Chapter 4: Escape
Nightshade looked down at the scene before her, her mind not quite grasping what was happening.
Blue..? Celestia's blue? No... no. “No.”
“Midnight... Stay with me!” Twilight wailed. “D-don't leave me, please!”
That couldn't be right. Both she and Midnight were tied up. That couldn't be Twilight. She couldn't be holding Midnight. That couldn't be Midnight, laying there, covered in blood... That couldn't be his chest, bleeding profusely from a gaping hole.
“Midnight!”
A flash of light brought her out of her trance, only to find that Princess Celestia had vanished.
She... she left. Anger once again started to seethe at the alicorn. She abandoned them. That bi-
Her thoughts were violently interrupted by a hoof to her face.
“You bitch!” Scootaloo screamed. “I'm going to rip you out of there and tear you apart, piece by piece!” The enraged pegasus leaped on top of her friend's body and slammed her hoof into her face again and again. “You're going to wish you could die again!”
Thankfully, the furious mare was stopped by a green aura.
“Scootaloo, stop!” yelled Sweetie Belle, “That's Applebloom you're hurting!”
“Then get that thing out of her, so I can beat that!”
Finally able to focus, Nightshade drew upon Applebloom's magic and focused on the first place she could think of. In a flash, she threw Scootaloo off her and wrapped herself in space-time magic, teleporting away.
She landed in a heap on a cold stone floor. Her hooves clutched her face in pain, feeling what might have been a broken snout. When she was finally able to focus, she slowly sat up, taking in the familiar ruins of her chapel... her sanctuary.
Limping up to the altar, she tried making sense of what happened. It was so perfect, her plan was fool-proof, yet at the last minute, Midnight pushed her aside. How had he gotten loose? Her binding spell was perfect.
Then something else hit her...
“I... I killed him.” she slumped to the floor, grief and sorrow filling her entire being. “I'm a murderer... Oh, Applebloom, I'm so, so sorry.”
The mare blurred and shifted as Nightshade melted out of her, relinquishing her control. Applebloom collapsed, disoriented at the sudden change. For long minutes,she laid there, staring at nothing while Nightshade looked down at her in sorrow.
Eventually, Nightshade tried to break the silence. “Applebloom, I-”
“Tell me it was just a nightmare,” Applebloom pleaded.
“Applebloom...”
“It's just a prank... Hehe, good one.” The hopeless desperation in the young pony's voice was like a knife to the chest.
“I... I'm so sorry, Applebloom,” the dead filly cried. “It wasn't suppose to go like this! He shouldn't have been able to get loose.”
“Y-you killed him...” Applebloom finally broke. “You said you were gonna help us get together, but you killed him...You lied!”
“Applebloom-”
“Shaddup!” Applebloom snapped, jumping to her hooves. “Just shut up! You lied to me, you said you were mah friend, you tricked me into givin' you mah body, and you killed the stallion Ah loved!”
“Please, just let me-”
Applebloom stomped her hoof so hard, the alter split in two. “Let you what?! Let you take mah body so you can kill mah sister? Or how 'bout mah friends? Or were you gonna try to say you can bring him back?”
“Please, you're my only friend!”
“Friend?! You killed Midnight! Ah will never be your friend! Ah hate you!”
Applebloom's earth seal lit up and a column of stone launched her up, through the ceiling, shattering it, and into the dark forest.
The ancient structure groaned, the young apple farmer having broken a major support on her exit, and with a mighty crash, finally collapsed after over a thousand years standing.
To Nightshade, though, it was the least of all that was broken that day.
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She ran.
In her head, a part of her knew it was stupid, but in her heart, she felt nothing but guilt. She brought that monster with her. She allowed it to use her body. She gave it everything it needed to take the life of a good friend.
All for her own selfish desires. She should have listened when they told her they weren't interested. Instead, though, she acted like a spoiled foal, pressuring them, hoping they would cave. Now, Midnight was gone. His friends will never see him again. His wife would never feel his love. His daughter will grow up without a father. She took him from them, even if indirectly. She couldn't go back, but where would she go?
Her musings were cut off by a whistling sound. A sound like the cutting of air. Its identity was revealed when it plowed into her from above and to the right.
“Get outta Applebloom, you leech!” shouted Rainbow Dash.
“Get offa me!” Applebloom said as she rolled to the side, pinning Rainbow beneath her. The pegasus gasped for air, releasing the young farmer who sprang back upright. A crash from behind her had her whip around to face any possible threat.
Instead, Applejack burst through the underbrush. The two locked eyes, Applejack's angry while Applebloom's were fearful.
“A-Applejack.”
AJ's eyes widened in shock. “Applebloom?”
Applebloom just turned tail and took off, taking advantage of her pursuers' stunned states. She had to get away.
If for no other reason, because she knew Twilight would want nothing more to do with her.
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Three days.
For three days she wandered these woods, lamenting her crimes. How could things have gone so wrong. She was the hero, and the heroes always win.
Yet, she lost. Not only that, but she murdered a good pony. What if... she really was the bad guy? Sure, she knew she would be remembered as such, and was fine with that, but was she really? Was Celestia actually the good, just ruler not just everypony but everyone thought she was? But then, why did she let that bastard do what he did to her? Why didn't she smite him like the evil creature he was? Why did she abandon Twilight and the others when Midnight...
The thought was too painful to finish. She had never killed anyone before. With the exception of Celestia, she never even planned on killing anyone. The point was that the only one to die would be the sun tyrant.
