“A-Are you positive we aren’t going to get hurt, Apple Seed?” A violet filly, barely in grade school, stuttered. She knew the colt from her class. Her parents couldn’t get her into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but they allowed her to advance in grade school. He was kind; he never acted this way before until Breaking Heart wanted to come here. She shifted her gaze towards the Everfree Forest’s grassy path trying to ignore his gaze and the surroundings that terrified the unicorn. Apple Seed whirled around to face her. His yellow eyes narrowed at her from annoyance.
“Aw look, Breaking Heart, she’s going to cry again!” Apple Seed laughed as he turned away from the filly. The filly turned away, failing at concealing her tears from whom she thought was her friend. The filly next to her, one that is much older with a cutie mark for breaking things, laughed in response to the crying sibling. Apple Seed looked towards the filly, she couldn’t tell whether in sorrow or pity. Either or, the growing discomfort never left.
“I can’t believe I even BROUGHT her with us! “ Breaking Heart’s callus response didn’t make the filly cry more, making Breaking Heart scowl. “Passion Bloom, get up, you coward!” Passion Bloom nearly cowered, her sister’s cold voice and command nearly chilling her spine and every ounce of being she had. All she really wanted was to curl up with her twin sister, Maypop and her mother, Caring Heart. She hadn’t expected to be dragged out to the Everfree Forest at night by her big sister, Breaking Heart. Not that she had needed persuading, she loved Breaking Heart dearly. She couldn’t possibly give up the chance to impress her. Trembling to get up on all fours, she stood. She still was shaking, but she was fine for the most part.
“I-I-I’m sorry B-Breaking Heart. I-I was just worried…”
A scowl formed on the elder’s face again as she turned away. “Just hurry up, you magic-less unicorn!” Passion cringed at the harshness of her voice. Apple Seed turned again smacking Passion Bloom to stay shut. She never fell as they walked onward. She was grateful she never had. She might not have gotten up again at all.
“Be quiet, idiot, you might make us all die.” He hushed quietly as he pushed the filly down, grabbing her only. “I’m glad you brought the idiot, great for two purposes.” The words sounded forced and hollow from him, but she never chose to figure out why they sounded that way.
“Just read the bucking book already, you incompetent foal!” Apple Seed pulled Passion closer to him as they walked. The feel of her yellow, green, and white streaked mane was almost comforting. She smelt like passion fruits, something he started to love more than apples. She always smelt like this. He wondered when he started acting sissy for this filly. He even briefly considered this what his mom and dad meant by “love”.
“Its not like I don’t know her, she’s in my class! Mom and dad always did tell me how to show love…” He mused. “Perhaps I can now? To show love? But I really don’t want to have a foal…” Was doing that love possibly? Did she feel this feeling like him?
“It says here we’ll start seeing the red path soon. I wonder what’s on the other side.” Passion seemed to realize what they meant by red path. She had a talent for reading ahead of others.
“C-Can I p-please just go home?” She backed off Apple Seed, who was more interested in getting what lied between her paths while Breaking Heart was more interested in the story.
“Would I object?” She thought and quickly dismissed any thought of that. Of course she would! Why did doubt ever settle in her heart for the colt? Why was she aching for the colt that keeps picking on her? She resolved the thoughts of him staring at her flank. Maybe he saw something of Breaking Heart’s? He wasn’t staring at hers. She was sure of this.
“Stop being horny with my sister already,” Breaking Heart glared slightly as she pulled the book toward her with the magic. The book, which repeatedly warned to not follow, was floating the whole time with red magic. The book felt more like some fairy tale rather than reality. It told of tales that said how Equestria was made. It spoke about humans, worlds, curses, and fates. It made no sense to follow it, but it drew her eye.
“That looks like a fairy tale book...” Passion murmured. “Mommy said it was mystical.” Her ears perked to the growls of Breaking Heart.
“That mare knows nothing of this sort!” Passion nearly cringed at her abuser, but went against it. She didn’t want to move herself, Apple Seed already threatened to go lower with his hooves, and he was already touching a no-no zone. His
face said otherwise. “Besides, she said mythical, you twit!”
“B-But…mommy…” She whimpered. Green eyes peered downward as Apple Seed and Breaking Heart were continuing.
“It says here that the forest is controlled at its heart. That’s where the red road ends.” Passion never did follow what they were saying. She tried wiggling away from the colt, but only to be forced back and the hoof forced lower. She started wondering if Breaking Heart had something to do with it.
“Let’s just continue down the path, it will eventually lead there.” Apple Seed wavered, slightly distracted by Passion and Breaking Heart. Breaking Heart rolled her grey eyes.
“Make your love quick, we have to leave.” Passion squirmed out of his grasp only to be propped down by Breaking Heart’s magic. Apple Seed seemed to grow shocked as Breaking Heart shoved him on her. He knew it was wrong, but she was intoxicating. Surely something else could be done to show love. This didn’t sound like what mom and dad said. “Make do with her. She’s just a waste of time. I knew she wouldn’t handle the task of being a distraction, she’s too stupid even for that.”
“S-Sister…!” Passion bucked the colt off her and tried to make an escape. She didn’t want him to love her by force. He didn’t want her to run from him, but she escaped.
"Passion Bloom, run! Your almost there!"
Her tiny hooves pounding profusely into the ground as she tried ignoring the fire that blazed in her legs from running so fast and long. She wondered if she would ever make it without distress from other wildlife, but that was the last thing in mind. She didn’t hear the first voice; her thoughts weren’t coming to her very much anymore. Her thoughts scrambled when she realized Apple Seed was trying to hurt her. Her sister never cared. Apple Seed…Breaking Heart….
“Little one, don’t fear.” Her body went frozen; her stop wasn’t like this though. Thank Celestia for the log that stopped her from going much further.
“Who’s there?”
“Don’t fear child. Your so close.”
“Who’s there?!”
“Surprise!” From the black trees and the seemingly dead grass, a figure, one much taller than anypony she met before stood in front of her. Her hooves were lifted off the ground before she had time to register anything. All she saw were dark red eyes, darker than blood, and a beautiful mane that you couldn’t tell the color of. She wondered if this was what death felt like.
“Does death feel exhausting?” She mused. “Or does it feel welcoming?” The hooves and the feel of flight engulfed the filly. She wondered if she was asleep, and this was a dream. She didn’t feel like she was asleep.
“Maybe it feels…like…flying…” Her thoughts trailed off, her mind shutting down. She was the only pony who exited alive from the ordeal that they knew of. Breaking Heart disappeared, no pony knew whether she lived or died, same for Apple Seed. This devastated Apple Cinnamon and Apple Salsa, the parents of Apple Seed. So much so they abandoned the youngest daughter, Apple Bloom, in response and later died. Of course, some say they died of supernatural causes and others say they died of a broken heart. No one is certain.
Passion Bloom never spoke much after the ordeal, and when she had, it was always so faint. The events of the night weren’t clear. But, when finally utters a word that you can hear about the night, you feel dread in your soul:
“The book sets us free. She waits for us.”