“Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost.” ― Dante Alighieri
* * * * *
Everypony in town had come to Dash’s going-away party, save for one. Apple Bloom had chosen to stay in her room while Pinkie threw a party in the large barn next door. She sulked around her room for a while, trying to put her conflicted feelings for Lucky to rest.
A part of her was depressed and wanted to stay in the bed all day. She had lost her best friend just over a week ago. Another part of her was at peace, content to know her suffering had ended relatively quickly.
Yet there was another part that had her troubled now. She went to the window and looked out towards the tree where she had buried Lucky. The movement of a squirrel caught her eye in the tree. She watched it run around gathering acorns—clueless as to where the squirrel got them on an apple farm—and the same thought that had been troubling her returned.
Something had felt wrong when she killed Lucky. Apple Bloom had enjoyed easing Lucky’s suffering, but not in a way she felt comfortable with. She headed downstairs and out the back door, grabbing a bit of rope and heading towards the tree with Lucky buried beneath it.
Within the barn, Rarity stood amongst her friends holding a quiet conversation, while Pinkie was passing out cake. “Hoity Toity wanted me to move the deadline up, and I had no idea! I really could have used the bits and now I’m short for my income tax and property tax. Ugh, I hate this time of year.”
Applejack adjusted her stetson and raised an eyebrow. “How much do ya need?”
“I couldn’t possibly—”
Dash interrupted her. “Oh no, you don’t. You help us out all the time, so you’re gonna tell us, and we will spot you the bits.”
Rarity blushed. “Well, if you insist. . . I’m short eight hundred bits.”
“Whoa nelly, why didn’t ya let us know ya were havin’ a hard time this year?” Applejack asked.
“I got a little carried away at the Summer Sun Celebration. I’ve had more customers this month, but that’s because of all the cities I visited giving out samples. Once I open my new store in Canterlot, I know I’ll make back ten-fold what I lost giving out this year,” she explained.
“Well, I can split a room with one of the Wonderbolts. I’ll get you four hundred after the party,” Dash offered.
“And ah’ll match the other four hundred. Ah reckon we better move cider season up as much as possible, though.” Applejack looked at her mug, containing apple cider from their private reserve.
“I can’t possibly thank you two enough! You must let me make you some new dresses for the Gala this year,” Rarity stated.
“No way! This is how you got in debt. Look, take a little time and do something nice for yourself and Sweetie.” Dash looked at Applejack. “Back me up here.”
“Ah reckon ya had better wait until after the Canterlot store opens before being so generous. We all appreciate it, but ah wouldn’t feel right knowin’ you’re in debt.”
Rarity smiled and grabbed Rainbow and Applejack, hugging them tightly. “Oh, thank you.”
Sweetie watched from her seat on a hay bale in the corner of the room. “Bleh, look at her, Scootaloo.”
“Yeah, I’ll sure miss her when she is gone,” she replied.
“No, not Dash, Rarity!”
Scootaloo turned to look at Sweetie and saw her brow wrinkled up in anger. “Hey, Sweetie, you two having problems again?”
“We never stopped. She never has time for me! All she cares about is being generous to other ponies. We don’t go to the spa anymore, no plays, no lunch at the cafe. The only time she pays attention to me is when I do something wrong.”
“I’m sorry. I am glad Dash has time for me—”
Sweetie rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Always with Dash. When are you gonna grow up?”
“Huh?” Scootaloo struggled to form a reply. “I, uh—”
“Sorry, Scootaloo, I’m just upset. My parents are going on a vacation for their anniversary. I’m stuck here with Rarity for a whole month.”
“It’s okay. I guess I’ll have plenty of time to hang out with you and Apple Bloom. You two aren’t gonna leave also? We’ll have plenty of time to crusade?”
“Yeah, sure. Do you know where Apple Bloom is?” Sweetie looked around once more to see if she was at the party yet. “She hasn’t shown up all night.”
“No clue. Maybe she’s still sad about her dog.”
Dash walked over and looked at Scootaloo. “Hey, Squirt, sorry to interrupt. Your mom told me you’ve been having a hard time with me leaving.”
“Yeah, there’s no way I’ll learn to fly like you after you’re gone.”
“Well, I sent a letter and got our practice schedule. I have good news, I’ll be back this weekend to give you another lesson!”
Scootaloo’s face lit up. “Really? That’d be awesome!”
“Hey, my middle name is ‘Awesome’! I told you I wouldn’t abandon you, Squirt. I’ll bring you two season passes to our airshow while I’m at it. Come here.” Dash stretched her forelegs out and sat down.
She jumped forward and hugged Dash, oblivious to the jealous stare from Sweetie.
“I miss her so much. She slept on the bed with me every single night. Do ya know what that’s like?” Apple Bloom asked.
She was leaning against a tree, talking to a squirrel that was on the ground next to her. Wrapped around the squirrel’s neck was noose made of a thick rope, and Apple Bloom held the other end of it in her hooves. The squirrel was scratching at the rope, but was not making any progress in cutting through it.
