in case her friend had happened to come home when she was around the back. No such luck. The door remained closed, taunting her, and as far as she could tell there were no windows open either. 

She could... She could always walk to her own house. No! She couldn't do that. It was just too dark and dangerous. The police had already warned everypony not to be out on the streets alone in the dark... She was already in a lot of danger just being in front of a house. A wasp buzzed near her, swooping down near her hide. Surely it wouldn't hurt for her to do one more search for an open window. 

Her hooves felt heavy as she dragged herself round to the side window of the house; it lay open in front of her. 'Was that open when I came around the first time?' she questioned herself, her eyelids drooping. She felt so...tired. It was all so dark, so light, so... tired. Her eyes clamped shut and she fell to the floor in defeat. An incriminating peppermint striped feather lay in her flank fatigued after all of its hard work. Slowly but surely poison flooed through her viens, up to her heart and her mind gave heed to sleep. A long, long sleep.

Nine.