“I'm a monster.”
“Yes, you are.” A deep voice startled the filly, drawing her undivided attention. Standing behind her was something she thought was a diamond dog, at first, but diamond dogs didn't have small horns protruding from their brow. “But sometimes, only a monster can stop a monster.”
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Applebloom couldn't help but to think back to the days when this forest was actually dangerous. Watching the pack of manticore scurry off in fear, she couldn't help but find the thought amusing. With that little distraction gone, she returned to her roots and berries.
As she ate, she thought back to her friends.
“Been three days. His funeral's probably today,” she thought out loud. “Ah hope it's nice. Wish Ah were there. Who am Ah kiddin'. Even if Ah could go, Ah don't deserve to.”
After quickly scarfing down her meal, she got back on the road again, figuratively speaking. It was approaching evening when a strange sound reached her ears. It reminded her of Big Mac chopping firewood.
Moving toward the sound, thoughts of starting over in a new town filled her mind. After all, if a pony was chopping wood here, they had to live nearby. That meant there had to be a town!
Unless the town was actually cursed and everypony there turned into ghouls at night, damning any that stray within...
Applebloom shook her head. “Ah gotta stop readin' them horror comics.”
With her mind clear, she started moving towards the sound. Eventually, a few moments after the sound of a tree crashing down, she came across the source. A mare was strapping the fallen lumber to her back, ready to drag it away. As Applebloom approached, however, something seemed off about the pony, and it wasn't just her size.
Unsure how to proceed, she decided to tail the pony for a bit. If for no other reason than to make sure she wasn't some crazy cultist living in the middle of the Everfree.
Putting her training to use, she moved silently, keeping her distance, but never too far to lose sight of her quarry. It was actually pretty exciting. She never got to go on missions that required stealth. That was Scootaloo's and Blue Streak's field. She usually just broke stuff. Of course, she was fine with that. She loved the looks on ponies faces when she broke down walls or heavy gates. Still, she liked being able to try something different for a change outside of training.
Lost in her musing, she almost didn't notice the tree had stopped moving. Dropping low, Applebloom crept closer. The mare was gone. The straps she had used to drag the tree laid on the forest floor. They weren't broken, so some creature couldn't have snatched her away.
Maybe she had to take a leak?
A rustling from the bushes behind her caused her to jump. She spun around , ready for a fight. Applebloom looked up as what she thought was a pony rose to its hooves. The tall, imposing figure was at least as tall as Luna. Its dark blue mane only added to the comparison. That was where the similarities ended, however.
Instead of the majestic, feathery wings of an alicorn, leathery, draconic wings spread from the jet black pony's back, held out threateningly. A long, muscular tail stuck straight out behind her, a wicked looking blade capping it off.
The creature stared at the farm mare from serpentine eyes and hissed in a feminine voice, “Why are you following me?”
“W-well, you see,” Applebloom stuttered briefly before composing herself. “I've kinda been wanderin' 'round these woods for a few days, and Ah'm kinda lost. Ah was hopin' you could lead me to a town.”
The giant's eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You've been wandering around the Everfree Forest for 'a few days' and you aren't something's dinner? You really expect me to believe that?”
“Ah'm tougher than Ah look,” the farmer defended.
“I'm sure,” the black 'pony' scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Then why were you sneaking around?”
Applebloom kicked a pebble, shamefully. “Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Somethin' seemed off 'bout you, and Ah just wanted to make sure you weren't some kinda evil monster that just looked like a pony.”
“Uh...”
“But Ah can see you ain't,” the young mare said happily, extending her right hoof. “Ah'm Applebloom. What's your name?”
The dark mare looked at the hoof warily, obviously unused to such things. Eventually, though, she took the offered hoof. “I'm Midnight Storm.”
Applebloom's breath hitched for the briefest of moments before her smile returned, in a little more forced than before.
“Great to meet you, Miss Storm,” said Applebloom. “So, do you live in a town?”
“No, but I live near one,” the strange being replied. “I... can show you the way.”
As Midnight Storm started fumbling with the straps, Applebloom stopped her.
“Here, let me get that. It’s the least Ah could do.”
“That's alright. This thing is pretty-” Miss Storm's refusal was cut off short as the little pony stood on her hind legs and hefted the massive tree as if it were a branch. “heavy.”
“Lead the way,” Applebloom said jovially.
“Yeah... okay,” Midnight directed, heading towards her home.
Why do I have a feeling my life just got a whole lot weirder?
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“Are you sure it's wise to bring her?” asked a dark pony. “She's a fool that believes herself a tragic hero.”
“One who not only knows our enemies, but is also easily manipulated,” replied the mutated coyote.
The small band was camped in a cavern in the Everfree. Their newest associate was waiting by the camp while the demon and his new servant explored the winding tunnels.
“She's dangerous. If she learns of our plans, she will turn on us.”
“I already have a plan to ensure her loyalty. Now, tell me, how much do you know of places of magical power? Things like artifacts, especially naturally occurring magic objects.”
The dark pony glowered. “Get rid of the dead filly if you want my help.”
Nag-Ta slammed his servant against the wall and snarled in his ear, “Unless you preferred being tiny pieces scattered across the tundra, I'd suggest you answer my questions.”
The stallion growled, but swallowed his pride. “My apologies, master. Yes, I am well versed in magical artifacts and phenomenon.”
“Good,” the demonic coyote released his grip on the pony, letting him get back to his hooves. “Now, what do you know about this... Mirror Pool?”