//------------------------------// // Dark Arts Demeanor // Story: Cutie Mark Corruption // by ShadowSteed //------------------------------// As minutes pass, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle still drag their enraged friend as she struggles to go back, determined to finish what she started. The little fillies wouldn't let her go and matched that determination as they arrived at their clubhouse. They dragged Scootaloo all the way to the back of the clubhouse before Sweetie belle darted to the door to quickly shut it. Just Apple Bloom alone was not enough to hold Scootaloo back for long, and she quickly darted for the door. She was no Rainbow Dash though, and could not reach the door in time. Sweetie Belle quickly shut the door and Scootaloo smacked into it face first. Sweetie Belle than locked the hatch and grabbed Scootaloo by the tail with her mouth, and flung her with all her might to another side of the building. Apple Bloom approached her friend cautiously, but with a stern look on her face. "What the actual buck Scootaloo?!?" Said the little filly concerned over her friend's actions. "You could've killed Diamond Tiara back there. "HEY! That little bitch had it coming!" Said Socotaloo defensively Sweetie Belle stepped in to say her piece "I understand getting a little angry and wanting to slap somepony across the face Scootaloo, but THAT, THAT WAS JUST BRUTAL!" Scootaloo stood up for her actions. "How would you feel if that was one of us who just got our cutie mark and got our thunder stolen?" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had sudden looks of realization on their faces. They had never thought of it that way. Scootaloo continued "If one of you had gotten your cutie mark, I would've done the same thing for you. Diamond Tiara has had her cutie mark for months now, yet she still flashes it around like it's brand new or something! If we had our cutie marks, wouldn't you want everypony to admire it as well?" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle pondered on this question for a while and discovered how accurate she was. Apple Bloom broke the silence: Well. . . I reckon you're right Scootaloo, but still, what you did back there was wrong. Now ah want you to stay here and relax. We're gonna go into town and think of some new ideas to earn our cutie marks." Scootaloo just sighed, "Fiiiiiiine." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle went outside and shut the door. Feelings of guilt immediately entered their little hearts as they walked away from the clubhouse leaving their poor friend behind, but feelings of fear that they will be next to feel her wrath gave them the will to walk away from her. As they walked into town, Scootaloo's words were still fresh in their heads. She would've done the same for them; Would they have done the same for her? Could they have protected the integrity of their friend if she had gotten her thunder stolen while showing off her cutie mark? Could they really have stooped so low as to attack Diamond Tiara like that? The answers remain a mystery. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle soon arrived at the large tree in the middle of town where Twilight Sparkle lived. The little fillies faced each other and nodded with agreement that Twilight, if anypony, will give them an idea of what to do for their cutie marks. They knocked on the wooden door and waited, with great anticipation for a response. When they heard the lock click, their hearts jumped; they just knew they were one step closer to earning their cutie marks. The door opened, and in the doorway stood the purple pony, with a welcoming smile on her face. "Good morning my little ponies" Twilight said joyfully, "How may I help you two?" "Mornin' Twilight" Apple Bloom responded with a exciting demeanor, "We were just wondering if you had any ideas on how we could earn our cutie marks, we're out of ideas." Twilight had heard this question from them a million times before, so she gave them her usual response, "Girls, you know what I always tell you." "Yeah yeah yeah we know, "be patient" Sweetie Belle replied with quotation hooves, "but we really wanna try something" "But -" "PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE" Said the little fillies with big eyes. Twilight sighed "Fine, let me think." Twilight Sparkle pondered for several moments, she eventually looked behind her and saw her library was a mess. Dust collecting on the racks, Books misplaced and out of order, junk food all over Spike's bedroom, Spike had been lacking in his duties lately to go out and party all day and she had been too busy studying to notice it until now. She had an idea that would benefit her and PROBABLY them. She finally responded, "Have you girls tried your hooves at various types of cleaning?" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had confused looks on their faces. "Cleaning?" Sweetie Belle inquired. "Yes!" Twilight Sparkle said enthusiastically, "There are many different ways to clean, dusting, wiping, picking-up stuff, all kinds of different opportunities to earn your cutie marks. Apple Bloom, you look like you could be good at dusting out stuff" "Really?" Apple Bloom Inquired. "YES!" Said Twilight, "And you, Sweetie Belle, you look like you're an expert at organization "Well. . . Rarity does let me put her stuff away after she gets done making dresses" Sweetie Belle reminisced. "Okay Twilight! We'll give it a try! Apple Bloom nodded her head in agreement with a little smile in appreciation for her suggestion. "GREAT!" Said Twilight excitedly, "And hey, You could start right here in the library!" "REALLY?!?" Said the excited fillies. Twilight responded, "Of Course! Well you two little fillies get to it. I'll be up in my room stu-" Twiight reminisced back to the incident with Fluttershy's desk "On second thought, I'll grab a good book and keep an eye on both of you." The little fillies ran inside the enourmous tree and immediately searched for messes they could clean. "I'll get that spider web at the bottom of that bookshelf!" Apple Bloom said. "I'll take out the trash from the kitchen!" Sweetie Belle replied. Little by little, job after different job, hour after hard working hour, they made each individual part of Twiight's home sparkle with little to no words or assistance from Twilight Sparkle, While Sweetie Belle was organizing the books, Apple Bloom had, by mysterious means, made a large crash in another room, causing the house to shake and