“Ya don’t know what it’s like. Do ya have kids?” She looked down at the squirrel who seemed to understand and nodded, tears coming from its eyes. “I’m sorry then, but killing ya isn’t even the worst part.”
Apple Bloom tightened the rope another millimeter, watching as the squirrel’s face turned red from the blood getting trapped in its head. The squirrel struggled and kicked around a little, even trying to run away before the short rope stopped it.
She used a hoof to pin it to the ground by its belly, tightening the rope again. “The worst part is after I killed Lucky I realized. . . I enjoyed it.” Apple Bloom burst out in tears and sobbed loudly. “I’m a m-monster! It was so horrible and scary. . . But that rush, holding the rock. . .”
The squirrel’s face was starting to turn blue and it was gasping for breath, barely able to get any of the air to its lungs. It tried to make a noise or whimper, but the rope prevented its pleas from being voiced.
“Why? Why does it feel good?” Apple Bloom looked at the critter, watching as it went limp, giving up on its struggles. It stared at her, having admitted defeat. Once she had wiped the tears from her face, she pushed her hoof into its belly hard, causing him to squirm in pain. “I d-don’t understand it, but I like this!”
It scratched against her hoof with its small paws.
“You’re pathetic, weak. Because killing you is a mercy it feels. . . right. I have all the power. Not like some stupid alicorn whose magic can’t even save a single puppy!”
Apple Bloom yanked the rope, tightening it completely around the squirrel’s neck. Both of its eyes bulged out, and sensing its inevitable demise it thrashed about in a final attempt to live. The rope continued to tighten, and she pushed her hoof into his abdomen hard. Bones began to pop and then break, before the rope itself snapped the squirrel’s spine.
The rope fell to the ground and she stared at the lifeless corpse which stared back at her with two glassy eyes. Her breathing was rapid as she enjoyed the endorphin rush and feeling of power. After it had passed, Apple Bloom pushed the squirrel into a shallow grave and filled it with dirt.
She walked back towards the house, a confusing mixture of joy and sorrow causing her to cry softly. Apple Bloom knew it was wrong to kidnap and kill animals from Fluttershy’s cottage, yet it was the only thing that came close to making her feel as good as she had around Lucky.
Amidst all the emotions she was dealing with, one question still burned unanswered: How could I be sad to kill Lucky, yet miss the feeling of the rock in my hooves?
“Babs, have you decided what you’d like to do?” asked the social worker. Penny had been assigned to deal with the filly after her father had killed her mother. It broke Penny’s heart to see a filly so devastated that it had distanced itself from emotion, often preferring to stare off into the distance.
“Yeah, I ain’t goin’ to foster care. I’ll accept Applejack’s offer to let me live on her farm,” Babs answered. Luckily, she had made it clear she would not allow any of her father’s relatives to become her legal guardian. The mother’s side of the family seemed uninterested in the filly, making her plan to move out to Sweet Apple Acres that much easier to achieve.
“Are you sure? Once Applejack signs for custody of you, there’s no coming back to Manehatten.”
“I’m sure.” She sat motionless in her chair, wishing the annoying mare would shut up already. It had already been two long weeks of pretending to care that her mother was dead. After trying crying and sorrow, Babs had found it easier to act distant. Penny said it was perfectly normal to grieve, believing her to be in denial, and that it would pass.
“Well, we only have one more matter of business, and you know it is why we have brought you here today. Are you certain you want to be there to witness the punishment?” She leaned forward and put a hoof on Babs’ shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” She resisted the urge to swat her hoof away and moaned. So far everything had gone according to her plan. Babs wondered if after this final act, if she would finally feel happy, at peace, or if she’d just feel nothing again.
Babs hopped down from the chair and followed Penny out of the room. The walk to the viewing room was somber. Inside sat relatives from both her mother and father’s sides of the family. Luna herself had been sent as a representative of the throne. The princess sat to the side and glanced over at Babs.
The two locked eyes and Luna seemed able to pierce into her soul with her gaze. Babs wondered if her act could fool a princess, but quickly pushed the thought from her mind.
Her seat was at the right end of the front row, and thankfully far from the imposing alicorn. Babs climbed atop the seat and saw a sterile white room on the other side of the glass, with a flat padded table.
As she sat there, her ears swiveled and Babs could hear ponies whispering about her and her father.
“I heard he was covered nose to hoof in her blood. . . Poor daughter, Babs. Saw the whole thing.”
“Examiners found bruises all over her and her mother!”
“. . . quickest trial and sentencing I’ve ever heard of. Such a tragic case for your son. . .”
A stallion was escorted into the room wearing a muzzle to silence him, and requiring several guards to drag him. He had been adamant about his innocence to the point that the prosecution used it against him. Sober for the first time in years, he begged for his life and tried to prove his daughter was the real monster.
