//------------------------------// // Session 01 - An Eye is Upon You // Story: Red Eye // by Fonypan //------------------------------// “Got you!” said Scootaloo. “Where?” said Sweetie Belle. “I can’t see.” “Here, diagonally.” “Pretty sneaky, Scootaloo.” “My turn!” said Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle switched places with Apple Bloom, content to sit out and watch for a round. Scootaloo reset the game, and then she and Apple Bloom took turns dropping plastic discs into a vertical grid. Something on the edge of vision caught Sweetie Belle’s attention. She glanced up at the window for a better look. A pair of piercing, red embers gazed back from the darkness outside. Staring through her, deep into her soul. Sweetie Belle fell back with a shriek of terror. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo jumped in surprise, and looked at the same window. They saw only the silhouettes of apple trees against the night sky. The unseen predator had vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. “Why did you scream?” said Scootaloo. “There was a monster outside!” said Sweetie Belle. “A monster?” said Apple Bloom. “There aren’t any monsters at Sweet Apple Acres!” “I saw eyes! Glowing, red eyes!” said Sweetie Belle. “Whatever it was moved when I screamed, but it was just outside the window!” “Ooh, spooky!” said Scootaloo. “What do you think it was?” “There ain’t nothin’ out there!” said Apple Bloom. “I’ll prove it!” “Apple Bloom, no!” said Sweetie Belle. “I know I saw something out there! We should all just stay inside tonight.” “What if there really is something out there?” said Scootaloo. “It is kind of spooky, and dark. Not that I’m scared, or anything!” “You two just wait here. I’ll go outside and show you there’s nothin’ out there.” Apple Bloom exited the crusaders’ clubhouse. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sat in silence, nervously eyeing one another. A sharp scream tore through the air, and both fillies jumped. They ran outside and looked around in a panic. “Apple Bloom! Where are you, Apple Bloom?” said Scootaloo. “Come on, this isn’t funny!” “Apple Bloom, are you all right?” said Sweetie Belle. “Say something!” “Let’s split up and look for her!” “Are you crazy? That’s a terrible idea! Apple Bloom could be seriously hurt, or worse! We need an adult! Let’s go get Applejack!” “But... Fine, let’s go!” The two fillies made a mad dash for the Apple family house. After a brief sprint through the orchard at midnight, they made it inside safely. They charged upstairs, into Applejack’s room. “Applejack, Applejack!” said Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo leapt onto the bed and began jumping up and down. “Come on, wake up! We need you!” Applejack stirred. “What are you two carryin’ on about? Where’s Apple Bloom?” “That’s the problem!” said Sweetie Belle. “We saw some kind of monster, and it got Apple Bloom!” Applejack sighed. “You fillies have been readin’ too many scary stories.” “No, really!” said Scootaloo. “She screamed, and then she was gone!” “Well, where is she?” said Applejack. “We don’t know!” said Sweetie Belle. “She went outside and screamed, and then there was no trace of her. She might be hurt, or even—“ “Simmer down,” said Applejack. “She probably just spooked herself and ran off into the orchard. I’ll go look for her. You two stay here. We don’t need three fillies runnin’ around in the dark.” “Be careful!” said Scootaloo. “Don’t let it get you, too!” said Sweetie Belle. “There’s nothin’ out there. Everything’s fine! You two just calm down. I’ll find Apple Bloom, and the three of you will laugh about this in the mornin’.” Applejack crawled out of bed and stretched. The tired and slightly annoyed farm pony trotted down the stairs. She lit a lantern, then hung it from her neck by a cord. Armed with light, the orange pony ventured out into the darkness. "Apple Bloom~! Come on out now. There's nothin' to be scared of, your big sister's here. It's time to quit hidin' and come inside!" Applejack wandered the Apple Family's property, calling out to Apple Bloom again and again. Her calls went unanswered. The farm pony checked the clubhouse first, then searched the barn. She systematically eliminated every hiding place she knew Apple Bloom to use. Her best guesses followed. As more and more time passed without sight of Apple Bloom, Applejack began to worry. She ran between the trees, loudly calling out for her little sister and hearing nothing in response. Her swift trot shook the lantern, making it bounce against her chest. The light it cast wobbled and danced, bending the shadows into wicked shapes. Just as the sun began to rise, Applejack tripped over something. She landed on her lantern, pressing her bare flesh against hot glass. Applejack winced and shifted to her side to keep from burning herself further. The lantern, fortunately, remained intact after the fall. Applejack looked back to see what had tripped her. A lump of yellow fur, bearing two tufts of bright red hair. Apple Bloom lay motionless in the grass. A long, deep incision meandered from the side of her neck to the middle of her back. The fur surrounding her wound was soaked with blood, but only the slightest trickle came out of the cut itself. “Apple Bloom!” Applejack checked her little sister for a pulse. Faint, but still alive. She gently lifted the filly and laid her across her back. Then, she set off towards the hospital in a swift but cautious trot. It took every ounce of the farm pony's will to contain her panic. “Hang in there, Apple Bloom! I’m not gonna let you die!”