//------------------------------//
// Help Me 
// Story: The Word is Fear 
// by BronyWriter 
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Celestia held her sobbing niece in her forelegs and gently hummed a soothing tune. Cadence's head was buried in her aunt's shoulder, and her tears were wetting her fur. "It'll be okay someday, Cadence," Celestia soothed. "We'll get her, I promise."

"Why did sh-she do that?" Cadence wailed and hugged her aunt tighter. "Not my Shining Armor! Why did she have to kill my husband?"

"Because she is evil, Cadence." Celestia gently nuzzled the top of Cadence's head. "She's one of the most evil ponies who ever lived."

"She was such a happy filly," Cadence moaned. "How could she do something like this?" Cadence wiped her eyes with a foreleg. "I heard that she gave a note to a Ponyville paper apologizing for killing the pregnant mare. M-maybe she feels bad about Shining Armor too."

Celestia sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Cadence, but I'm afraid that Blossom is a mare without remorse or empathy. That letter was just a sympathy ploy and I urge you not to believe it." Celestia began stroking Cadence's mane. "Do not worry, my dear. Shining Armor is at peace now: away from evil mares like Blossom. He is in paradise, and I know that he will be happy when we avenge his death."

Cadence's eyes widened and she looked up at her aunt. "Huh? A-avenge?"

Celestia smiled serenely at Cadence and nuzzled her head again. "Indeed. I promise you that Blossom will suffer a thousand times more than Shining Armor did. Your husband will be happy to know that his murderer suffered in ways she couldn't imagine before the end."

Cadence pushed away from Celestia and shot to her hooves. "I... what are you saying? That my husband was a vengeful stallion? He wouldn't want that kind of thing!"

"Cadence, I know you're distraught so you're not thinking straight, but--"

"Thinking straight?!" Cadence gave an incredulous scoff. "I... I want Blossom to come to justice for what she did to me, but to me that means the needle!"

Celestia sighed and got to her hooves as well. "Cadence, Blossom has killed dozens of ponies without a shred of remorse the whole time. She has made all of Equestria suffer, and I believe that she should suffer as well."

"Rarity killed more ponies than Blossom had and tortured them in worse ways!" Cadence gently touched Celestia's foreleg. "Auntie, you gave her the needle."

"The difference being that Rarity showed remorse," Celestia countered. "Blossom shows none."

"I just mentioned the letter!" Cadence flattened her ears and looked to the ground. "I've heard the tapes of her therapy sessions in prison. She didn't sound like an evil mare to me, even when she killed the guards. She just sounded like a very sick, very scared mare." Cadence removed her hoof from Celestia's foreleg. "When she is captured, she deserves the needle. Anypony can see that. Don't torture her, Auntie. Putting her through even more pain isn't going to bring Shiny back. He'd want us to be better than that. Torturing a scared mare isn't being better than her." 

Celestia smiled serenely at her niece and put her hoof on Cadence's shoulder. "Cadence, this is a difficult time for us all. We have to be strong and not believe Blossom's acts. Her letter to the Foal Free Press was just an act designed for this very thing. You cannot believe a word that mare says. When she is captured, she will understand what she has done to Equestria, to me, to you. I promise you that she will see justice."

Cadence stared up at Celestia with blank eyes that were slowly filling with tears. Her emotionless expression made Celesta's smile falter for a moment before Cadence spoke again. Cadence slowly reached up and pushed Celestia's hoof off of her shoulder as tears dripped down her face. 

"Who are you?"



*  *  *  *



Blossom groaned and reclined on the bed she had rented from a cheap, run-down motel in Fillydelphia. She had gotten on the next available train to the city. Well, she didn't really care what city she went to next. It was just when the next train arrived. She had been limping from the lacerations she had inflicted upon herself, and the blood loss was making her woozy. Were it not for Zecora's healing brew, she would have joined Shining Armor in death. She would have likely bled out before she managed to make it to the train station. Or worse, she could have passed out and been taken to a hospital. She was caught if she did that. 

She had spent the last few days inside the motel, hardly moving except to have take-out sent to her room. Pizza boxes stuffed with half-eaten slices littered her room. She mused that she would have to throw them out soon as they were starting to smell. Maybe she should shower too. Blossom scoffed and put her head in her hooves. "Mom, Dad, Comet... if only you could see me now. Bucking lying in a motel room trying to recover from lots of blood loss from yet another murder." Blossom sighed and levitated a day old cheese pizza slice in the air. It still looked vaguely edible, but she groaned in disgust and tossed it back in the box. She looked down at herself and scanned her scarred body. "At least I had enough sense to not cut my face again," Blossom muttered. 

Groaning, Blossom pulled herself out of bed and trudged over to the bathroom mirror. She turned the water on and dunked her head into the sink, letting the cool water wash over her head. She turned the water off and dried off with a towel. It was the closest thing to a shower that she had had in the last few days. She looked at herself in the mirror and gave a humorless chuckle when she saw what a mess she was, scars notwithstanding. 

"Okay, maybe it's time to have a real shower." 

Twenty minutes later, Blossom stepped out of the hot shower feeling surprisingly refreshed. Her mane and coat didn't feel as dirty anymore which was a plus for her. She dried off completely and walked back into the main room, collecting the pizza boxes as she did. She disguised herself as the light pink unicorn that she had checked in as, and walked behind the motel to toss her trash in the dumpster. 

As she walked back to her room to gather her things, she saw a small group of half a dozen ponies gathered around a light post. Frowning, Blossom trotted over to the group and saw that they were all muttering amongst each other about a flier that had been attached to the pole. 

"Looks like The Nightmare got another filly," a stallion next to Blossom muttered. 

"Shame that she's going after foals now. My guess is that she'll exclusively kill foals and their mothers from here on out."

