//------------------------------// // Fifteen and Sixteen. // Story: One by One // by DreamWings //------------------------------// Apple Bloom gathered her things together; carrying a small sack of food on her back. Her and her friends may get hungry when they got together tonight; she thought it best to prepare for every eventuality. Try as she might to feel nervous about the killer still being loose, her excitement outweighed her fear by far. Anyway it didn't matter because her sister was scared enough for the both of them. The yellow mare couldn't believe the difference in AppleJack since she'd left for the high-life in Canterlot. Big Mac's death had really took its toll on her. Every night she would simply sit by her window, look up at the stars and sigh. There was no food or drink to be had in the house-- she had quite given up on sustaining herself properly. It seemed the only thing the farmer could do was go out into the orchard and look after their apple harvest. The work was too hard for just one pony to do-- but she had no choice anymore-- and to Apple Bloom, no life left either. She'd already offered to give up her apprenticeship but her sister had bluntly refused the notion; the farm was her problem, her younger sister was going to do well for herself. The young mare was told not to worry; they had a large family, one of them would surely come and help them in their time of need. Apple Bloom shook her head-- inside she disagreed; everypony in her family was far too scared of the murderer to come away from the safety of their own homes. As was AppleJack just as her sister was to leave for her get-together. "Ar' you sure ya don't want ta' stay here?" she beseeched. Apple Bloom looked to the mare and shook her head. "Ah really want to see Scoots again. It's been a long time." "Y'heard that she was a suspect with the police righ'?" "Yes, ah heard. But they didn't say it was her did they? She's free now." AppleJack climbed down from her spot at the window and sighed. "It don't mean she didn't do it." "AppleJack!" Apple Bloom said, "Scoots was one of my best friends. Ah don't believe she would do anything against anypony--" She stopped and took hold of her sister's front hooves, staring into her eyes. "And she especially wouldn't hurt me or Sweetie Belle." Tears come to the orange mare's eyes as her younger sister got to her hooves and walked out of the front door, straight into the dark world beyond. There was nothing she could say to stop her. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The police station remained in a state of calm. Almost everywhere hung some form of decoration or something ready for the party tomorrow afternoon. Longshot would get a great surprise when he came back from his rounds-- but as for now the ponies either needed their rest or were on night duty walking around the town and making sure nothing went wrong. A rustle could be heard in the back of the station. Somepony was still there. A clink of glass sounded in the quiet kitchen area near the back. Inside Captain McFly lifted the top on a bottle of whisky, supposedly meant for the party the next day. Who cares? he thought, It's not like the pony leaving was as important as him. A silly little police-stallion in Ponyville was nothing compared to the great and almighty Canterlot Captain. He burped, tilting his hat over his eyes and dropped to sleep. A mix of snores and snorts came from the area, and except that, silence remained. "Is anypony here?" a voice asked at the front. McFly jumped and the bottle he was holding flew from his hoof and onto the floor. Glass smashed all over, surrounded by a pool of flat liquid. The voice came closer to the door where McFly was. Oh no, he didn't look very dignified down here. "Who's there?" said another deeper voice. Siren and Soft-shoe stepped into view. McFly let out a sigh of relief. Thank Celestia, it was nopony important. He wobbled up onto his hooves and grumbled. "What're you two looking at?" The two Deputy's said nothing. "I thought 'his lord supreme snout' told you to have time off," he muttered angrily. Soft-shoe nodded and Siren ran through thoughts in her head. Should she tell him? Maybe-- he was, after all, an important officer-- even if he wasn't a very nice one. She looked to Soft-shoe and he nodded to her. She nodded back and stepped backwards whilst her boss came into the actual main station. "Captain," she spoke, "We know who the murderer is." McFly stood stock still and snorted. "Oh yeah, and who is it? The Fairy Queen?" "No sir." "Well, then, who is it?" A stench of alcohol seeped off his breath and onto the ponies in front of him. Their faces contorted by the smell. How much had he been drinking? Siren recovered first. "Sir, it was--" "Yes Deputy, who was it?" said an omnious voice behind her head. A gun clicked into place, the bullets prepared for firing. The ponies in the room stopped in shock. The clock struck twelve. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Everfree remained blissfully quiet and unaware of the danger that was coming. A shadow moved through the back-drop-- it ran as fast as its hooves could carry it. Its grey edges reflected the light of the moon which was sneaking past the sun to go to its night duties. Nopony could question the moon's job, but in this time full of great sorrow the moon represented nothing but the cold, red dead of the one's they loved. And now, two young mares walked to the area, ready for a night's worth of activity. They were certainly going to get it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I'd advise you not to move, any of you." Siren and Soft-shoe moved slowly backwards, away from the point of the weapon. Nopony was more shocked than McFly, who still remained amiss as his vision seemed to have gone fuzzy from the whisky. There was no denying who's voice was speaking though-- he'd heard it a lot recently. The murderer reached out their hoof and took hold of some papers on a desk. They scanned the contents, chuckled and put the papers back down. Soft-shoe shuddered and whimpered to his captor. "Why? Why would you do this?" The murderer sighed. "You weren't meant to get involved Deputy-- neither of you were." "What about me?" McFly puffed up his chest but still remained hidden behind Siren. "You!" the killer snorted, "All you've done is ruin everything you silly nitwit. Bigging yourself up like you're something amazing-- knocking down your Deputy who I might add is a lot better at this job than you. Leaving her to do all the work and accepting it as your own victory. You! Are nothing but a nuiscance McFly-- nopony cares when you speak." Siren couldn't help but smile slightly, but still she felt defensive