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// Mists Fall 
// Story: The Claw meets Hoof 
// by Ferdon10 
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  Fluttershy could never say no to her animals. Whether it was due to her passive nature or the unbounded care she showed to them she couldn’t say. But when Angel protested against eating his usual carrot seed salad, Fluttershy could only tremble and hide behind her flowing pink mane as the bunny continued on his silent rant. For that reason only, the yellow pegasus found herself on the trail to Zacorras through the Everfree Forest. She kept her head low, her eyes shifting constantly as her hooves fell upon the worn path.
“Normally I would enjoy the forest,” Fluttershy whispered to herself. “The animals here are usually such nice critters, but it seems awfully quite now….” The pegasus words trailed of into the disturbing silence of the forest. The sun was soon ready to set and Fluttershy wanted to turn tail and run, bur she knew that if she returned empty handed without ingredients for Angel’s dinner, she wouldn’t hear the end of it from the bunny. Granted she couldn’t actually hear the bunny, but she could read the bunny’s body language well enough. Fluttershy’s mind wandered of to the other aspects of her fluffy little friend as she walked down the darkening path, not noticing fog starting to creep into the path.

“Why can’t Diamond Tiara leave me alone? It’s not my fault my parents are gone!” Applebloom screamed. The little filly galloped through the Everfree forest, not much caring for the destination, as long as it was somewhere far from anypony.  Her tiny little hooves pounded hard against the forest floor in a gallop. Applebloom cried the the whole way, tears dribbling down her eyes staining her bright yellow coat. She could tolerate Diamond Taira’s harassment on her and her friends most of the time, but today was different. Applebloom recalled how she and her friends where sitting next to the swings during recess, brainstorming new ideas on how to get their cutiemarks.
“What if we tried playing instruments?” Scootaloo suggested.
“Yeah! We could be the Cutie Mark Orchestra!” Sweetie Bells face brightened up at the idea of being able to make music. She could just imagine herself standing on stage, her white coat shimmering in the spotlight as she conducted a true piece of art.
“I don’t know, remember what happened last time we made music,” Applebloom reminded. 
“That’s totally different Applebloom! This time we don’t need to concentrate on making a set or anything.  We can pool in all are efforts to make song!” Scootaloo stepped in placing her arm over Appleblooms neck. The orange pegasus ruffled her friends red hair, being careful not to undo her friends bow.
“Well ok…” Applebloom said. “As long as I get to play guitar I’m in!”
“Oh oh, look who’s heading this way!” Sweetie Bell cringed, preparing herself mentally for a verbal assault. 
“What are you blank flanks doing here?” diamond Tiara walked up behind them. Her lackey Silver Spoon blocking any forward escape.
“Yeah what are clumsy crusaders up to now? Pig wrestling!” The dastardly divas laughed it up. The schoolfoals started to gather around the five foals, conversing amongst themselves in whispers as they observed from the sides.
“Now that I look at them, they do look like pigs!” Diamond Tiara said. She took a couple steps forward kicking dirt into the trio’s faces.
“For your information, we where going to form our own orchestra,” said Scootalo. She was always the brashest of trio, and only a fool wouldn’t notice the growing edge to her voice. “If you have any comments, please address them my hoof!”
“For your information, BLANK FLANK, my daddy can buy and sell you orphans by the dozen, so if I where you I would head back to that shack you call an orphanage!” Scootaloos eye’s narrowed at the remark. Her friends could feel her tense up from the sheer stress. Scootaloo took two steps forward, her mind relishing the beating she was going to serve, she deserves this, she thought. 
“Scootaloo stop! She isn’t worth it!” Applebloom stepped between them, standing on her hind legs, arms spread defensively. “She isn’t worth it. Would Mrs. Open Hands be proud if yah beat one somepony for getting on yah nerves?” Mrs. Open Hands was the head of the local orphanage.  She was a nice pony already into her fifties, and despite her age, did a very good job in raising her foster children. The orange pegasus loved her like a mother, and would do anything for her. Scootalo stared at Applebloom before giving in, sighing as she reluctantly turned away from Diamond Tiara.
“No your right Applebloom. She isn’t worth it.” Scootaloo took on last look at Diamond Tiara, giving a sneer as she and her friends walked pass Silver Spoon. 
“Like your one to talk about disappointment Applebloom!” Diamond Tiara shouted behind them. “Your parents probably left you because they where disappointed of you becoming a no good failure!”

Applebloom stopped in her tracks. Nopony had ever dared to bring up the topic of the missing Apple family elders. It just wasn’t a subject talked about in this town, whether out of respect or formalities, nopony spoke of them. Applebloom new the story, her sister Applejack had been honest to her, 
“It was bout eight years ago, when yah had just come round to be one year old,” Applejack explained to her younger sister, her green eyes full of regret, “when a drought came along. It was so bad that even the orchard dried up. Momma and Poppa said they where heading to Applepalooza to get some help, they said it won’t take no long.” Applejack broke down that moment, and between sobs she finished. ”They took the train as soon as they could, they where in the back caboose, when during the night they just……” Applejack held back her tears finishing, “disappeared”  

Applebloom didn’t like fighting; heck she wasn’t even good at it. But at that moment, she didn’t care, she twirled around running as hard as she could, turning on her front hooves, she pushed all her weight to her right as her flank faced Diamond Tiara, and with a force that dented trees, bucked Diamond Tiara in the nose. Diamond Tiara fell flat on her flank with a face of shock and pain. Slowly she brought a shivering hoof to her front snout, as she wiped off a small trickle of blood. Her face started to swell and bruise and turn a nasty shade of purple, which her pale violet fur only helped stand out. The actual tiara lay on the ground split in two as the surrounding fillys stared in shock. Applebloom just stood there staring down at Diamond Tiara as tears welled up in both of their eyes,
“Don’t yah ever go talking of my family that way!” Applebloom just turned around and continued walking,  shoving past her protesting friends. Only when she was sure she was out of site did Applebloom break into a run. She started to yell out in sadness and shame, trying to swallow in gasps that she seriously harmed another pony. She didn’t whant to face the consequences, much less the shame that would surely come from her classmates, and worse she thought, her sister and family. So she now she ran, headfirst into the Everfree forest, whising for seclusion until she could straighten out her emotions. So she continued to run, her body never faltering despite her hooves now being buckled and scratched, ignoring the ever increasing fire growing in her legs and chest, she continued until she reached a small clearing. Only then did she allow herself to rest and recuperate. She laid in the tall grass, her legs curled beneath her as she continued to weep, interrupted only by her short gasps of air. She didn’t notice a mysterious fog grow around her. The wind around her started to pick up and scream in whirling moans. Little did Applebloom know that the clearing she sat in was a fixed point in time and space that was now being bent at every possible conceivable angle, bringing something new into this Equestria.