Sweetie Belle!" Rarity called out. "Where are you?"
"Babs! Babs!" Rarity heard Apple Bloom call out.
"Guys! Over here!" Scootaloo shouted. Rarity ran toward the pegasus. She stopped at the mouth of an alley, Apple Bloom right beside her. She heard what sounded like crying coming from inside. "Stay behind me girls." Rarity said and began to walk towards the sound. She began to make out a small figure and a glint of purple. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Sweetie. It's time to go home." No response except for the crying. "Sweetie Belle?" Rarity quickened her pace. "Sweetie what's-" She stopped when her hoof landed in something warm. She looked down into a pool of dark red. She galloped over to her sister "Sweetie!" She yelled. She got in front of her sister and almost screamed. In the phillys hooves with, her eyes half lidded, Was the body of Babs. "Babs no!" Apple Bloom screamed.
"She saved me." Sweetie said. "She saved me from that...that thing. But now she's gone." Sweetie Belle's eyes fluttered and she fell to the ground.
"How could this have happened?" Applejack said. She was sitting next to Rarity outside of Sweetie Belle's room in the hospital. "Who would want to hurt them?" The doctor came out of the room. Rarity perked up.
"How is she?" She asked with fear in her eyes.
"She'll be all right." Rarity let out a sigh of relief. "There was no damage done physically. As for mentally, she seems to be very truamatized with Babs' death. I only got her up for a minute or 2 and she kept going on about this thing with no face. I'm sure the delusions will stop in time, but right now it's best to let her rest." Rarity resumed her sad posistion. "I'll leave you two be." The doctor said and left.
After a minute or two Applejack looked up. "What is it?" Rarity said. After a moment of silence Applejack said, "It's your fault."
"What!"
"If you hadn't given your sister those fliers to pass, out Babs would still be alive!"
"I didn't know this would happen!"
"Well it did didn't it?"
"Your cousin didn't have to come flying to the rescue!"
"And let Sweetie be killed!"
"You would have preffered that wouldn't you?"
"You're right I would've." Rarity glared at Applejack and with a cold hate filled voice said, "Bitch." At that Applejack turned and bucked Rarity in the face sending a tooth flying. Rarity recovered and rubbed her aching jaw with her hoof. "You'll pay for that." She said and rushed at the other pony. Rarity grabbed a mouthful of Applejacks blond mane and yanked. Hard. The earth pony cried out in pain and kicked the unicorn off of her. The two looked at each other with resentful stares and charged. Right into a wall of purple magic.
"Girls!" Twilight shouted. "What are you doing?"
"She blamed me for Babs' death!" Rarity said, blood coming from her mouth and forehead.
"She called me a bitch!" Applejack yelled, now with her own missing tooth.
"Well you'll both have to stop." Twilight said. "I know you're both sad and angry but we can't go blaming each other for things we didn't mean to do! Applejack apologize." Applejack put her head down and muttered something that sounded like an apology. "You to Rarity." Rarity did the same. Twilight lowered the wall of magic and the two ponies glared at each other. "Why are you here Twilight?" Applejack asked. Twilight sighed. Glad to talk about something else. "I got a letter from the princess." The two looked at her with surprised faces. "She needs us at the palace. Rainbow Dash And Pinkie are outside. Lets go."
Once outside the blue pegasus and the pink party pony looked at their friends with shocked expressions. "What happened?" Rainbow Dash asked. "They got in a fight." Twilight answered.
"With who? Were they big and scary?" Pinkie Pie puffed out her chest and flexed her fore legs trying to look tough.
"With each other."
"What? Why?"
"That's for another time. Let's get Fluttershy."
Upon ariving at the shy pegasus' cottage, the group stopped. The chimney was smoking. Fluttershy never had a fire going this late. "The windows are boarded up." Rainbow Dash said. Twilight approached the door and knocked. The door slightly opened to reveal a frightened eye. "Oh it's you." Fluttershy said. "Come in." The door fully opened to reveal all of her animals in the living room. "What's going on Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.
"Well about 20 minutes ago somepony was by the koi pond. I asked him what his name was and he said that it was Sorrow and after he said that he dissapeared."
"Woah. Hold on a second." Rainbow Dash said "Nopony just dissapears."
"I can! Watch!" Pinkie dashed out of the room at lightning speed and returned a second later.
"This was different. He didn't run. He just vanished. And he wasn't a pony." They all gave her shocked looks. Fluttershy continued. "He was very tall and thin. And he had a pale white head."
"Fluttershy?" Rarity asked "What did his face look like?"
"I don't know. I only saw him from behind. After that I got really scared so I brought everyone in here. What happened to you and Applejack?"
"We got in a fight." Applejack said.
"Oh." Fluttershy said seeing that they didn't want to talk about it. "What is everypony doing here anyway?" She asked.
"We got a letter from Celestia." Twilight said. "She wants us at the palace."
"Why?"
"I don't know. Everypony get in close." A bright light came from the alicorn's horn and began to envelope the group. When the light faded, they were standing in front of the palace doors in Canterlot.
Celestia paced in the throne room. How could ths happen. How did he get past the barrier she designed specifically for him?
She checked to make sure if it was still intact earlier and it was fine. She let out a huff of frustration. The door to the throneroom glowed with magic as it opened to reveal Twilight and her friends. The princess smiled. Even if her student could be a pain, she could be counted on for results.
"What's wrong princess?" Celestia''s smile faded. I've called you here regarding the recent killings in Ponyville. All of a sudden Applejack and Rarity were standing in front of her. "What about them?" Applejack asked frantically.
"What happened to you two?" Celestia asked, seeing their injuries. The two ponies looked at the ground and explained what happened. "Oh my." Celestia said. She then sighed and began to heal the two Ponies. "I'm afraid that that's what he does do ponies."
"Who?" Rarity asked. Celestia paused for a moment.
"Der ritter."
"Who's that?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"A creature of pure hatred that feeds upon young ponies. I banished him to the human world centuries ago. Or so I thought."
"The human world?" Twilight asked.
"Humans are a race outside of our world. Der ritter was once one of them before he turned into a monster. I shall tell you no more about their world because that is all I know."
"Celestia. What does Der ritter look like?" Rarity asked
"He is tall and unnaturally thin and without a face. I am almost certain he is the one who killed Babs and the other ponies."
"How do we stop it?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"First we need the elements."
"Then what?"
"We kill it."