"Now that she managed to kill the Captain of the Royal Guard himself who is left to stop her?" said another mare. "The princesses don't seem to be capable."

Blossom began pushing through the group. "Excuse me, please."

The group didn't respond, but a few of them moved back a few inches. The stallion closest to her clicked his tongue. "Man, I thought for sure she'd off another guard. I'm never going to win the betting pool at work."

Blossom's eyes widened and she swiveled her head towards the stallion. "Uh... excuse me?!" She narrowed her eyes. "Betting pool about the murders?"

The stallion snorted and frowned. "My private life is none of your business, lady."

Blossom growled, but turned her attention back to the pole. The second she saw it her eyes widened and she softly whimpered. "Oh no."

Plastered over the poster was the image of a light green filly with an electric blue mane flying a few hooves into the air. She was smiling for the camera and pointing at something off of the frame. 

"Comet," Blossom moaned. 

Sure enough, the text under the photograph left no doubt of the filly's identity. 


MISSING: COMET BLITZ
A pegasus filly named Comet Blitz has been missing from her home in Fillydelphia for the past few days. Experts believe that she was captured by The New Nightmare, but since no body has turned up then she is likely still alive. She answers to the name "Comet" and was last seen playing in Kane Street where her home was located. Princess Celestia and the family have offered a two-hundred thousand bit reward if anypony has information that leads to her being safely returned home.


Blossom's lower jaw quivered and tears poured from her eyes as she ran away from the flier. "Comet!" she cried. "Please don't be dead! Please be okay! Please be okay!" 

Blossom tore down the street in the direction of the city hall. There was a map there that would tell her where Kane Street was. She had to get there as soon as possible. 

As she ran, she noticed a flash of white in her peripheral vision and glanced to the side to see her aunt running next to her. "You know it could be a trap," Rarity said. "This could be a play by Celestia."

"Of course it's a bucking ploy," Blossom growled. "Either that or some bucked up vigilante group has foalnapped the one pony in the whole of Equestria that's still innocent! There's no way that Lilly and Dad have let her hear about what I'm doing!"

Rarity clicked her tongue. "Okay, let's say that it's some vigilante group instead of a Celestia-backed order. What are you going to do then? How are you going to find her?"

"I don't know!" Blossom snarled. She glanced up and saw city hall appear in the distance. "I am going to scour every inch of Equestria if I have to! I'm going to find those evil idiots and I'm going to make them squeal! They are going to be begging for death, but I'm not going to give it to them until I've flayed every single scrap of skin off of their bodies and poured salt on the wound before I set them on fire!"

"All in front of Comet?" 

"Of course not! I'm going to get her back to Dad first." Blossom screeched to a halt in front of the giant map adorning the side of the Fillydelphia city hall. "Kane Street, Kane Street. Where the buck is Kane Street!" 

"Kane Street?" said a voice behind her. "You're looking for Kane Street?" 

Blossom wheeled around and saw a unicorn mare with a young foal resting on her back. She flashed Blossom a smile. "I live on Kane Street. I was just about to head home too. It's only a few blocks so I can lead you there if you want me to."

Blossom's terrified visage gave way to a look of utter relief and she threw her forelegs around the mare while being careful to not disturb the foal. "Thank you! I-if you get me there I don't know how I'll ever repay you!"

The mare chuckled and beckoned for Blossom to follow her. "It's no trouble at all. Like I said, I was heading in that direction anyway."

The two walked in silence for a few minutes save for the heavy breathing Blossom was doing while trying to catch her breath. She glanced over at the foal on the mare's back who was happily babbling away. Blossom managed a small smile. "She's cute," said Blossom.

The mare widened her smile. "Yeah she's a happy little filly, that's for sure. I almost envy her for her age. She's never going to truly understand what it's like to live with The New Nightmare hanging over her head."

"The Nightmare probably won't hurt her either because of that," said Blossom. "The Nightmare hasn't killed any foals."

"Except for the pregnant mare," the mare muttered. She sighed and shook her head. "I felt safe through all of this until that. Then I didn't know if I would wake up to find my foal dead."

"'I really don't think you have to worry." Blossom glanced over at a nearby street sign. Kane Street. "I heard that the letter she sent to the Foal Free Press in Ponyville apologized for that; said it was accidental."

The mare shrugged. "If so I feel a little better. I'm going to feel a lot better once this is all over."

Blossom smiled and gave the mare a reassuring pat. "I'm sure it will be fine. This isn't going to last forever. The New Nightmare isn't invincible." The trio reached a small brick house with a white picket fence. "As for you and your foal, I promise you that you are safe. It's not The Nightmare's style to go around murdering mothers and their foals."

"I hope you're right, miss." The mare fired up her horn and opened the gate. "I really hope you're right." 

With a goodbye and a thanks, the mare walked inside her house and shut the door behind her. Blossom turned around and scanned the street for any good hiding spots. There was a clump of bushes near a group of trees that would make the perfect hiding spot in case anypony came by looking for Comet. Her parents might still be here too. Or it could be a trap. 

Blossom glanced to her left and saw Rarity standing next to her. "You know it's a trap, right? This is such an obvious play to draw you out of hiding that I'm surprised that Celestia even thought of it; much less authorized it."

"It's the best lead I have to finding Comet. I don't even know if she's in Fillydelphia still."

"Or if she was even foalnapped at all," Rarity mused. "She was in hiding after all."

"There's that too." Blossom growled and tapped her hoof on the sidewalk. "I can't operate under the assumption that it's a complete lie. If it isn't, then who knows what Celestia or some sick vigilante group is doing to Comet now?"

"If it is Celestia then she won't hurt Comet," Rarity pointed out. 

"If it's a vigilante group then they might." Blossom turned around and lowered her head. "I don't really have any other choice if I want to save Comet, do I?"