Luna shook her head in shame as she watched him fight the guards. Murders of passion were commonplace, yet she had not seen so much blood at a crime scene since the revolts leading up to the fall of Nightmare Moon. The death penalty was one that could only come from the throne: with or without trial. Having been the first murder in Manehatten in two years, Luna had personally sat in during the trial.
Once he was strapped down, Luna excused herself through a door and appeared in the room a few seconds later. Babs watched as she walked over and stood next to her father. “Clear the room.”
The guards complied, clearing out yet remaining ready in case Luna needed their aid. She would hear his final words, along with those viewing, then carry out the sentence.
“Brussel Sprout, you have been found guilty of first degree murder, spousal abuse, child abuse, assault and battery, and resisting arrest. What you have done is unfathomable, even to me. Yet you are given this chance for last words regardless. Do not waste them,” Luna instructed. She unsnapped the muzzle and lifted it off his mouth.
Brussel coughed and looked towards the glass. “Is she watching?”
Luna sighed heavily. “Are those your last words?”
“No wait! Luna, I swear it wasn’t me, it was Babs! I was drunk and I beat them, but she pulled the knife on my wife! I’m inno—” Luna slammed the muzzle back into the place harder than was necessary, tightening the strap.
She leaned forward so those few observing couldn’t hear. “You are pathetic, lying about your crime and begging me to put a filly in your place on this slab. I only regret you did not commit this act during my reign. We had ponies like you drawn and quartered for their crimes.”
Luna stood up and saw Brussel crying and thrashing his head around. She went down to his foreleg which had been strapped down tightly so it wouldn’t move. Luna levitated a needle into the vein in the crook of his foreleg.
Babs watched in fascination as a small tube was attached to the needle and a medicine was pushed through it, into his veins.
“Can’t believe he’s still pleading innocent. What a monster!” a nearby pony whispered.
“Look at poor Babs, she’s too shocked to even move or cry.”
As her father stopped moving, Babs leaned forward slightly. A second vial of medicine had been injected, followed by a third. Luna set them down on the nearby table and walked to the door.
Luna reached out with her magic to verify his heart at stopped, then turned off the lights. She took a deep breath and stepped outside.
Everypony around Babs got up and started filing out. She continued to stare into the darkness, feeling a weight lifted off her. She had expected some joy or relief at his passing.
“Young Babs Seed, are you alright?” Luna asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
The princess knelt down next to her. “I want you to know, should you ever need anything, all you need to do is call for me while dreaming. Whether it is a nightmare, or you simply desire to dream of your mother.”
Babs shrugged her shoulders. “Okay.”
Luna stood up and put a hoof on the filly’s shoulder. “Applejack is a good pony, they’ll take care of you. I also agree with the judge, and we are expunging your juvenile record. With your father gone we believe you will not act out or bully others. Please, Babs, start over in Ponyville and make the most of your life. It’s what your mother would have wanted.”
She nodded, getting tired of yet another condolence speech. Babs shook her shoulder to get rid of Luna’s hoof, then climbed out of the chair. “When does my train leave?”
“I gave Penny a ticket good for any time. You need only pack and move out of the foster home, then you can take a train to Ponyville.”
“Thanks. He deserved to die.”
Babs walked out of the room and Luna found herself heartbroken to see such a young filly lose her innocence. Childhood was supposed to be a time of fun and friendship, not death and sorrow.
Scootaloo walked to her bed as if it was a death sentence. Dash had only been gone a few hours, and tomorrow she had school. It would be six long days without once seeing her idol flying through the skies of Ponyville.
Rose waited for her to climb into bed, then pulled her covers up. “Are you going to be okay, honey?”
“Yeah, mom. I just never thought she’d leave. I love you and dad, but she was just different, you know? Like a sister and hero and best friend. I wanted her to take me under her wing for so long and now she is gone.”
“She isn’t gone, Scootaloo. She’ll be back to visit as often as she can. Dash will be busy and yet she’ll still do it every chance she gets. Do you know why?”
“Because I asked her?”
Rose chuckled and sat on the bed. “No, silly, it’s because she loves you. Just like your dad and I do. Just like your friends do. I know how much it hurts to say goodbye to somepony, but we’re all here for you, and Dash isn’t gone forever. She just found a new job.”
“It still hurts just as much. Is there something wrong with me?”
“Scootaloo, don’t you ever think that for one second. You’re a perfect, athletic little filly. Maybe your birth mother couldn’t see that, but the whole town of Ponyville does. I know how hard this is for you. Let me help you fall asleep. Roll over.”
“Okay, mom.” Scootaloo rolled onto her belly, and felt her rainbow wig being put on by Rose. She smiled, and then felt her mother’s hoof rubbing her back. Scootaloo’s wings fluttered open as her back was massaged.
Rose had learned from her husband how to give a good massage to a pegasus. As she sat there and worked all the tension out of Scootaloo’s back, she heard a soft snoring. After a final minute of watching over her angel, Rose pulled the covers up. Gently getting off the bed, she turned the light off and closed the door behind her.