against this mane-iac. "Well," she said, keeping her eye on the gun, "at least McFly never pointed a gun at me. No, that's you, isn't it Longshot?" The stallion in front of her sneered. He tilted his police hat over his head and gave a small bow to the trio in front of him. "You wouldn't understand Deputy," he told her, "you don't know the work I've put into this job-- the lives it's ruined over the years. This resistance-- should have burned down years ago-- and now, thanks to me, it will. And all because of that stupid little orange filly." He snorted twice and even appeared to laugh a little. Soft-shoe kept back, terrified. McFly stayed hidden, even more horrified than the young colt he was using as a sheild. "But how could you kill all of those ponies? They had lives-- they deserved lives," Siren yelled. Longshot frowned. "You still don't get the concept of the list do you?" He picked through his pocket and held it up in the mare's face. "It's not a list of victims to kill like I made you believe-- it's every last stinking new candidate for the resistance. All of these would have turned into scum if I hadn't done them in. They died for the right cause." "Why is yours the right cause? If their's isn't, it doesn't mean ours is. Especially when we go as far as to kill a little filly. A filly, who wasn't even on the list anywhere." Siren nudged Soft-shoe. He knew what she wanted to do. Whilst she spoke he slid a bit further away, trying to reach a gun from the nearest desk. Longshot struck his hoof down on the floor. "That stupid filly got in my way. She took the evidence I'd left to frame that idiot mare. I'd hired her to help me and she let me down. Thankfully daughters of scum who've helped the resistance are quite indespensible." He laughed. Siren glared at him. "But how did you manage to get rid of Cadance and Discord? Nopony could do that," McFly stuttered. Longshot appeared to be proud. "Didn't you read my case history McFly you fool? I know Siren did." He leered at her and she repulsed at the sight. "Longshot was part of an army group in Canterlot once-- the team to control all outstanding attacks-- They had to learn how they could get rid of alicorns and monsters just in case incidents like Nightmare Moon and Discord ever arose again." "In other words-- it was easy," he chuckled, "And who's one pony who's never noticed when carrying a weapon: a police-stallion. Think about it McFly-- you must have had a brain at some point you muppet." Soft-shoe took hold of a gun in his left hoof. He lifted it up to aim and 'bang!'. His hoof ached as a bullet slid past it and made him drop the gun to the floor. Longshot groaned. "I really didn't to have to do this to you two. You had such potential. I really cared about you, you know-- now I have to do something I really didn't want to. And only three bullets left." He lifted up the weapon and pointed it at the colt. Siren jumped in front of him-- but Longshot didn't care who he hit. He clicked the trigger into place. "Put down the gun fool." McFly shook as he pointed his own gun at Longshot, for once trying to help somepony else. Siren looked on nervously. It wasn't long before a shot was fired. McFly's chest bled down onto the floor where he lay, a bullet peircing his heart and stopping his pulse. Soft-shoe held up his injured hoof and looked at his own boss. Longshot snorted. "Stupid idiot. Now I've only got enough bullets left for the mares." He strode over to the two younger ponies and herded them into a cell at the back of the station. They could do nothing to stop the strong orange-tinted stallion. He locked the door with keys and told them he'd come to deal with them later. Siren stared back defiantly. "Well, now let's go make my last day of work go out with a bang." He slid a mask over his face and entered into the dark night of Ponyville's streets. Everypony remained oblivious as the night figure wandered his way over to the Everfree Forest. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stood in the clearing, talking merrily and waiting for their friend to arrive. It had been such a long time since all of the crusaders had been together-- they were really looking forward to it. "How's Granny Smith and AppleJack?" Sweetie asked the earth pony. "AppleJack's a bit distant recently-- and Granny-- well, she's still kicking up an all mighty fight." The unicorn nodded. "What about you? How's y' singing career going?" "Oh, it's going all right." Sweetie sighed. "It's complicated." A rustle came from the bushes and the two friends looked up expectantly. The sight that came out was not what they'd been expecting. An orange pony sneaked out of the foliage, a mask covering their face and a suit covering their flank. In the light of the blood-soaked moon it did look a bit like Scootaloo-- but why should she wear a mask? A gun shone through the night sky and the two ponies stepped back in fright. "Scoots! What're you doin'?" The two mares squealed. Longshot remained silent-- happy that they believed he was their friend. What little foals they were. The gun clicked as the first bullet was put in place ready to be fired. Sweetie looked for an exit but couldn't think fast enough to move. A loud bang sounded and the first body fell to the floor. Apple Bloom opened her eyes. 'Sweetie! No!', she whimpered. Yet Sweetie still stood beside her, also shivering in fright. Apple Bloom looked to where their assailant was stood, but no longer. An unconscious stallion lay on the floor, his mask knocked off from the force of the hit on his head. And there in the clearing stood a famaliar orange mare with purple spiky hair. She ran towards the other two, her voice high in panic. "Are you two okay?" Sweetie and Apple Bloom nodded. Tears started swimming down their faces and they collapsed into the hooves of their friend. "I-I-I thought we were dead. I-I-I thought it was you; y-you were going to kill us." Scootaloo lifted them up and looked right into their eyes. "I would never hurt you guys. You're my best friends-- you'll always be my best friends. We're the Crusaders remember? We'll never give up the fight." They hugged each other close and wept tears of-- joy?-- They weren't even sure what they were feeling anymore. A shadow of a statue watched closely from the Everfree forest-- it had all worked out fine. It was a good thing he had told the run-away mare about Longshot-- she had got their just in time to save her friends. He wished he had friends. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fourteen dead. Fourteen lost in memories. One stallion locked in jail, forever lost to the cells. Three friends together, happy as can be. But still, one by one, you can never truly be free.