a loose book to fall on Sweetie Belle's head. Sweetie Belle dizzily fell back. "Sorry!" Apple Bloom yelled from a distance. Twilight went to go check on the crash. Sweetie Belle recovered from the blow on her head seconds later and noticed the book that fell on her. It was black, gloomy, and had an eerie aura about. The title read "The Dark Arts For Fillies." Sweetie Belle picked up the book and pondered why Twilight would have such a book, but that moment was very brief. She opened the book to a random page and upon reading the first word, her eyes started to glow greener than they already were and her horn started to glow with the same bright lime green aura. Darkness engulfed the entire room as Sweetie Belle's brain was fed with information of various spells and mystic powers that could make anypony tremble in fear. This went on for a minute or so. Everything returned to normal and the book mysteriously floated back to it's original spot. Sweetie Belle didn't remember a thing. "OW" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "What hit me?" Twilight Sparkle came back into the room. "Sweetie Belle, are you okay? Sorry I left, Apple Bloom dropped my grandfather clock trying to move it. Apple Bloom blushed with embarrassment. "Yeah, i'm fine" Sweetie Belle responded. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom immediately got back to cleaning. Finally, the entire house was spotless. The two fillies' eyes met with large excited eyes, and mouths agape with anticipation. Ready! On Three! "Apple Bloom enthusiastically yelled, "One. . . Two. . . THREE!" On three, they swished their flanks around to each other with a heart pace so quick it could beat rainbow dash in a marathon, and stared at each other tushies. To their stunning, yet unsurprising disappointment, they did not have their cutie marks. They hung their heads low with great misery for they had failed again. Twilight Sparkle walked over to the sad little fillies with a sympathetic look on her face, but a satisfied feeling in her heart. "I'm sorry my little ponies" Twilight said sounding sympathetic "It's okay Twilight." Said Apple Bloom, "It's not your fault" "Well the best thing to do is what i've told all along, and that is to be patient" At the mention of those last two words, Sweetie belle perked up. She reminisced back to all the times she has heard those two words, but each time she had heard it she was doing something she thought of. Now that she was doing something somepony else wanted and heard the words "be patient" the fire she had felt back at the school had returned. She thought she had just been tricked and trolled! Her expression changed and she was visibly trembling and turning red. Apple Bloom noticed Sweetie Belle's demeanor changing "Uhh Sweetie Belle, you okay?" Sweetie Belle did not respond, She slowly stomped towards Twilight Sparkle. Apple Bloom realized Sweetie Belles anger and grabbed her by the tail. "Oh no! not you too!" Apple Bloom said with concern. Sweetie Belle's eyes & horn started to glow green. Apple Bloom mouth was agape with amazement. She has never seen her horn glow before. Sweetie Belle looked behind her and cast a powerful push spell on the little filly, pushing her back head first into a wall, she slid down, and laid unconscious on the floor. Sweetie Belle than focused on Twilight whose mouth was agape with astonishment at what had just occurred. "Wha... H - How... When...?" Twilight was flabbergasted at Sweetie Belle's action. She was even more surprised that she attacked Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle looked at her with her piercing light green glowing eyes. "Sweetie Belle, What...?" "SILENCE!" Said Sweetie Belle in a demonic voice. "You're like the ten MILLIONTH pony to tell me to be patient! NO MORE WAITING! I'm tired of being patient and I'm tired of being told to be patient! If I can't have my cutie mark, than i show everypony the CRUSHING feeling of not having one! Sweetie Belle's horn started to glow again, this time, black squirming tentacles rose from the floor surrounding Twilight. Twilight desperately look for a way out but they were all around her. The tentacles wrapped themselves tightly around the poor purple pony's limbs. She struggles to try and free herself; When she was unsuccessful, she tried blasting magic at it, she tried magic cancellation spells but it was no use. The aura around her was simply too strong. The squirming tentacles wrapped tighter around the poor pony's limbs as she screams in everlasting pain. Sweetie Belle just laughs with maniacal joy as the life is squeezed out of Twilight. She begins to cry as the tentacles wrap around so tight her bones begin snapping into halves, than thirds, than quarters until they are nothing but tiny pieces of rocks. Blood begins to seep from Twilight's eyes as Sweetie Belle's horn glows brighter. Another tentacle appears behind Twilight and wraps itself around her center. It immediately starts squeezing around the lower half of her body, causing her insides to move out of place, and up her throat. The Purple pony coughs up her liver right out of her mouth causing her to puke up blood and stomach acid. She ends up choking on everything else as she refuses to let them exit her body. Finally, the center tentacle squeezes so tight, Twilight's eyeballs gouge out of her head. The agony was too intense for her to hold back screaming any longer. She had to scream, and as she did, her intestines, blood, and puke spilt out of her mouth. The purple pony's body had had enough and finally exploded into scattered small bits all across the room. Blood spattered all across the freshly cleaned and organized shelves of books and small pieces of bones scattered around Twilight's last stand. Sweetie Belle chuckled with joy as she came to the realization of what has just happened. It was over. Twilight Sparkle was dead. The tentacles soon receded back into the floor and Sweetie Belle stopped glowing. She swooned dizzily and shook her head to regain consciousness. She looked around to see the entire house covered in blood, bones, and bile. "What...? What happened?" Sweetie Belle inquired not remembering anything about what just happened. "Where is everypony?" She looked into the next room to see an unconscious Apple Bloom on the floor with a large bump on the center of her head. Sweetie Belle rushed over to help her friend. "Apple Bloom? APPLE BLOOM! WAKE UP!" Sweetie Belle yelled. Apple Bloom awoke and weakly responded "Who are you?"